Knee issues from bike riding?

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The other thing to keep in mind is to not add more than about 10% to the distance you ride from week to week. Cycling is much gentler on your body than running, and can be theraputic for knees. My son tore his meniscus in either karate or soccer, and I got him started in cycling to keep him fit. Two years later, he's not had surgery, and is pain free.
 
Many posts here seem to claim they have your answer. Truth is....it can be a whole series of reasons.....or a single simple one.
My left knee is finished with any serious riding. I have no idea if it was caused from the wrong fitting of my pedals or cleats....or from just hammering too much in a tall gear. Had been riding most of my life up until that happened. Could just be from years of riding and hiking.
I miss riding....but life goes on. I hope you find out the real reason and get it taken care of.
 
Originally Posted By: Wheel
Check that your cadence isn't too low. 80+ RPM is safer for knees than 60 or less. Also, be cautious of temperatures that are below 70, they aren't kind to knees.

Ditto on the seat height, but you can also have problems from too high. Check you fit with a competent bike shop, including pedals. Many places have the fit-kit's setup, which includes clipless pedal settings.


THIS^^^

Many good, competent, racers have developed chondromalacia from 'pushing' WAAAYYY too big a gear, especially at lower revs (below 85 rpm).

Equally important to seat height is the mentioned pedal/cleat setup and type; 0* 'float', 10* float, or FULL float, like the original Speedplay pedals which are what I use to make sure I do not develop knee problems from this factor.
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I will admit these problems were MUCH more prevalent among racers backed when the slotted cleat was basically nailed into the shoe sole in one position/angle, and then 'locked' onto the pedal with a toe clip and strasp.
If the set cleat angle was even slightly off, and one rode those huge gears, BINGO; ruined knees.
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All good advice here.. seat height and cadence are your problems if you're having knee pain. Started riding to work 4 years ago but had to stop due to knee pain. Got another bike and read everything on adjustment and must of got it right.. over 600 miles since I started riding in June.. didn't even get 200 miles last time.
 
Took the mountain bike (Specialized Rock-hopper circa 1994?) out this afternoon and rode for about 2hrs. I noticed at the 3 o'clock position, that my knee was behind my toes about 2" or so. I lowered the seat a bit to compensate. Also, I think the seat may be too far back. I can post some bike photos, if interested.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
I don't really see how you'd develop knee problems unless you were already predisposed to have them (genetically or whatever), or unless you had not adjusted the bike properly. I do see a lot of people on bikes that have the seat way too low or high, meaning the range of motion is unusual and probably wastes energy or stretches the wrong muscles. I notice it on exercise bikes sometimes too.


I never noticed any knee issues, but even when I adjusted my mountain and road bike to my leg and optimal position, I still saw that my knee/shin/foot alignment would cause my knee and/or ankle to not be in an optimal alignment at some point of the pedal stroke. Some folks are slightly knock-kneed, and others are slightly bow-legged, which causes this.

I went with speed play pedals, which have an MTB and a road variant, and this allows some float and motion in the shoe. I also added a washer to one pedal to get it out a bit.

But I can see how for some bodies, there can be a misalignment that may manifest itself in the knee.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
dparm said:
I went with speed play pedals, which have an MTB and a road variant, and this allows some float and motion in the shoe. I also added a washer to one pedal to get it out a bit.


Speedplay actually makes longer axles for their road pedals, but I believe ONLY in the stainless steel material, and not their titanium, or chromoly axle materials.
As far as I know, they are one of the only pedal manufacturers who even offer this as an option. (
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I know since I have the absolute longest stainless axles they make to help keep my size 13 shoe's heel cup from clipping the chainstay on my Merlin Road's frame.
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I can only speak for myself, but I've been riding regularly for decades and I don't have any knee issues. In addition to riding I also jog (although not as much anymore), walk, snowshoe (in the winter), and work out on our Bowflex. A lot of what I do is targeted to keep my knees, back and core strengthened.

When I first started riding seriously I was fitted by a bike shop, and my subsequent bikes have all been fitted professionally.
 
A lot of people saying seat height is a big contributor (I say it too) and to get "fitted" to the bike.

Both good points and a good starting place. However don't take what the fitter is saying as 100% gospel though because everybody is different. Once fitted, if you're still experiencing some knee issues, don't be afraid to make some minor changes, one at a time. When I say minor, I mean an 1/8" or less in seat height can mean the difference between knee pains after 10 miles and 50 miles of trouble free fun. I know this from personal experience... An 1/8"...
 
