The problem stems from...

I've had my Surly Big Dummy for almost fourteen months, now. It has about two thousand miles on it, according to the cyclometer, although apparently I've not been logging all those miles, as my records on mycyclingloc.com show a bit under nineteen hundred.

In any case, it's been a great bike--versatile if not fast, capable of hauling big loads if not quick. I've been happy with the component specifications (stock bike, except for the handlebar and saddle). I've also had fun with the "what ELSE can I do with this bike" exercise from time to time.

Except that I get finger numbness on longer rides, especially if the load makes the bike anything other than rock-solid stable and I have to keep my hands on the bars all the time.

Looking back, this hand position issue has been on my mind since shortly after I put the bike in service. I like the hand position of the Surly Open Bar, and I have liked the Ergon grips since I got them a year before getting the Dummy.

As big as I am on bike fit and comfort, it's weird that I haven't taken time to work on my own comfort on this bike for over a year. My mind must have been elsewhere. Or something.

A recent trip home from downtown, pulling a friend's bike so that I could work on it, was apparently the trigger I needed to start really giving the handlebar position some thought. I realized a couple of things: a) I had done myself a disservice when I only brought home 40mm of stack washers, b) I was holding off fixing my handlebar position for the wrong reason--not wanting to buy a new fork and more stack washers, when I could more easily (and affordably) install a stem that is shorter and has a steeper angle than the stock stem.

When I ordered the parts to fix that friend's bike, I ordered a shorter stem with more rise. I put it on the bike today, and went for a short spin (about two miles). I need to spend more time with it to know for certain whether it helps enough, but I found a couple things to be true right away.

This bike has always felt "wide" to me. The handlebar has always felt wide, the q-factor has felt wide (even though it's similar to my Globe in that respect), the saddle even felt a little wide (even though it's the same top as the saddle on my Raleigh, which is quite comfortable). I have typically shrugged it off as a function of that it's a big-assed bike. It SHOULD feel big. It's the bicycle version of a pickup truck, for cryin' out loud.

However, the handlebar feels more like it should, now. It feels like I've narrowed it a smidge, although I haven't done anything to it.

My torso feels more comfortable, now, although I really don't think two miles is far enough to get a good sense of how much better it will be.

Now, why didn't I do this a year ago?