Can 'honking' cause knee damage?

[Chris S]

Cycling experts recommend that people should position their bicycle seat so that there is a slight bend in their knee when their leg is at its maximum extension. This is primarily to prevent knee damage.

Honking involves raising your body above this height, extending your leg more than normal and transfering more weight through your knee joints. Could this result in long or short term damage?

 

[Boris Bajic]

I already have knee damage from a motorcycle accident, made worse by distance running and a childish 'push on' mentality when it hurt.

Cycling seems to be the only thing that doesn't aggravate my weak knee.

I find it easy and natural to stand up when cycling; it's only lack of form and fitness that sit me down again.

There are all sorts of knee damage, but I imagine (no medical training) that you're far more likely to suffer knee damage through poorly positioned cleats or too little/much float in your pedals.

I may be wrong in seeing honking as a fairly benign activity in terms of kneee damage, but these forums are here to provide a range of answers and probably also the proof that makes me a fool.

 

[the snail]

I think it does put more strain on your knees, because you can generate more power. I don't get out of the saddle much, but I've got a bit better at it, and I think technique makes a lot of difference. I have a smoother pedalling style out of the saddle these days, using the up-stroke which reduces the load on the other knee.

 

[asterix]

I don't find that it does, I do it a lot and have done for years. I agree with Boris Bajic that

.. you're far more likely to suffer knee damage through poorly positioned cleats or too little/much float in your pedals.

I may be wrong in seeing honking as a fairly benign activity in terms of kneee damage, but these forums are here to provide a range of answers and probably also the proof that makes me a fool.

Recently, using new shoes I got the cleat angle a bit wrong and started getting a pain on the outside of my knee but this went as soon as I checked my old shoes again and righted it.

 

[User269]

No.

 

[raindog]

What mashes knees up is sitting down turning a big gear. I think getting out of the saddle occasionaly eases knees rather than damages them.

 

[screenman]

Stamping down hard on a damaged knee will not do it good.

 

[fossyant]

No damage. Been honking up hills for years in too big a gear . 39 x 24 are my bottom gears for the Peaks

 

[CopperCyclist]

When MTBing, I spend a lot more time out of the saddle, and tend to honk up the hills. Although its a bigger workout, which I feel by that 'ache' the next day, it doesn't hurt my knees.

When road cycling, I used to grind a big gear whilst sitting, and found my knees hurt a lot the day after a long ride. I now have learnt the importance of cadence and spin while seated instead, and no knee pain.

 

[Smokin Joe]

What mashes knees up is sitting down turning a big gear.

No it doesn't.

That's an internet myth with no truth in it. Up till the fairly recent days when the number of sprockets proliferated and triples and compacts came about 42*23 was considered a low gear for the hilliest routes. Plenty of old codgers like myself spent years with a 21 sprocket as the largest tool in the box and our knees are ok. Cycling is benign on the joints, there are many more times the strain on the knees walking up stairs than cycling up a mountain.

 

[Boris Bajic]

No it doesn't.

That's an internet myth with no truth in it. Up till the fairly recent days when the number of sprockets proliferated and triples and compacts came about 42*23 was considered a low gear for the hilliest routes. Plenty of old codgers like myself spent years with a 21 sprocket as the largest tool in the box and our knees are ok. Cycling is benign on the joints, there are many more times the strain on the knees walking up stairs than cycling up a mountain.

Yes, it's a myth. But it pre-dates the Internet by some decades....

 

[fossyant]

Up till the fairly recent days when the number of sprockets proliferated and triples and compacts girls gears came about,

Fixed that !

 

[Bromptonaut]

No it doesn't.

That's an internet myth with no truth in it. Up till the fairly recent days when the number of sprockets proliferated and triples and compacts came about 42*23 was considered a low gear for the hilliest routes. Plenty of old codgers like myself spent years with a 21 sprocket as the largest tool in the box and our knees are ok. Cycling is benign on the joints, there are many more times the strain on the knees walking up stairs than cycling up a mountain.

Hmmmm.

I pushed those kind of gears when I started doing long rides in the early eighties. Tended to improve as the 'season' went on but the first few long rides of the year would result in a painful right knee and a cyclist's limp that became a habit and is retained to this day. Improved with fitting a double chainring to my original bike and solved altogether with 'saucer gears' on the 1986 Dawes bought after the original was nicked.

Since then I've consciously worked low gear/rapid cadence and been pain free.

YMMV

 

[Recycler]

I don't know if it affects my knees but I do know that it affects my muscles pretty quickly!

 

[screenman]

One thing it does is turn cycling into a weight baring exercise as opposed to a non-weight one. For somebody with arthritis like myself this makes a big difference.