Hi, I had a look through the search engine, but did nto see anything that was obviously on this topic.
I went for a longer ride (70km) on the weekend. About half way through the ride, my right knee started huryting, on this inside of my leg. When I rode this morning it continued to hurt, and I had some difficulty in walking up the stairs at the end of the ride.
I am finding that if I keep my foot in the position with my toe pointing 'down' then it does not hurt when peddaling.
One person on the weekend said that this might be caused by my seat position in relation to my pedals.
Do any of you know if this would be the case? Can I just by adjusting my seat stop the problem? If so, does it need to be longer or shorter?
Seat Position
Search under "bike fitting" and you'll get hundreds under Google. And they there's that whole discussion on KOP (Knee over Pedal).
One local expert in the field is Steve Hogg and there's plenty of information on his site.
http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/further%20reading.htm
One local expert in the field is Steve Hogg and there's plenty of information on his site.
http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/further%20reading.htm
If you are unsure, I would say that it is safer to lower your seat than raise it.
I had my saddle too high for a long time, in 2007 I got an injury from this, I still have it and I now manage it rather than heal it.
James
I had my saddle too high for a long time, in 2007 I got an injury from this, I still have it and I now manage it rather than heal it.
James
Are you getting this pain on a conventional bike or recumbent?
If it's a conventional bike, I going to guess that the pain is in the back of the knee. As you pedal, the tendons back there are being stretched in a way that they are not used to. This could either be a sign of poor positioning, or of under-strength knee tendons or both.
If it's tendon strength, then rest up for a couple of days and the pain will probably go away. Your leg will be stronger next time, and you probably will be able to go ~10km further before feeling pain.
If it's positioning, then rest up until pain goes away, and make subtle postion adjustments of either the cleats or the saddle height, in both cases, trying to reduce the load the sore tendons are under whilst pedalling. I.e. lower saddle height, or turn the knee in.
It's fiddly work, and in my case I found there was no adjustment to solve the problem. I have a bit of a bow in my legs, causing me to put pressure on the outside of my foot when I pedal. The only way to solve this is to put some wedges under the outside of my cleat, or to wear ortho-heels in my shoes.
I would suggest fiddling around s-l-o-w-ly with your position, but if that doesn't work see a bike fit expert, and get the proper diagnosis and remedy.
If it's your bent that is causing the prob, I have absolutely no idea what to do!
If it's a conventional bike, I going to guess that the pain is in the back of the knee. As you pedal, the tendons back there are being stretched in a way that they are not used to. This could either be a sign of poor positioning, or of under-strength knee tendons or both.
If it's tendon strength, then rest up for a couple of days and the pain will probably go away. Your leg will be stronger next time, and you probably will be able to go ~10km further before feeling pain.
If it's positioning, then rest up until pain goes away, and make subtle postion adjustments of either the cleats or the saddle height, in both cases, trying to reduce the load the sore tendons are under whilst pedalling. I.e. lower saddle height, or turn the knee in.
It's fiddly work, and in my case I found there was no adjustment to solve the problem. I have a bit of a bow in my legs, causing me to put pressure on the outside of my foot when I pedal. The only way to solve this is to put some wedges under the outside of my cleat, or to wear ortho-heels in my shoes.
I would suggest fiddling around s-l-o-w-ly with your position, but if that doesn't work see a bike fit expert, and get the proper diagnosis and remedy.
If it's your bent that is causing the prob, I have absolutely no idea what to do!
It is on the bent, but I have been working on not pushing my heel down and there was no pain this afternoon. So I think it is a length problem. I will take your advice and that on some of the links, which have similar sounding problems and shorten the distance to the pedals. Slowly as you suggested.
