Handlebar fins

After trying out my new walker, my spouse said something like "Hey,
these fins they put on the handlebars help a lot! They should put
them on bicycles."

I'm pretty sure that I saw a picture of such a thing once, but the
memory is dim and vague, and without a name I can't look it up.

Have you ever seen a handlebar with a fin to rest the base of your
thumb on?

Me, I'll settle for handlebar padding.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Sun, 06 Nov 2016 20:35:28 -0400, Joy Beeson
wrote:

After trying out my new walker, my spouse said something like "Hey,
these fins they put on the handlebars help a lot! They should put
them on bicycles."

I'm pretty sure that I saw a picture of such a thing once, but the
memory is dim and vague, and without a name I can't look it up.

Have you ever seen a handlebar with a fin to rest the base of your
thumb on?

Nope. So, I did some Googling:
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=ergonomic+bicycle+handlebar+grip s
and found that the industry seem to think you need palm support, not
thumb support. This is as close as I could get:
http://siligrips.com/ergonomic-hand-grips/
I don't believe that supporting your weight on your thumbs is a good
idea. A few bounces on the bicycle and you could get a broken thumb.
Supporting your weight on your palms seems much stronger.

Me, I'll settle for handlebar padding.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On Sun, 06 Nov 2016 18:05:34 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

Nope. So, I did some Googling:
https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=ergonomic+bicycle+handlebar+grip s
and found that the industry seem to think you need palm support, not
thumb support. This is as close as I could get:
http://siligrips.com/ergonomic-hand-grips/
I don't believe that supporting your weight on your thumbs is a good
idea. A few bounces on the bicycle and you could get a broken thumb.
Supporting your weight on your palms seems much stronger.

Like these?
http://justwalkers.com/rubber-grip-with-reflector-for-active-rollator-right.html
http://www.henrycare.com.au/mobility/seat-walkers/spares/22mm-arthritic-hand-grip-left-seat-walker.html
http://www.henrycare.com.au/mobility/seat-walkers/spares/22mm-arthritic-hand-grip-right-seat-walker.html
I dunno about the thumb support when used on a bicycle.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

On 07/11/16 01:35, Joy Beeson wrote:

After trying out my new walker, my spouse said something like "Hey,
these fins they put on the handlebars help a lot! They should put
them on bicycles."

I'm pretty sure that I saw a picture of such a thing once, but the
memory is dim and vague, and without a name I can't look it up.

Have you ever seen a handlebar with a fin to rest the base of your
thumb on?

Me, I'll settle for handlebar padding.


Probably not what she's talking about, but I'm a big fan of these on my
commuting/trekking bikes.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/en/product...uring-42410028

On 2016-11-07, Tosspot wrote:
On 07/11/16 01:35, Joy Beeson wrote:

Have you ever seen a handlebar with a fin to rest the base of your
thumb on?

Probably not what she's talking about, but I'm a big fan of these on my
commuting/trekking bikes.

http://www.ergon-bike.com/en/product...uring-42410028

Likewise, but these seem neat.

http://togs.com/

--
Gregory S. Sutter Mostly Harmless

http://zer0.org/~gsutter/

On Sun, 06 Nov 2016 18:05:34 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

I don't believe that supporting your weight on your thumbs is a good
idea. A few bounces on the bicycle and you could get a broken thumb.
Supporting your weight on your palms seems much stronger.

The heels of the hands rest on the walker's handlebars; fingers and
thumbs wrap under. The fins make the resting part of the bar wider,
and the base of the thumb is the part of the heel that slops over onto
the fin.

Upright handlebars don't sweep back enough for fins to work, and
keeping the hands always in the same place would render drop
handlebars pointless -- Perhaps some recumbent bars could use fins?

(I've never gotten a really close look at a recumbent, and there are
zillions of styles, so I can't venture an opinion.)

Well, one advantage of drops wouldn't be obviated: pushing down on
the drops is much easier on a rotator cuff injury than stretching up
to upright bars is. With drops, the bars support the weight of the
arms; on my "comfort" bike, the arms are cantilevered out, which puts
stress on the upper arm. (But the "comfort" bike is easy on the
knees, for the same reason that a two-mile ride is a major
accomplishment.)

