First time I test rode a blade, I thought the riding position was sufficiently aggressive that the issue would be neck ache. However now I've been riding mine for a while I'm actually finding it pretty comfortable now I've adapted to it. Bike definitely roomier than the 600rr which was the other option (I'm 6'2") so you've got the scope to move around a bit when you're in the saddle a while. BUT the one thing I am finding after spending an hour and a half on the bike every day for the last few days is right wrist ache (left one is fine). Anyone else find this? Anyone tried various cruise control solutions that made any difference? I can feel the right inner forearm itself is sore if I poke at it - it's not just a weight thing onto the wrist itself. Maybe I'm doing something weird in terms of the way I hold the throttle but I don't think so - wasn't an issue on my 650F. Any thoughts or advice?
Check your brake lever is angled correctly so that you don't have to flex your wrist so much. Also your could fit some tank grips to help you take the weight off your wrists and use your core muscles more.
Agreed - have wound the brake lever down a bunch (don't know why so many people ride with them sticking out horizontally?! Comes from mountain biking back in the day - always get that brake lever down so there's no bending of the wrist to reach it. And bike has tank grips which I think are pretty much essential on a blade.
My mate had the same issue. Not sure if the levers were pinned. I just told him to grind off the pin and relocate them.
Have you considered doing wrist and forearm exercises to strengthen the musculature and soft tissue in the wrist and forearms? I am sure you would see results, but not, perhaps, for a couple of weeks. Only really need a 10kg dumbell and flex the wrist with both facing up and facing down pivots (curls).
......or alternatively pay for a subscription to Planet-X porn channel until you have forearms like Popeye (or one of them at least)!
Bleedin heck, Mr Toy. The first serious post I've made in yonks and you have to come along and up the ante.
...and do some squeezing exercises too...don't need any equipment, just clench fist in tight ball, hold, then release x10/20
If you get yourself a 'powerball' they really help with wrists. I had a bad off when I was younger and had both wrists pinned at the same time, after a bit of googling around I settled on a Powerball, it's basically a gyro thst you grip in your hand and the faster it spins, the more force is out through your wrists and forearm. They really do help!
I don't have an aching problem, mine is more of a pins & needles tingling sensation in my right arm. Starts from my ring finger and little finger and down my arm. Every now and then I have to let go and give my arm a shake and flex my fist and it all disappeares for a while. I've put it down to the fact of where I hold my grip. I ride with the outer ridge pushing against the ball of my fist. A few of mates have the same issue.
I sometimes get this when I have to follow the fekkin safety brigade on the way through the Blackwall Tunnel ...must be something to do with low speed and vibrations through the bar
I think I’m similar - I have my hands as wide as possible, so only half are over the grips, the rest over the bar end. Probably not the cause of the wrist ache though. May well just be lack of adaptation/strength causing soreness. Hopefully it’s that rather than an RSI-like reaction.
Hellibars! I'm also 6'2 and found the standard bars to cause a fair amount of discomfort, for £300, I now have the most comfortable bike I've ever ridden
These are classic symptoms of the onset of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, an affliction to hand movements. I suffered with it back in the early 2000s after years of supermarket nightfill and postal sorting. Was advised to have an operation which 'frees' the blood flow through the wrist into the hand. Decided against it because the procedure (like many) is not guaranteed. Changing jobs helped me and gradually the wrist returned to normal, albeit with a bit less grip strength than previous. I can't offer a solution; I'm merely pointing out a possible cause.
I just had CT surgery on many left hand back in December. Issue resolved and scar almost invisible in just 8 weeks but I do acknowledge it doesn't always work and could yet return.
I suffer with this problem mainly when on motorways, it's comes from being in the same position for too long, some times I can barely open my right hand to reach the front brake lever. If I'm on twisties I don't get it at all though, the constant moving around and on and off throttle and regular braking keeps the circulation going. I've just bought some hand exercise contraptions to strengthen the muscle in my fingers, hands and forearms!
I'm not endorsing this website, it was just the first that came up on google to show as an example, but working the finger extensors is also important when trying to relieve discomfort. https://nicros.com/training/trainin...rist-stabilizer-and-finger-extensor-training/ We spend a lot of time gripping, but almost no time working the opposite musculature, this can lead to imbalances. The bands are cheap, and can be done while watching TV etc, so well worth giving a try, a lack of grip strength is unlikely to be the cause of the discomfort.
