Overuse problems of the knee :

Cycling and knee pain - - Posted by lurennie (lurennie), 2 March 2004

Can anyone help me?

I just bought a road bike.  About 6 miles into my first ride, the back of my right knee started to ache.  It started out as a sharp small pain when my leg was extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke, but by the time I got back to my car (2 miles later), the pain was pretty severe.

I think that I have the seat and pedals all adjusted correctly, but I still feel the pain.

I didn't have this problem on my mtn bike. Do you thine it may have something to do with the geometry?

At this point, I'm at a loss.  Any help or ideas would be appreciated.

Thanks.
Posted by Nettan (Nettan), 2 March 2004

Hey !!

Have you biked a lot lately or this the first time for a year or longer ? The reason why I ask is you can get problem with knees if you aren't used to bike but they will get better as time goes by when you get used to the new movement.


Nettan  
Posted by lurennie (lurennie), 2 March 2004

I am really still a novice at it. But before I got the road bike I was riding an easy 5-6 miles 2-3 times a week.  Perhaps I just overdid it?
Posted by kenyoncycleist (kenyoncycleist), 3 March 2004

i know a little about bike fit.  if ur getting pain in the back of your knee its likely that your saddle is too low.
Posted by G (G), 3 April 2004

Hey,
I injured my knee downhill skiing, but I'm mainly a competitive cyclist.  Knee pain is definitely a common problem in cycling and there are many different solutions - the only way to figure out which one works for you is to try them all!

1. Cadence!  If your not familiar with this word, it just means the number of revolutions the pedal goes around in a minute.  Cyclists who pedal with a low cadence (less than 80 revolutions/minute) will often complain of knee problems.  Try "spinning" in a lower gear - shift into an easier gear and pedal faster without changing your overall speed.  I shoot to keep my cadence between 90-110rpm.  Not only will this help your knee pain, but it will improve your efficiency by leaps and bounds on a long day ride.  This is one of the most common causes of knee pain in cycling!

2. As kenyoncyclist said, a low saddleheight is also another common cause of knee pain.  When seated ont he bike, with the pedal all the way at the bottom, there should be an approximately 15 degree bend in your knee.  It might feel high when mounting and dismounting at first, but you will get used to it before you know it.

3.  If you are using a clipless pedal system, try adjusting the position of the cleat on your shoe. (You mentioned you already tried this, but it can take several small adjustments over several months to find the perfect fit).  If you're really stuck with this one, ask your local bike store to help you out with positioning your cleat.  I've been riding for several years, and having a second opiniong always helps

Hopefully one of these three solutions will help you out if you haven't already found the answer!
G


Posted by mtnbikcowboy (mtnbikcowboy), 20 April 2004

Hi, just read your post, I have been racing mountain bikes for 8 years and have never had a problem.  In some of the adventure races I have done there are road biking sections.  I have found during these, if they are long sections, I used to get knee pain on the outer and rear portions of my knee.  What I found was that not only were the front chain rings larger on the road bike, hence back to the rpm's, but the crank arms are longer.  I had help fitting and custom making crank arms the same size as my mtn bike and no more problems.  If you can find the right mix on the bottom bracket you may be able to fit mtn bike cranks on your road bike.  
Posted by rickslick (rickslick), 19 August 2004

I've been cycling all my life and was once a recreational runner........I agree with most posts here but no one mentioned that your knee needs to track forward. I see many people bike with there feet pointing outward and sometimes inward on the peddles. Your feet need to face forward or your knee will not track properly...........Rick

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