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

On Wednesday, November 9, 2016 at 11:00:29 PM UTC-5, Joy Beeson wrote:
On Sun, 06 Nov 2016 18:05:34 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

I don't believe that supporting your weight on your thumbs is a good
idea. A few bounces on the bicycle and you could get a broken thumb.
Supporting your weight on your palms seems much stronger.

The heels of the hands rest on the walker's handlebars; fingers and
thumbs wrap under. The fins make the resting part of the bar wider,
and the base of the thumb is the part of the heel that slops over onto
the fin.

Many years ago (1980s, I think) there was an uncommon handlebar covering called
"Morgan Grips" (or Morgan something, anyway). They were molded plastic, shaped
to be wider at certain regions (the tops & drops, IIRC) to give more comfort.
They didn't last long on the market, but that doesn't mean they were bad. Some
friends had some, but I never tried them.

Upright handlebars don't sweep back enough for fins to work, and
keeping the hands always in the same place would render drop
handlebars pointless -- Perhaps some recumbent bars could use fins?

I think one of the main benefits of a recumbent is that there's no pressure on
your hands. Fins probably aren't needed.

- Frank Krygowski

On Wed, 09 Nov 2016 23:00:14 -0400, Joy Beeson
wrote:

On Sun, 06 Nov 2016 18:05:34 -0800, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:

I don't believe that supporting your weight on your thumbs is a good
idea. A few bounces on the bicycle and you could get a broken thumb.
Supporting your weight on your palms seems much stronger.

The heels of the hands rest on the walker's handlebars; fingers and
thumbs wrap under. The fins make the resting part of the bar wider,
and the base of the thumb is the part of the heel that slops over onto
the fin.

Upright handlebars don't sweep back enough for fins to work, and
keeping the hands always in the same place would render drop
handlebars pointless -- Perhaps some recumbent bars could use fins?

(I've never gotten a really close look at a recumbent, and there are
zillions of styles, so I can't venture an opinion.)

Well, one advantage of drops wouldn't be obviated: pushing down on
the drops is much easier on a rotator cuff injury than stretching up
to upright bars is. With drops, the bars support the weight of the
arms; on my "comfort" bike, the arms are cantilevered out, which puts
stress on the upper arm. (But the "comfort" bike is easy on the
knees, for the same reason that a two-mile ride is a major
accomplishment.)

There is more to handle bars than most people seem to realize. I built
a road bike on a MTB frame and used the appropriate MTB handle bars -
nearly a straight piece of tubing. I found my hands getting numb after
only a few kilometers of riding. Tried the bar end gizmos and didn't
like them and finally put a set of regular old "drop" road bars in the
beast. No more hand problems.

A friend who rides a folder wrote me saying his hands were getting
numb and he lowered the bars 2 inches and it fixed the problem.

Sort of like saddles. Altering the angle of the saddle one degree may
turn a torture machine into a real friendly ride :-)

new walker ? yawl ride under the bus ?


https://www.google.com/search?site=i...-fgAbnvnWeM%3A

On Thu, 10 Nov 2016 19:14:51 +0700, John B Slocomb
wrote:

There is more to handle bars than most people seem to realize. I built
a road bike on a MTB frame and used the appropriate MTB handle bars -
nearly a straight piece of tubing. I found my hands getting numb after
only a few kilometers of riding. Tried the bar end gizmos and didn't
like them and finally put a set of regular old "drop" road bars in the
beast. No more hand problems.

I did a pedestrian trip and fall about 3 months ago and landed on my
palms and knees. Almost everything has healed quite well except my
right wrist which aches badly if I put a load on it for too long. Grip
padding helps but reducing the weight load on my wrist by raising
myself to an upright position is what works best. I've temporarily
installed a longer stem and reversed its position to point towards the
rear in order to elevate the handlebars. It feels awkward, but causes
no pain.

"Octagon Handlebar Height Adjustment"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oQYbZeQW0M
http://www.octagoncycles.com

I kinda like this except the web site seems to have evaporated:
"The first and only.......GOEZRIDE"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rJIW8qg6nM
"The only On The Fly Adjustable Handlebar"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7AjJQmQkDE

If the ideal grip does not exist, it should be possible to hand
fabricate a mockup using clay or putty and some sandpaper. Ugly and
hard as a rock are fine as this is just a mockup for testing the fit.
Then, make a Plaster of Paris mold around the mockup. I'm not sure
what to suggest for moldable grip material, but I think some hard RTV
or silicone compound might be a good start.

--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558