Scoox Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) For a very long time hand blisters was the weakest link in my chain. I was unable to do big gaps because my hands would hurt and some times the end of my ride would be marked by a bleeding flapper. I know a lot of riders have this problem and I have found the solution so I want to share it here. I had previously tried the following to no avail: MTFU Various stem length/angle combinations Different gloves, and glove-less Fitting badminton racket cotton grip covers (these help because they absorb sweat but don't completely solve the problem) Various flat bars and riser bars Various handlebar rotations Various grip materials (foam, rubber) Different brake levers Different brake lever reach settings Many of the above points can improve comfort but won't get rid of the blistering. Last month I was in the park mucking about on one of those parallel bars things. While hanging from it, I noticed my hands didn't hurt. I noticed the bar diameter was greater than my bike's handlebars, so I went online and bought a pair Propalm EP194 grips, made in Taiwan and very cheap here in China (about 7 quid): You probably can find something similar locally. I didn't buy these for the funky ergonomic shape (although I am finding it very comfortable) but more for the diameter. Bingo! My hand flappers and the pain are gone, and now I am riding almost every other day without any pain at all. As a bonus, this grips are really easy to install and remove (with an allen key), unlike the more common press-fit grips. Here is the problem: trials grips are designed to save weight, so they are very thin. I even remember someone saying on the forums that he didn't use any grips at all. The problem is that the one-size-fits-all paradigm doesn't work here: I have pretty long fingers (I can straddle 11 white keys on a standard piano keyboard), and there's no way my hand can evenly grasp a thin grip and at the same time operate the brake lever without having to slide back and forth every time I apply the brakes, which results in the nasty blistering. So the key is to get the right diameter grip for YOUR hands, not what the trials bike industry tells you to use. The choice of diameter must be such that forces are spread as evenly as possible across the palm of the hand, so not to big and not too small. Riders with shorter fingers will benefit from thinner grips, riders with longer fingers will need thicker grips. My riding buddy uses thin foam grips and never gets flappers. As I expected, his fingers are shorter than mine. It also helps if the grips have a bit of cushiness to them (e.g. foam grips), otherwise it will be your hand adapting to the shape of the grip rather than the other way round. The ones I got are made of a semi-soft gel-like compound and feel very nice. I'll post some pics later to show you how the grips look on my bike. Edited October 17, 2014 by Scoox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jakub1699 Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 In conclusion: just get thicker grips Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clerictgm mk2 Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Hmmmm.. For me thick grips = slow and painful torture. The thinner grips are the better. I can ride for hours every day without gloves and alright. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dann2707 Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Or just man up and let them develop calluses. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ogre Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 plus one for developing your callouses. i'm currently using roady bar tape, but I run it with two layers so it's quite thick, I have big hands so it works nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoox Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) I've added MTFU to the list of things that didn't work LOL. By the way, I made a big cut-out in my gloves around the area were calluses tend to appear, because this way my hands stay drier and I prefer the to have direct contact with the grips. So basically I have butchered my gloves. I've also tried no gloves and basically when the grips are the right size for your hands it makes very little difference whether you wear gloves or not, in fact, in summer I prefer to ride without gloves because I sweat a lot. I am curious about bar tape, doesn't the glue strip gradually slip if you wrap it too thick? Edited October 17, 2014 by Scoox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoox Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 In conclusion: just get thicker grips Well not really, like I said get thick ones if you have big hands, small ones if you have small hands. But basically don't try to save weight on grips if that means you'll be getting a poor grip on your bars. I'd rather wear lighter clothes or whatever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disc.Jokie. Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 i dispise thick grips, your finger doesn't reach out as far so you get less brake adustment and you don't have as tighter grip so you will find your self coming off or nearly coming off a lot more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blake Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 i dispise thick grips, your finger doesn't reach out as far so you get less brake adustment and you don't have as tighter grip so you will find your self coming off or nearly coming off a lot more. You can grip if you have big enough hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bing Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Hence why I use odi longnecks and not those stupid thin cheapskate foam things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disc.Jokie. Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 obviously, but there isn't as much grip, not matter how big you hands are. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoox Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 i dispise thick grips, your finger doesn't reach out as far so you get less brake adustment and you don't have as tighter grip so you will find your self coming off or nearly coming off a lot more. That's your particular case. My brake levers are all the way out and I have no problema operating my brakes. The point is, if you are getting flappers, my advice is try different grips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bikeperson45 Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Seems to me your problem is compulsive list making 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoox Posted October 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Seems to me your problem is compulsive list making I am just tired of people thinking my calluses are not from riding bikes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onzatpro09 Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I am just tired of people thinking my calluses are not from riding bikes. Yes. 100% agree. I get ripped into at school if anybody sees, so I am quite self-conscious Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niconj Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 In conclusion: just get thicker grips In other words. Ritchey WCS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bing Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 (edited) Well now. Speaking from many years of experience, I know that I can grip longnecks better than those foam jobs, due to the size of my hands. And I run a fairly long lever reach. My hands wrap round far too much on foams, don't feel I'm in as much control. Thick grips won't work for someone with little hands, because you won't be able to get any wrap around them, and even less when having to reach for a brake. Personally I think foam grips are worse for callouses than rubber, because the foam holds sweat in and it transfers back to your hands scoox Get a decent pair of gloves, something fairly meaty like fox gloves. Then find the grips that fit your hands the best, and are the most comfortable. Ignore what people tell you to get, it's all about what you think. Edited October 17, 2014 by bing 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weirdoku Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I stopped riding for about 4 years. Started riding again, blisters on the first ride. Let them heal for about a week. Calluses came back and haven't had a blister since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuel Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 Mtfu always works. ALWAYS. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie_Trials Posted October 17, 2014 Report Share Posted October 17, 2014 I am just tired of people thinking my calluses are not from riding bikes. You obviously don't ride enough if people see you without a bike. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamKidney Posted October 19, 2014 Report Share Posted October 19, 2014 Never had an issue with foams personally, loved them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoox Posted October 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted October 20, 2014 (edited) Well now. Speaking from many years of experience, I know that I can grip longnecks better than those foam jobs, due to the size of my hands. And I run a fairly long lever reach. My hands wrap round far too much on foams, don't feel I'm in as much control. Thick grips won't work for someone with little hands, because you won't be able to get any wrap around them, and even less when having to reach for a brake. Personally I think foam grips are worse for callouses than rubber, because the foam holds sweat in and it transfers back to your hands scoox Get a decent pair of gloves, something fairly meaty like fox gloves. Then find the grips that fit your hands the best, and are the most comfortable. Ignore what people tell you to get, it's all about what you think. I never thought about the foam holding sweat in, but it makes a lot of sense. I found gloves also hold sweat and it was definitely a problem in the summer, so I did this: I was a little over-enthusiastic with the cutting... The only reason I wear gloves is to protect my knuckles and the "heel" of the hand (the part near the wrist) if I fall, but the middle part where the calluses are needs no protection. In fact, the glove fabric folding over around that area makes gripping the bars very awkward. With the cut-out this problem goes away, and I can easily dry any sweat quickly by rubbing my hands on my t-shirt. If you have an old pair of gloves you should try this. BTW the calluses in this pic are from riding every other day. They don't look very developed but I swear since I got the thicker grips my calluses have faded quite a bit. Edited October 20, 2014 by Scoox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bing Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 I've ridden probably at least 4 days a week, apart from when I broke my foot, since I was about 13 haha. 20 years of riding and I have mans calluses now, that hard they have no feeling Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paperclip Posted October 21, 2014 Report Share Posted October 21, 2014 http://www.makeuptalk.com/f/ Pussy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gage-mann Posted October 23, 2014 Report Share Posted October 23, 2014 Pound land superglue and decent toe nail clippers to trim before every ride. My hands hurt after 3 days riding whereas before one day was my maximum with torn segs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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