The place many of feel the bike the most is in the hands. Depending on how forward you are, you might have 5-50% of your weight on your hands, and every bump, seam and pothole is felt in the hands. Have you heard of Bar Phat? Double thickness tape or ergonomic inserts under the bar tape? Choosing the right handlebar tape can make the difference between happy hands or numb and unhappy hands and upper body.
Bar Phat gel under your tape absorbs lots o road vibrations
The first order of business is being sure you have the correct width of handlebar, and that your brake levers are set up correctly. If you are over-reaching or your bars are the wrong width, it is like holding a uncomfortable push up for hours as you ride and can quickly lead to shoulder, neck, upperback and lower back pain.
We have a number of different handlebar tapes to match your riding and hand size, from oversized gel infused cushion grip for big hands or rough roads to thin very sticky tape if you have a ergonomic carbon bar of small hands. Of course the orientation of the brake levers and placement of the handlebars are paramount to a proper fit.
At Cycle U we do fittings daily from both stores with either Craig Undem or Colin Gibson, both Specialized trained elite fitters with years of experience. Even if you only want help in picking out the right saddle or to troubleshoot some pain you are having you can walk into either store or call/email us to set something up. All of our fittings are good for 1 year, and if you buy a saddle or stem from us as part of one of our fittings, you get 30days to try it and if it isn’t the right one you can return it and try another choice. Get fitted, get comfortable and Get Ready to Ride! More info CLICK HERE
