For me, it was largely a form of cramp in the hand and fingers, needing to open and close the hand quite often to relieve it (poor circulation is a big contributor in my case).
Certainly any pothole or similar goes hard into hands and arms, given that there is nothing soft about the forks or grips.
BUT
with thanks to Flecc, Ian and others, I completed the mods to the throttle and added the same Comfort Grips as Ian.
The result is a huge improvement to comfort:
a) The Comfort Grips are well shaped and padded.
b) The left hand can adopt a consistently comfortable position and is not required to curve tightly around the hard throttle sleeve.
c) The reduced tension on the throttle return spring enables the throttle to be adjusted by thumb alone, when riding in the city with constant change.
d) The right hand enjoys an equually comfortable ride, free of vibration.
Some additional points to note:
a) The Comfort II Grips that Ian shows in his photo are an excellent fit to the handle bars, held firmly in place with a grub screw. This means that they are also easy to remove to remove/change any other equipment on the handlebars. The standard Torq grips are hard work to get on and off.
b) The left hand grip needs to be positioned carefully to maintain a small clearance to the shortened throttle sleeve. Again, this choice of grip can be adjusted with easy precision.
With regard to the grip for the large (30mm) diameter, shortened, throttle sleeve, I have used a section cut from the Azonic "Love Handle" MTB Grips Black (available from Chain Reaction Cycles).
This grip is soft rubber and can readily be worked onto the large diameter tube.
The grip for the throttle is made from the large diameter section of the Love Handle, normally positioned at the outside end of the handle bars.
I have put the large diameter end section to form a large step UP in diameter, immediately next to the fixed Comfort II Grip.
This provides a very comfortable taper for the thumb to control the throttle in traffic, whilst also providing a large diameter around which to wrap thumb and forefinger with minimal "clenching" force, to hold the throttle on the open road.
The revised grips and throttle mod have removed almost all of the discomfort. A big pothole will still get through, but that is inevitable.
Care is required to do the mod well and to achieve a light throttle return action that is responsive and reliable.
JamesC
Certainly any pothole or similar goes hard into hands and arms, given that there is nothing soft about the forks or grips.
BUT
with thanks to Flecc, Ian and others, I completed the mods to the throttle and added the same Comfort Grips as Ian.
The result is a huge improvement to comfort:
a) The Comfort Grips are well shaped and padded.
b) The left hand can adopt a consistently comfortable position and is not required to curve tightly around the hard throttle sleeve.
c) The reduced tension on the throttle return spring enables the throttle to be adjusted by thumb alone, when riding in the city with constant change.
d) The right hand enjoys an equually comfortable ride, free of vibration.
Some additional points to note:
a) The Comfort II Grips that Ian shows in his photo are an excellent fit to the handle bars, held firmly in place with a grub screw. This means that they are also easy to remove to remove/change any other equipment on the handlebars. The standard Torq grips are hard work to get on and off.
b) The left hand grip needs to be positioned carefully to maintain a small clearance to the shortened throttle sleeve. Again, this choice of grip can be adjusted with easy precision.
With regard to the grip for the large (30mm) diameter, shortened, throttle sleeve, I have used a section cut from the Azonic "Love Handle" MTB Grips Black (available from Chain Reaction Cycles).
This grip is soft rubber and can readily be worked onto the large diameter tube.
The grip for the throttle is made from the large diameter section of the Love Handle, normally positioned at the outside end of the handle bars.
I have put the large diameter end section to form a large step UP in diameter, immediately next to the fixed Comfort II Grip.
This provides a very comfortable taper for the thumb to control the throttle in traffic, whilst also providing a large diameter around which to wrap thumb and forefinger with minimal "clenching" force, to hold the throttle on the open road.
The revised grips and throttle mod have removed almost all of the discomfort. A big pothole will still get through, but that is inevitable.
Care is required to do the mod well and to achieve a light throttle return action that is responsive and reliable.
JamesC
