Why do my hands go numb when I ride my bike?

⚡ Quick Answer: Hand numbness when cycling is usually caused by nerve compression from handlebar pressure, grip tension or poor bike fit. Most cases can be fixed by adjusting hand position, upgrading bar tape/grips, or correcting your posture. Keep reading for 12 solutions.⚡

You’re not imagining it: your fingers are tingling again. *sob*

At first it was just a slight numbness on the final descent, something you hoped was a one-off. But now it’s happening every ride. You have to keep stopping to shake your hands out instead of being able to just enjoy the trails or hills.

Whether it's pins and needles in your hands when cycling or full numbness while riding your bike, if this sounds familiar, you’re not alone.

Pete once dealt with this intermittent numbness, and it got worse on fast descents. When he started worrying that one day he wouldn’t have enough power in his hands to actually, you know, brake, he knew he had to tackle the issue.

So if your palms are going numb or your fingers tingling on rides, here’s what Pete learned, and how you can fix the problem before it wrecks your riding season.

What Causes Hand Numbness While Cycling?

When it comes to cycling and hand numbness, the problem is almost always nerve compression.

Numbness and tingling are typically related to nerve irritation or entrapment. The most common culprits are your ulnar nerve and median nerve (with the radial nerve as the runner-up), and entrapment can occur at several points along the length. If surrounding structures compress or impinge the nerve, it results in decreased blood flow and reduces the nerve’s ability to conduct impulses.

For bike riders, nerve compression can occur at the shoulders (more on that in a moment) but usually happens at the site of the wrist or palm, where there’s constant pressure from your handlebars. Add road vibration or trail impacts plus a fixed position for a certain period of time, and your hands start to let you know they’re unhappy.

Here’s what many riders don’t know, however: the problem often starts further up your body. If you’ve got tight shoulders, a stiff neck or bad posture, this tension travels down your arms and makes your nerves more vulnerable to compression issues.

If you get hand numbness off the bike as well, this is a pretty big clue that your shoulders and posture need attention.

This is the problem that Pete was having. His remedial message therapist assessed him and found tight muscles in his shoulder and forearms which were contributing to the nerve irritation. After a couple of targeted muscle release and joint mobilisation sessions to remove the compressive forces, coupled with some stretching exercises at home, the problem was solved. The key was catching it early. If Pete had waited months, recovery would have taken much, much longer.

Here's a quick self-test the next time you’ve got numb hands or pins-and-needles in your fingers: if you stop riding and shake your hands out, how long does it take for the numbness/tingling to go? If it’s cleared almost instantly, your issue is nerve-related. If it takes a bit longer to settle, it’s probably blood flow.

Why Your Hands Go Numb When Bike Riding: 7 Common Causes

If numb hands are an issue for you, it’s likely being caused by one or more of these things:

You’re too stretched out (or too upright)

Your position on the bike affects how much weight is going through your hands.

If the reach is too aggressive, you’re constantly loading your palms. If you’re sitting too upright instead—a common issue on commuter or urban bikes—, you lose the ability to use your core to properly support your upper body, putting extra pressure on your hands and wrists. Upright bikes can also promote a lazy riding position, so proper core support is even more important.

Your handlebar setup is off

The MTB and gravel trend for several years now has been wider and wider handlebars, but if they’re too wide for your body, they force your shoulders out and down, compressing your nerves.

Conversely, the road trend has been for narrower and narrower handlebars. If your bars are too narrow (remember the super-narrow fixie bar craze?), that cramped position puts tension on your upper body.

Your shifter hoods are at the wrong angle

Hoods that are tilted too far up or down lead to awkward wrist angles and sustained nerve pressure.

Hint: if it’s only specific fingers that are tingling, this could be the issue.

You need new handlebar tape or grips

Like a good chamois, grips and bar tape need to be supportive enough to give you proper protection. Thin, perished, hard or worn materials give no cushioning, sending every bump and vibration straight into your hands. This constant micro-trauma irritates your nerves and causes numbness, especially if you’re riding on rough terrain.

