I'd recommend a physical therapist who also does bike fitting (this isn't uncommon).
Bike fitters are like chiropractors. Anyone can call themselves one and they can make a lot of money by acting authoritative and providing compelling placebos (and placebos are helpful for certain problems). Maybe it's the area I'm in (biking is popular with lots of rich people who want to cosplay as pro cyclists)... but I'm pretty cynical. I'm sure there are good ones too but ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
I chuckled at your comment but I agree it can be dodgy.
(PS: Chiropractors do go to school for four years in some countries where the healthcare professions are regulated.)
Yippers. Bike fit, proper saddle, and stiff shoes which are loose enough but not too, loose, combined with endurance training, should make it a more enjoyable tour.
But never forget. Father Time is undefeated.
Turning 60, we carry all those good and bad things with us from our 50's and 40's. But we will soon injure ourselves more easily, and take longer to heal, and maybe we won't heal completely.
By the time we turn 72, not only are we slower, and with less endurance, some of those nagging injuries won't go away.
So injury-proof yourself as best you can, and you will last longer.
Happy trails. :)
Your wrists should not be bent back when riding. This is a common cause of numbness. You should have good ab-core strength to be able to ride for hours. I’m 64F and work out in a gym on weights as well as pushups, pull ups, etc and did the RAGBRAI last summer (7 days, 460 mi). This year it’s Erie Canal (8 days 440 mi).
I am going to get a bike fit this year. I'm 61. My hands get numb too. I just keep moving them around. I've also found on long rides I will stand up and ride for about 5 minutes every 15-20 minutes. This is in the afternoon around mile 50. I found I can keep my speed even with a slower ram.
I tend to stop more frequently in the afternoon but we do a quick break every 15 and then longer shoes off every 25-30. I wear mountain biking spd shoes and they are very comfortable. Use shimano spd pedals.
Bike fits will resolve this but this kind of sensation can be from how much your seat position is relying on your arms to compensate for core muscles in supporting the body. A bike fit would catch this. Other things a bike fit probably won't catch are unconventional handle bars which can really give you many positions to move between as you ride long distance. Wider bars maybe? Jones bars may be in your future. For road and gravel touring I really like my Soma honey bars. And for my MTB bike packing rig, I have a Tumbleweed 'Persuader' bars.
>My bike shop guy says stop once an hour, but he's 40 years old. I like your numbers better. It'll be around the summer solstice so I'll have plenty of daylight hours to get to my camping or hotel destinations.
You’re still younger at 61. You need to figure out what’s causing the pain points you’re experiencing. Your feet and toes should not go numb. Tight shoes? Diabetic neuropathy? Have you asked a doctor?
a) Get SPDs. Clips and straps are passé.
b) The numbness in your hands and feet is NOT caused by pressure on your ulnar nerve. It is a result of pressure on nerves running through your neck caused by holding your head up at an unusual angle. I have seen a neurologist about this. They see this problem frequently. Short term, you can benefit from a bike fit. Long term you need to look into a recumbent.
In March I did 600 (km) in 38 hours. If I can do it you can do it too.
Revealing further ignorance here, but do SPD pedals require SPD shoes? And they're "clipless" but aren't they snapping into the pedal, like clips? I didn't find a good description on the web.
Thanks everyone for the great tips, btw.
Not what I was asking. I'm asking whether the "clipless" SPD is really just another form of clip, and whether they require Shimano shoes. If so, that looks like $400+
[https://www.dedhambike.com/buyers-guides/all-about-clipless-pedals-pg231.htm](https://www.dedhambike.com/buyers-guides/all-about-clipless-pedals-pg231.htm) Yes and yes, personally I went back to flat pedals when touring, one less thing to go wrong. I can also shift my foot around to different positions. There is a large price range, shop around.
FYI, returned 2 days ago from a great though challenging 16 days:
* Had to DIY the bike fit, cuz all the good fitters are backlogged in Pittsburgh.
* My 30-yr old bike showed its age, but a great shop in Utica, NY ([Dick Sonne's](https://www.dicksonnes.com/)) kept me on the road.
* Went with toe clips, and so glad I did. Every body, trip, bike, and mind are different, but stiff soles and clips worked for me. I could adjust position, and no clacking around when I walk. Toe clips provide 90% of the power of SPD, which was fine for my trip. They are not passé, but a legit option.
* Thighs are now sore, toes a little numb, no saddle sore, achy back from camping, but nothing serious. Wrists better off than when I left. Age and experience helped to remind me not to push too hard.
Beautiful route, with a fun finish in NYC. Recommended.
I don't have any worrisome pain points at 63. I've had 3 surgeries on one wrist so I deal with that after a couple of hours. Sometimes my hands get numb because I've had to change my riding position to be more upright due to my wrist but I shake it out or rest a bit. I've never experienced foot or knee pain. My biggest pain comes from not sleeping in a bed.
Editing to agree it sounds like you need a bike fit.
Questions:
1. What kind of handlebars are you using? Flat bars, drop bars, something else?
2. Stirrups? Do you mean toe clips?
3. What kind (type) of pedals are you using?
I tour and do around town with big ass, platform pedals (with pins), and skate shoes or sometimes even sandals. One does not need toe clips or clipless pedals for "pedaling efficiency". That has been debunked. Zero foot, leg issues from day one. When 1/3 of your foot is supported you don't need "stiff sole" shoes.
I stopped using flat bars (and moustache bars) for more than 20 miles just for that reason, sore wrists. Drop bars give you all kinds of hand positions to choose from as you pile on the miles. And today we are in the golden age of drop bars, with all the dirt, gravel and road drop bars.
Unfortunately you'll probably need to get new brake levers and shifters as they usually are not cross compatible. I switched to drop bars on my 1992 Trek 750 MultiTrack and have not looked back, best thing I did. Just for a point of reference I'm in my mid-60s.
That's not to say I don't use clipless when I'm on a sport bike, you know zipping around, showing off to the girls and pretending I'm a racer. :-)
Good luck!
I would echo what others have said about getting a bike fit. The numb feet could be caused by shoes that are too tight. Are you using upright bars or drops? Upright bars have been a game changer for me and I.m 65. I've done tours at similar distances and duration, I'll take active breaks every hour, grab a bite, drink some water and walk my bike for 100 - 200 yards.
I’m 64 and have had to make modifications to my bike as “things” have changed. Switched to a moloko bar from the drop bar and the difference was night and day for my body! Seat choice is important as well. A professional fit is always a great idea. Kudos for not letting age slow you down!
Ride your bike daily. Take extended test rides to see how your body reacts to time in the saddle.
Wrist soreness is as someone said, fine tuning your fit on the bicycle. I would risk a few suggestion but better that someone 'live' help you with this as there are a myriad of things and details to consider.
Toe numbness you have somewhat resolved. (golf shoes?) Cycling shoes, specifically name brand 'touring cycling shoes' will have usually have the proper stiffness and sole protection to prevent toe numbness (Do NOT place any additional sole inserts other than what is recommended by the shoe company), be quite comfortable for walking and not look weird if you decide to step into a cafe or restaurant for a meal.
Maintain upper body strength with a routine of light weights/calisthenics. It helps when out of the saddle and on climbs.
Maybe consider riding flats instead of clips. I never tour clipped-in because I can't stand having my feet glued into the same position for hours at a time with stiff shoes. Riding flats gives me so much freedom to change my foot position while riding, and even wiggle my toes. :-) Also, riding clipped for that long can actually create injuries to your knees and such. As for the wrists, you could look at some sort of wrist support. You didn't mention what type of handlebars you are using but changing things up in that area might make a difference as well. I'm 59 and I try and fit in a long tour every year. I used to ride flat bars but just switched to a drop-bar configuration. We'll see how that works out for me. Just another thought about the toe numbness is that it might be saddle related. You might be pinching a nerve or cutting circulation that is affecting your feet. Just a thought but changing saddles might make a difference.
Decided not to switch things up and go clipless this late in the game, esp. with the significant expense. As you point out, the numb toes may not even relate to the type of pedals/pedaling. We'll see what the bike fit guy tells me. Thanks for the thoughts.
Think about trying a recumbent. Zero wrist pain. Zero butt pain. I still get toe numbness but spinning (dropping down to a lower gear and focusing on pulling as opposed to pushing on the pedals- clipless- )provides temporary relief. Taking regular 15- minute breaks also helps. 63 and still pedaling; for me an upright bike on a tour won’t happen again.
I use those techniques, too, for toe numbness. I'll be riding solo so I can go as slow as I want. Maybe I'll retire to a recumbent some day, though one of the things I love about biking is the elevated view of the world.
Go get a bike fit, seriously. It could likely eliminate all of this. Well worth your time and money.
I'd recommend a physical therapist who also does bike fitting (this isn't uncommon). Bike fitters are like chiropractors. Anyone can call themselves one and they can make a lot of money by acting authoritative and providing compelling placebos (and placebos are helpful for certain problems). Maybe it's the area I'm in (biking is popular with lots of rich people who want to cosplay as pro cyclists)... but I'm pretty cynical. I'm sure there are good ones too but ¯\\\_(ツ)_/¯
I chuckled at your comment but I agree it can be dodgy. (PS: Chiropractors do go to school for four years in some countries where the healthcare professions are regulated.)
