Relief

After an absence of many decades I returned to cycling two years ago, almost immediately discovering two physical issues that nagged away at me.  The first was my back, which quickly starts to ache if I bend over for more than 10 minutes.  This was partially resolved by me fitting a stem extension to the bike which raised the height of the handlebars.  The second problem was pins and needles in my fingers which eventually extended to numbness in the hands.  It would reach the point where I lost all feeling in my right thumb preventing me from using the gear change lever.

Upon thinking about the problem I realised these issues all revolved around the position of my arms and hands.  If a human stands with their arms by their side the palms of the hands rest against the side of the body.  However the straight handlebar on the bike meant the palms were at 90deg to their natural position.  Moreover the bike handgrip was round which meant I was either gripping it or resting my palms on a round surface.

I started looking for a handlebar which would raise the height of my hands and move them to a more natural position.  Eventually I found what appeared to be a suitable bar on Aliexpress.  It was delivered yesterday.

It appeared to be well packed with little sign of damage.  

The welds and powder coating looked OK.

The next step was to check whether it had been deformed in manufacture.

 

Nothing wrong!

I also ordered a different style of handlebar grip.  The replacements have a flat section where I can rest the outer ball of my palm.

The swept back shape has moved my hands closer to my body allowing me to sit more upright whilst the new grips provide a comfortable resting position for my hands.

Previously, I'd usually experience the onset of pins & needles after 10km and; unless I stopped for a rest; that condition would remain throughout the ride.  Today I rode non-stop for 60km without any of the previous issues.  I think I may have solved my issues!