Update:

Last weekend I caught some 24hr bug that wrung me out from both ends. Been a LONG time since I had that stuff. Left me quite weak and intolerant of the outdoor heat & humidity, so I've been off the bike....bummer.

I was talking to a older-guy-long-distance-biker yesterday and he said due to my long legs, I'm already at a disadvantage to guys with shorter legs. Since my levers are longer, it takes more force and work for me. He said LONGER crankarms would relevel the playing field for the longer-legged. He's right......

I hear there's a cool-front on the way into CenTex...ye hawww! Just drying out the humid air would be great.
 
Yes, even back in the old, 'low tech', somewhat biomechanically uninformed days, the top (road/endurance event trackies) racers always had the crank arm length matched to their femur length.

The exception was the track match sprinters, who despite their leg/femur length, felt that they had to ride the shortest length crank arms (165s, maybe 170s), so that they could spin up their fixed ~92"-96" (of 'development') gears quicker, and pedal them in circles at 180+ revs at top end speeds.
 
The MB's crank arms are 183mm CTC (center to center). The RB's measure 170mm. Interesting the difference here. My femur is roughly 16" or 406mm.

I'll have to do a bit of research to see what lengths crank arms come in. I also wonder if the CA length increases with the frame size?
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
A lot of people saying seat height is a big contributor (I say it too) and to get "fitted" to the bike.

Both good points and a good starting place. However don't take what the fitter is saying as 100% gospel though because everybody is different. Once fitted, if you're still experiencing some knee issues, don't be afraid to make some minor changes, one at a time. When I say minor, I mean an 1/8" or less in seat height can mean the difference between knee pains after 10 miles and 50 miles of trouble free fun. I know this from personal experience... An 1/8"...


+1. There is just too broad a range of bone and joint structure as well as biomechanics for any blanket statements or one fit and done situations. A good fitter can get pretty darn close, but nothing is necessarily 100%.
 
Originally Posted By: The_Eric
A lot of people saying seat height is a big contributor (I say it too) and to get "fitted" to the bike.

Both good points and a good starting place. However don't take what the fitter is saying as 100% gospel though because everybody is different. Once fitted, if you're still experiencing some knee issues, don't be afraid to make some minor changes, one at a time. When I say minor, I mean an 1/8" or less in seat height can mean the difference between knee pains after 10 miles and 50 miles of trouble free fun. I know this from personal experience... An 1/8"...


An experienced and knowledgeable fitter will know how to adjust the fit to the individual needs and preventing pains, and give you additional tips on how to ride.

There are different methodologies of fit. The most common would be KOPS (knee over pedal spindle), it doesn't work for everyone, but there is Retul, Specialized BG, Serotta, etc.

This just means you need to find good fitters in your area.
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
I also wonder if the CA length increases with the frame size?


I would think so, since frame size would determine the longest the crankarm could be. Having said that, bikes (unless you have a recumbent) have always had really poor ergonomics.
 
Avid cyclist here!

Here is what happened to me. No problems for years. Then suddenly, I started having swelling and severe pain, it hurt to walk. Advil was suddenly my friend.

Doc said "repetitive motion injury", basically, I've worn myself out. My knees (both) my right hip and both ankles are simply worn out. It took about 40,000 miles of pedaling to create this damage. I can no longer ride any significant distance. As it aggravates my knees.

I now go to the gym almost daily. But I cannot do much with my legs. Squats and leg machines are stunningly irritating to my knees.

Please, Please, Please, don't think that serious cycling is completely knee safe. It's not. Many, correction, ALL of my fellow riders are discovering the same thing. Cycling is simply lower impact on knees. But it does cause wear and tear. And by the time you get 40,000 miles under your belt, you are worn out.
 
Geesh....sorry to hear about that Cujet! I experienced the same fate but with my shoulders due to kayaking. Really swelled up and painfull. Veto'd the surgery. Don't kayak much anymore. A shame too as I really liked the moving water runs.

40,000mi is A LOT. I won't ever get to that. I was riding maybe 30mi a week at most. However, nothing here is flat. Plenty of steep hills.

I'm in no-where-near-the problem I was with the shoulders. I've never had any knee problems, even with skateboarding when a kid, snow skiing, and weight lifting. With that said, I also don't push myself like I used to. After putting on my own roof a few years ago, my knees didn't bother me a bit. Good thing I don't do it for a living though!

Looking forward to cooler weather here where I can ride more and lose some of the weight I've gained while laying off in the heat.

Thanks to all for chiming in!
 
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