You're gripping too hard

While it can be tricky to relax your upper body on technical terrain or descents, having a death grip on your bars restricts blood flow and compresses your nerves.

Tight hands also send tension to your upper body… aaaaand the cycle of tightness and numbness continues.

Your saddle position is wrong

A saddle that’s too low or too far back will send you unconsciously shifting your weight onto your hands to compensate. Even a few millimetres of adjustment (in the right direction) can help here.

You recently changed something

Did you get a new bike? Did you switch out your handlebars? Have you suddenly started training for an event?

Any of these things can trigger numbness while your body adapts to a new position or training load.

How to Fix It (broken into levels of cost and effort)

Start here: Free Fixes

Relax your grip

Make an effort to consciously loosen your hands every few minutes.

You need less grip pressure than you think you do, especially if you’re primary riding on asphalt. Pop a Post-it on your top cap to remind yourself, and practice until it’s second nature.

Death to the death grip!

Change hand positions frequently

Move your hands every 5-10 minutes.

On a drop-bar bike, shift from the tops to the hoods or drops. Riding with flat bars? Regularly shift your hands forward, back, and to the sides.

You want to avoid getting stuck in one spot for an extended period of time and exacerbating any pressure points.

Check your posture

Shoulder positioning is particularly important for keeping your hands comfortable. Keep your elbows slightly bent and your shoulders relaxed and down—don't roll them forward or lock your arms.

To maintain this square, open position, your torso will need to move forward slightly, so activate your core to help take weight off your hands.

A rigid upper body channels all vibration straight into your palms, so the more relaxed and comfortable you can keep your shoulders and arms while riding, the better.

Adjust your brake hood angle

When riding on the hoods, you want your wrists to stay relatively neutral. If the current shifter position means your wrists are bent upwards or downwards, rotate the hoods slightly until your wrists align naturally.

(Or get your LBS to do it, if you don’t trust your ability with a torque wrench.)

Shake it out

During your ride, lift one hand off the bars and shake it out for 5-10 seconds, then switch. This flushes blood back through compressed nerves.

While this is easiest to do on flat and uphill sections, it’s also worth practicing it on descents until you’re comfortable holding onto your bars with one hand at a time. (Most of us are better on one side than the other.)

Take your time, and don’t rush.

Low-Cost Upgrades — Quick Wins

Replace your bar tape

If your tape is worn, hard or slippery, replacing it is an easy and inexpensive fix.

Look for cushioned, gel-backed or thick tape to help absorb vibrations. We stock several brands which are great for shock absorption, as well as gel pads which can be fitted underneath for extra squish.

Upgrade to ergonomic grips

Most standard flat-bar grips are round, concentrating pressure on a narrow patch of contact. Ergonomic grips spread pressure across your entire palm instead, supporting the nerve pathways instead of compressing them. A good set of grips can be a game-changer if you’re a gravel rider, commuter, tourer or MTB rider.

Check out our mechanic-approved grips, and don’t forget the world-renowned Innerbarends to give you another hand position and help relieve shoulder tension.

Check your gloves

While many gloves have padding, the padding needs to be in the right spot: under your palm where nerves compress, not just underneath your finger joints. Some MTB gloves have almost no padding at all, so consider switching to something more supportive if numb fingers have been an issue.

Workshop tip: gel padding lasts longer in gloves than foam padding does.

And remember: never put bike gloves in a top-loading washing machine, unless you want to shred them.

Bigger Investments —If Numbness Persists

Consider different handlebars

Handlebar shapes have come a long way from the days of wrist-breaking road drops or unforgiving flat bars. Flared bars give better arm positioning for gravel riders, while ergonomic drop bars and MTB bars can improve weight distribution across your hands. On flat bars, backsweep and rise can make a huge difference as well.

It’s worth looking into alternatives to solve stubborn numbness issues.

(Just ask Pete, who has to use 10 degree sweep bars because 8 and 12 don’t work for him.)

Get a professional bike fit

Tried everything and still having problems? There’s a good chance that your overall position is the issue.

A proper bike fit will look at your reach, saddle position, bar width, cleat angles, and more to not only get you comfy but also help avoid injuries.

Small adjustments make a huge difference here, so it’s money well spent.

When to See a Physio or Doctor

If nothing has helped, it’s time to see a professional who can assess you for nerve entrapment, muscle tightness or postural issues.

You’ll also want to get assessed sooner rather than later if you’re experiencing any of these:

• Numbness which only affects one hand; this could indicate a specific nerve issue
• Tingling or pain that shoots up your forearm or into your shoulder
• Numbness that happens within the first 10-15 minutes of every ride (which suggests a more significant nerve or vascular issue)
• You’ve changed up grips/position/etc., but your symptoms are getting worse, not better
• Off the bike, you're losing grip strength or dropping things

Early intervention matters. Chronic nerve compression can take months to resolve if left untreated. That means time off the bike – and no-one wants that.

Fix It Early, Ride Comfortable

Most hand numbness when riding your bike comes down to pressure, position and vibration. The good news is that small changes often make a big difference.

Start with the free fixes: check your posture, hand position and grip tension.

If that's not enough, upgrade your bar tape or grips.

Still need help? Invest in a proper bike fit.

Whatever you do, don't ignore it. Pete caught his problem early and was back to pain-free riding in a short period of time. Leave it too long, and you could be dealing with it for months (or worse, taking extended time off the bike).

Also, if your physio gives you at-home exercises, DO THEM. There’s no point spending money for professional help if you don’t give yourself the best chance at recovery.

FAQ: Your Hand Numbness Questions Answered

Q: Why do my hands tingle on long bike rides but not short ones?

A: Nerve compression takes some time to build up. Short rides aren’t usually long enough for symptoms to appear, but after 45-90 minutes the sustained pressure and vibration can catch up with you. Changing your hand positions more frequently usually solves this, and can also be helped by fixing your bar setup and/or upgrading your handlebar tape/grips.

Q: Why do my hands go numb on descents but not climbs?

A: On descents, you're braking and gripping harder, which increases pressure on nerves. You're also often not actively pedalling, so your core disengages and more weight shifts forward onto your hands. Try consciously relaxing your grip and keeping your core active, even when coasting downhill.

Q: Why do my hands go numb when mountain biking specifically?

A: Mountain biking combines sustained grip pressure with constant trail vibration, which accelerates nerve compression. The rough terrain also makes you grip harder and reduces how often you change hand positions. All the same fixes apply, but prioritise ergonomic grips and gloves with proper palm padding.

Q: Do padded gloves really help?

A: Yes, but only if the padding is positioned correctly. Gloves also work best when combined with good bar tape or ergonomic grips; one layer of padding sometimes isn't enough to offset constant pressure on your nerves.

Q: Is it normal for only one hand to go numb?

A: Not really, and it usually indicates asymmetry in your position, muscle tightness on one side or a specific nerve issue. If it’s your dominant hand going numb, it could indicate that you’re gripping the bars more tightly with that particular hand, so make a conscious effort to balance your grip between left and right. If the problem continues, get assessed by a physio to rule out anything serious.

Q: Can bike fit alone solve hand numbness?

A: Sometimes, yes. If your reach, saddle position or bar height are significantly off, a bike fit can eliminate numbness entirely. However, most riders also benefit from better bar tape or grips, and by being conscious of their posture and how they hold the bars.

Q: Are flared gravel bars better for preventing numb hands?

A: They can be. Flared bars change the angle of your wrists when in the drops. This spreads pressure differently and reduces sustained compression on any one nerve pathway. If you’re doing the kind of riding where you use the drops, flared bars—combined with good tape and proper fit—, are a worthwhile upgrade if you're struggling with numbness.

Q: When should I see a physiotherapist?

A: See a physio if numbness persists despite setup changes, affects your off-bike life, causes grip weakness or happens within minutes of starting a ride. Also see one if you're experiencing pain, not just tingling; that's a red flag for more significant nerve irritation, so don’t ignore it.

Ready to Protect Your Hands?

Check out our mechanic-approved grips, or head in to take a look, plus view our selection of comfy bar tape and padded gloves.

And if you need to swap out bars or change your shifter position, we can help with that, too.