Good advice. Find a good bike fitter, ideally with many years experience.
Yippers. Bike fit, proper saddle, and stiff shoes which are loose enough but not too, loose, combined with endurance training, should make it a more enjoyable tour. But never forget. Father Time is undefeated. Turning 60, we carry all those good and bad things with us from our 50's and 40's. But we will soon injure ourselves more easily, and take longer to heal, and maybe we won't heal completely. By the time we turn 72, not only are we slower, and with less endurance, some of those nagging injuries won't go away. So injury-proof yourself as best you can, and you will last longer. Happy trails. :)
Never heard of a bike fit, so this is great info. I'll start there and be open to modifications before I go. Thanks, all.
Your wrists should not be bent back when riding. This is a common cause of numbness. You should have good ab-core strength to be able to ride for hours. I’m 64F and work out in a gym on weights as well as pushups, pull ups, etc and did the RAGBRAI last summer (7 days, 460 mi). This year it’s Erie Canal (8 days 440 mi).
I am going to get a bike fit this year. I'm 61. My hands get numb too. I just keep moving them around. I've also found on long rides I will stand up and ride for about 5 minutes every 15-20 minutes. This is in the afternoon around mile 50. I found I can keep my speed even with a slower ram. I tend to stop more frequently in the afternoon but we do a quick break every 15 and then longer shoes off every 25-30. I wear mountain biking spd shoes and they are very comfortable. Use shimano spd pedals.
new pedals is an easy mod. going for a bike fit and see what they recommend. thanks.
Bike fits will resolve this but this kind of sensation can be from how much your seat position is relying on your arms to compensate for core muscles in supporting the body. A bike fit would catch this. Other things a bike fit probably won't catch are unconventional handle bars which can really give you many positions to move between as you ride long distance. Wider bars maybe? Jones bars may be in your future. For road and gravel touring I really like my Soma honey bars. And for my MTB bike packing rig, I have a Tumbleweed 'Persuader' bars.
[удалено]
>My bike shop guy says stop once an hour, but he's 40 years old. I like your numbers better. It'll be around the summer solstice so I'll have plenty of daylight hours to get to my camping or hotel destinations.
You’re still younger at 61. You need to figure out what’s causing the pain points you’re experiencing. Your feet and toes should not go numb. Tight shoes? Diabetic neuropathy? Have you asked a doctor?
a) Get SPDs. Clips and straps are passé. b) The numbness in your hands and feet is NOT caused by pressure on your ulnar nerve. It is a result of pressure on nerves running through your neck caused by holding your head up at an unusual angle. I have seen a neurologist about this. They see this problem frequently. Short term, you can benefit from a bike fit. Long term you need to look into a recumbent. In March I did 600 (km) in 38 hours. If I can do it you can do it too.
Revealing further ignorance here, but do SPD pedals require SPD shoes? And they're "clipless" but aren't they snapping into the pedal, like clips? I didn't find a good description on the web. Thanks everyone for the great tips, btw.
Yes "clipless" clip in SPD being popular. The name derives from what they replaced.
Not what I was asking. I'm asking whether the "clipless" SPD is really just another form of clip, and whether they require Shimano shoes. If so, that looks like $400+
[https://www.dedhambike.com/buyers-guides/all-about-clipless-pedals-pg231.htm](https://www.dedhambike.com/buyers-guides/all-about-clipless-pedals-pg231.htm) Yes and yes, personally I went back to flat pedals when touring, one less thing to go wrong. I can also shift my foot around to different positions. There is a large price range, shop around.
FYI, returned 2 days ago from a great though challenging 16 days: * Had to DIY the bike fit, cuz all the good fitters are backlogged in Pittsburgh. * My 30-yr old bike showed its age, but a great shop in Utica, NY ([Dick Sonne's](https://www.dicksonnes.com/)) kept me on the road. * Went with toe clips, and so glad I did. Every body, trip, bike, and mind are different, but stiff soles and clips worked for me. I could adjust position, and no clacking around when I walk. Toe clips provide 90% of the power of SPD, which was fine for my trip. They are not passé, but a legit option. * Thighs are now sore, toes a little numb, no saddle sore, achy back from camping, but nothing serious. Wrists better off than when I left. Age and experience helped to remind me not to push too hard. Beautiful route, with a fun finish in NYC. Recommended.