If it's on the bent, then there are probably better sources of information than the one provided earlier. As Chris said, I also have no ideas of the fit requirements on a bent.
after reading all of your thoughts and suggestions, I looked up the greenspeed manual to see what they said about chain tensioning as the chain was also too long. I noticed that they had a section on how to adjust the pedals to the right position. Previously I had let the bike shop adjust the position of the pedals. I am now sitting in quite a different position. I rode this morning and it seems quite good. I am developing more power up the hills and had no pain. I think though I might slowly move the pedals away from me to see if I can work out my own optimal position.
greenspeed said: sit on the seat and place your heels on the pedals and adjust the extension so that your leg is straight when in the outstretched position
greenspeed said: sit on the seat and place your heels on the pedals and adjust the extension so that your leg is straight when in the outstretched position
Guys - I desperately need help on this issue. I 've hardly ridden for the past 4 months or so because of really bad knee pain that has impacted on me in the most basic way i.e walking up stairs and getting up and out of chairs. I am sure the pain comes from riding - that is the pain is at the front of the knee i.e patella From my reading, I thought the remedy to this was to INCREASE the seat height, which is what I have done. Now with the enforced lay off, and now my knees are feeling betterish (if not great) , I was planning on getting back on the bike next week. From reading this thread though, the consensus seems to be to DECREASE the seat height.
If in fact I should reduce the seat height, then this would make me happy, because I have issues with my lower back, which is going to be exacerbated by raising the seat. Basically, I'm falling apart with old age!But I wanna ride again!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd be happy to pay the dosh for a consultation with Steve Hogg, but I am worried that my ailments may permanently keep me away from riding on a regular basis, even with proper bike fitting. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
If in fact I should reduce the seat height, then this would make me happy, because I have issues with my lower back, which is going to be exacerbated by raising the seat. Basically, I'm falling apart with old age!But I wanna ride again!!!!!!!!!!!! I'd be happy to pay the dosh for a consultation with Steve Hogg, but I am worried that my ailments may permanently keep me away from riding on a regular basis, even with proper bike fitting. Any advice is greatly appreciated.
Insomniac......there is no hope for you. Maybe the only solution for you is a wheel chair !! haaaaaaaaaaa. I will be joining you soon don't worry.If in fact I should reduce the seat height, then this would make me happy, because I have issues with my lower back, which is going to be exacerbated by raising the seat. Basically, I'm falling apart with old age!
Insomniac, if there is knee pain, you should NEVER increase the seat height. Suggest you lower the seat height to about 0.5mm below it was when you started getting knee pain, and ride for a short distance in a low gear, and not up any hills.
If the knee can tolerate this, then you can slowly tweak your position.
If you are in pain when walking, then I would suggest resting your knee for a week or two and not doing any riding (even with a lowered seat) until you can walk without pain again. There is a chance that you could have damaged (torn) some of the ligaments or tendons in your knee. If the pain doesn't go away after not riding for a couple of weeks, then I would see a doctor to assess the damage, and work out a course of action. Doctor will probably suggest ultrasound or maybe MRI to see the extent of the damage.
If the knee can tolerate this, then you can slowly tweak your position.
If you are in pain when walking, then I would suggest resting your knee for a week or two and not doing any riding (even with a lowered seat) until you can walk without pain again. There is a chance that you could have damaged (torn) some of the ligaments or tendons in your knee. If the pain doesn't go away after not riding for a couple of weeks, then I would see a doctor to assess the damage, and work out a course of action. Doctor will probably suggest ultrasound or maybe MRI to see the extent of the damage.
Thanks for the reply Toff. I will lower the seat and will refrain from riding my beloved single speed, but ride my geared bike. I remember there was a thread in which Weiyun equated a single speed / fixie = TKR. (Total Knee Reconstruciton) , maybe he had a point. Whilst I didn't have any issues with it at first, when I started to commute to Crows Nest on on a regular basis, my knees started crumbling.
As for you Trouty... thanks for your sarcastic contribution!
As for you Trouty... thanks for your sarcastic contribution!
I think that for the senior riders, putting excess strain on aging knees is less than ideal from a health point of view. If you really want the fixie, then make sure the gearing is well down and be prepared to spin crazy on those downhills. Mashing will just advance your next orthopedic appointment. 
The other possible issue with this patellofemoral syndrome may be cycling induced muscular/ligamental imbalance. Stretch exercises/cross training may be beneficial.
The other possible issue with this patellofemoral syndrome may be cycling induced muscular/ligamental imbalance. Stretch exercises/cross training may be beneficial.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests