How to handle vibration (big bumps, etc.) on flat bar when touring?

Question

I've got a fully-rigid mountain bike with flat bars that I'll be using on a 150 mile bikepacking trip on a "rails to trails" trail. So it'll get a bit bumpy.

My hands get a little sore from all the bumps.

What I've tried

1. I'd rather not lower my tire pressure (it's max'd out now, I'd rather not increase rolling resistance).

2. I've looked for some sort of "flexing" bar ends, with no luck. (Plenty of bar ends, just none with any flex or "give"

3. I'm considering getting such bar ends but maybe coating them with thick, soft foam. Hoping for a more elegant solution :)

Any suggestions?

Answer 1

There are some tricks that I've used to deal with manual discomfort in some longish, 3-4 hour, rides.

1. Resting my hands on the handlebars using somewhere other than the meaty part of my palm and the crook of my thumb. I'd either tuck my pinky and pointer, or ring and middle fingers under, so that the backs of those fingers rest on the bars, or rest on the front of my digits rather than my palm and the crook of my thumb. I suspect the discomfort comes from restricted blood flow from the constant pressure on the same spot.

2. Take breaks and shake out/stretch my hands, arms, shoulders.

3. Learn to balance without being on the handlebars and shake out/stretch my hands, arms, and shoulders. This basically means I can keep pedaling while I stretch, saving a few minutes.

On my new touring bike, I went with trekking bars so I could swap out grip positions more often. I can even lay my hands on top of the bars so that my fingertips touch the front and my palms rest on the back.

Answer 2

There are two things that come to mind. Grips, and gloves.

Depending on whether or not you use gloves, they do make some that have gel in the palms that may help reduce vibration some if you're not already using them.

Secondly you may try different types of grips, a couple worth mentioning would be the ESI grips. They're essentially made out of silicone foam and have several different thicknesses. I have yet to try them for an extended period of time, but they feel nice and I know a lot of people who ride them and have also heard good things. They can be seen here. They may be just the sort of thick soft foam type you are looking for.

You may also consider an ergo grip if you haven't. They won't help with the vibration as much as other styles but they may help by keeping your weight in the correct areas of your hand.

One other thing that came to mind that you may or may not be able to use are gel inserts. They're made for putting beneath road bar wrap but you may be able to use them for something if you get creative. They can be seen here but again, you would have to get creative on how to adapt it to a flat bar.

If your budget allows, you may also try out different brands or styles of tires, some thicker puncture protection (the 5mm rubber band rather than a fabric sheet) may help to alleviate some of the vibration as well. Depending on what you're riding I'm a big fan of the Freedom ThickSlicks. They have about double the thickness of rubber on the tread side compared to a standard road tire.

Answer 3

I'll assume that single bumps aren't the issue (hardtail MTB riders take quite big hits on flat bars), but local fatigue from riding all day on rough surfaces is. I ride flat bars with touring tyres (marathon plus 28), and like to ride trails like these when I get the chance (although my trips are shorter).

Definitely padded gloves will help, but the padding generally suffers over the course of the day unless you go for gel gloves and like them (or neoprene but I've only tried that in winter gloves).

I've found that the main solution is a good basic grip postion combined with the ability to grip differently for a while. I've got some ergo grips with stubby bar-ends a bit like these (chainreaction cycles - no copyright info so link only). They need adjustment to be much use as you need to get your wrist on a good angle. Even once this is optimised you've still got some wiggle room While there's some give in the surface a major benefit is that they spread the load over more padding. In the default position you can cover the brakes but it's easier on your wrists if you don't. Turning your hands outwards gives a few positions differing slightly, but relying on your palm rather than gripping the bar ends.

How you grip makes a big difference - i.e. don't grip too tight (but of course you don't want your hand sliding around either). For that, the right gloves for your grips help especially if there's rain or sweat around. And change hand positions when you're happy to (considering access to brakes etc.) rather than when you feel the need as it's too late by then.