Can anyone recommend some padded / gel-filled mits

[doug]

Hi

Anyone reading my blog will know I've not been riding my Audax Mk 3 for the last 3 weeks having had a fall.  The prospect of holding a handle bar has just been too painful (I'm still taking pain killers) and I'm wondering if some of those gel filled mits might be worth trying once some more healing has taken place.  In other words, something to cushion my hand.

Any recommendations?  Mits, gloves, bar tape etc?

Just realised, as I've had the bike 6 weeks and haven't been able to ride it for the last 3 weeks, that explains my withdrawal symptoms.  Really looking forward to cycling again soon, especially with some warmer weather coming

[jags]

doug hope you recover soon.
you should try weight lifters mitts ,there are heavly padded but have great movement if thats the wright way to explain
but head to your nearest jim and try them out and lets hope they do the trick .
cheers
jags.

[doug]

Thanks jags, I might give that a go in a couple of weeks.  I had a go on my bike today, just a few hundred yards along our road.  Quite a painful experience, especially when I reached for the brake lever.

[expr]

Hey Doug,

how is the recovery going, hope you are feeling a little better. Have you managed any more trips out as yet. Any look with the gel gloves.

Dave.

[doug]

Hi Dave

Thank you for asking, I appreciate that.  Recovery, in a word - SLOWLY.  Still can't ride, too painful.  Driving and changing gear is a tricky experience.  My guess is I've pulled some tendons / ligaments about.  My family have started a "Go to the Doctor" campaign!

I might have a look around for some gloves or mitts this weekend, or maybe Thursday as I have to go into London for work and I might get a chance to pop into a branch of FW Evans if I get in early enough.

[Danneaux]

Another older thread by now, but the issue is still timely, so...

Have you considered raising the handlebars so the tops are near-equal in height to the saddle-top?  Back angle can be restored by bending one's elbows, which further aids in shock absorption.  I've found doing so reduces the amount of weight carried on my hands, and is a lot less painful over long 400km day rides, even when those rides include long stretches of gravel and rough asphalt.  You might need a taller quill on your stem (if it is of that type) or a threadless stem with greater angle to accomplish this.  Randonneur-bend handlebars (they look a bit like gull wings when viewed from the front...they wing up from center to the brake hoods, then flare out at the drops) can gain you between 1cm and 1.5cm in height alone compared to a Maes bend.

I have recently considered adding some under-tape gel pads to my drop handlebars.  Bontrager and Fizik are two brands I've seen and considered, and they are available as pads or in sets that include pads and tape, which may be gel-padded as well (ideal for the cobbles of Belgium...they were rougher than I'd imagined).  I use gel-filled cycling gloves (prefer Pearl Izumi brand myself), but recently experimented with placing a gel forefoot shoe insole between my gloved hand and the tops of the 'bars, just behind the brake lever hoods.  Bliss!  Worth following up, methinks, and I plan to when I next replace my bar tape.

As a further data point, I've found tires with larger profile height and section width are helpful, and allow for running at lower tire pressures.  Tires provide a remarkable amount of suspension and surely ease the pounding one's hands would otherwise suffer.  There is growing evidence that when the road surface is poor larger, softer tires may be nearly as fast and efficient as narrower ones run at higher pressures.  I know I am as fast on my randonneur bike with 32mm tires run at 85 psi as I was with 22mm tires filled to 125psi to prevent pinch flats.  Your experience may differ, of course.

Hope this helps someone,

Dan.

[greywolf]

G'Day from Down Under, I am 68 and both shoulders carry long term injuries (all from cycling!) that frighten the surgeons. I get away with things on my roadies by using many layers of bar tape in strategic zones of the drop bars and wearing gel gloves. On my MTB., however, with the Rohloff shifter on flat bars, I find I am restricted to a relatively fixed position and this hurts after long trips on our rough roads and hills trails. I use grips with the softer moulded bits (something like the Ergon from what I can see) but found Belwether Gel Flex gloves the best for shock management. These things have gel pads about 4mm thick but the leather is poor quality and the twisting action that is necessary with the twist grip shifter tears the palm gel pads loose pretty soon. My present dilemma is that I cannot get any more of the Belwether gloves at present. Has anybody got any alternative glove suggestions. At this stage price is not a prime problem.
I might even get back to using sliced up shoe inserts like the earlier respondent, but my attempts so far look a bit rough.
Meanwhile, I'm consuming paracetamol at a great rate.