Cycling wearing out knees?

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I was chatting to a fellow dog walker this morning, my lengthy commute came up, the other fellow, presumably non-cyclist claimed that cycling 20miles a day, day in day out will bugger my knees. I've never heard of this, yet, nor have I spoken to any 80 year olds that cycled that sort of distance their entire working lives.

4 years in, no signs of knee trouble, if anything my legs are stronger than ever. Is there any merit in the claim?
 

Threevok

Growing old disgracefully
Location
South Wales
My knees were buggered before I took up cycling :laugh:
 

vickster

Legendary Member
My knee was buggered coming off a bike but cycling is benecial to stopping it being even more rapidly buggered. It’s key to get the set up right, including cleats/foot position. You can of course have strong legs but muscle imbalance which could lead to knee issues
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Well who knows I’ve one that’s on the way to being totally mashed. But that’s more down to it having been subjected to multi dislocations. For the adding of some hard core metal work down the middle of my tib.
 

Slioch

Guru
Location
York
I personally wouldn't believe anything a dog walker told me, however if it had been a random bloke down the pub saying that then it would obviously be true.
^_^
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
I was chatting to a fellow dog walker this morning, my lengthy commute came up, the other fellow, presumably non-cyclist claimed that cycling 20miles a day, day in day out will bugger my knees. I've never heard of this, yet, nor have I spoken to any 80 year olds that cycled that sort of distance their entire working lives.

4 years in, no signs of knee trouble, if anything my legs are stronger than ever. Is there any merit in the claim?
If you can find some evidence, let us know. It’s bollocks. How many ex-pros are in wheelchairs?
 
I've been to the doc's with a slightly iffy knee and was told I should keep cycling because that's the best thing I can do for it.

...claimed that cycling 20miles a day, day in day out will bugger my knees. I've never heard of this, yet, nor have I spoken to any 80 year olds that cycled that sort of distance their entire working lives.

4 years in, no signs of knee trouble, if anything my legs are stronger than ever. Is there any merit in the claim?

We still have my Grandfather's cycling logbooks from the 1920's & 30's: he cycled very respectable distances around Sheffield and Manchester, sometimes riding over the Pennines while the rest of the family took the train to Manchester (and beating them) on an 'all steel Raleigh' single speed. He was walking well right up to the end: it was dementia that stopped him, sadly, not knees.

On the other hand, look at all the health problems caused by using a car all the time, to say nothing of the danger you cause yourself and others.
 
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