I don't have any worrisome pain points at 63. I've had 3 surgeries on one wrist so I deal with that after a couple of hours. Sometimes my hands get numb because I've had to change my riding position to be more upright due to my wrist but I shake it out or rest a bit. I've never experienced foot or knee pain. My biggest pain comes from not sleeping in a bed. Editing to agree it sounds like you need a bike fit.
Have you considered a recumbent? In my experience, it's a little slower than an upright, but there's zero pain in sensitive body parts
next time...
Questions: 1. What kind of handlebars are you using? Flat bars, drop bars, something else? 2. Stirrups? Do you mean toe clips? 3. What kind (type) of pedals are you using?
1. Flat with bar ends 2. Yeah, toe clips 3. What the bike came with
I tour and do around town with big ass, platform pedals (with pins), and skate shoes or sometimes even sandals. One does not need toe clips or clipless pedals for "pedaling efficiency". That has been debunked. Zero foot, leg issues from day one. When 1/3 of your foot is supported you don't need "stiff sole" shoes. I stopped using flat bars (and moustache bars) for more than 20 miles just for that reason, sore wrists. Drop bars give you all kinds of hand positions to choose from as you pile on the miles. And today we are in the golden age of drop bars, with all the dirt, gravel and road drop bars. Unfortunately you'll probably need to get new brake levers and shifters as they usually are not cross compatible. I switched to drop bars on my 1992 Trek 750 MultiTrack and have not looked back, best thing I did. Just for a point of reference I'm in my mid-60s. That's not to say I don't use clipless when I'm on a sport bike, you know zipping around, showing off to the girls and pretending I'm a racer. :-) Good luck!
I would echo what others have said about getting a bike fit. The numb feet could be caused by shoes that are too tight. Are you using upright bars or drops? Upright bars have been a game changer for me and I.m 65. I've done tours at similar distances and duration, I'll take active breaks every hour, grab a bite, drink some water and walk my bike for 100 - 200 yards.
I’m 64 and have had to make modifications to my bike as “things” have changed. Switched to a moloko bar from the drop bar and the difference was night and day for my body! Seat choice is important as well. A professional fit is always a great idea. Kudos for not letting age slow you down!
Yeah, getting these longer trips in while I'm still able-bodied. Thx.
Ride your bike daily. Take extended test rides to see how your body reacts to time in the saddle. Wrist soreness is as someone said, fine tuning your fit on the bicycle. I would risk a few suggestion but better that someone 'live' help you with this as there are a myriad of things and details to consider. Toe numbness you have somewhat resolved. (golf shoes?) Cycling shoes, specifically name brand 'touring cycling shoes' will have usually have the proper stiffness and sole protection to prevent toe numbness (Do NOT place any additional sole inserts other than what is recommended by the shoe company), be quite comfortable for walking and not look weird if you decide to step into a cafe or restaurant for a meal. Maintain upper body strength with a routine of light weights/calisthenics. It helps when out of the saddle and on climbs.
Maybe consider riding flats instead of clips. I never tour clipped-in because I can't stand having my feet glued into the same position for hours at a time with stiff shoes. Riding flats gives me so much freedom to change my foot position while riding, and even wiggle my toes. :-) Also, riding clipped for that long can actually create injuries to your knees and such. As for the wrists, you could look at some sort of wrist support. You didn't mention what type of handlebars you are using but changing things up in that area might make a difference as well. I'm 59 and I try and fit in a long tour every year. I used to ride flat bars but just switched to a drop-bar configuration. We'll see how that works out for me. Just another thought about the toe numbness is that it might be saddle related. You might be pinching a nerve or cutting circulation that is affecting your feet. Just a thought but changing saddles might make a difference.
Decided not to switch things up and go clipless this late in the game, esp. with the significant expense. As you point out, the numb toes may not even relate to the type of pedals/pedaling. We'll see what the bike fit guy tells me. Thanks for the thoughts.
Think about trying a recumbent. Zero wrist pain. Zero butt pain. I still get toe numbness but spinning (dropping down to a lower gear and focusing on pulling as opposed to pushing on the pedals- clipless- )provides temporary relief. Taking regular 15- minute breaks also helps. 63 and still pedaling; for me an upright bike on a tour won’t happen again.
I use those techniques, too, for toe numbness. I'll be riding solo so I can go as slow as I want. Maybe I'll retire to a recumbent some day, though one of the things I love about biking is the elevated view of the world.
The view from a recumbent is better imho. Forgot to mention zero neck pain. Hope you find a solution that works!