Do your knees hurt

[threebikesmcginty]

It can help if you stretch your other leg muscles too, just working the quads cycling can affect your knees, try some stretches for your hamstrings and calf muscles too.

If you are using clipless, ditch them for flats for a bit too - they won't make much of a difference to your commute but could improve comfort.

 

[aembleton]

I'd be more concerned about your arithmetic rather than your knees. 2 months, one of them February is about 60 days. Times 10 is 600. Oh, and presuming you take weekend off, that brings it down to 44 or so days or 440 miles.

joan - 4th posting here and already being an arse

My bad, that should have been 10 miles each way on my commute. So that is 20 miles a day.

 

[aembleton]

I don't have any previous injuries with anything on my legs, so I don't think this would have anything to do with it. I did change my saddle recently and perhaps I have positioned this incorrectly.

Last night I increased my cadence, but its too early to tell if this has helped; and another poster on here has mentioned that he needed to go into a higher gear. Except for last night, I spend most of my commute in the top gear as it is flat and only on the uphils do I go down a gear. I can easily imagine that I may be putting too much strain on my knees by doing this.

Some have mentioned that SPDs made things worse for them, or even triggered knee ache. I'm glad I've read that because I was considering buying SPDs as a way of ensuring that my feet are correctly positioned on the peddles but maybe this won't help. I currently cycle with flat sole trainers without any clips.

Thanks for all of the great replies; I was pleasantly surprised when logging on just now

 

[Beebo]

If you are spending all your time in top gear you are either a pro cyclist commuting at 35mph or your cadence is far too slow.

I can barely turn my top gear for more than 2 mins before my legs fall off!!!!

My tip is to look at a number of other cyclists on your commute, and try to match their cadence and speed as you ride along with them.

 

[cyberknight]

If you are spending all your time in top gear you are either a pro cyclist commuting at 35mph or your cadence is far too slow.

I can barely turn my top gear for more than 2 mins before my legs fall off!!!!

My tip is to look at a number of other cyclists on your commute, and try to match their cadence and speed as you ride along with them.

Assuming they are not all grinders

The only thing i would add is look at people on well maintained machines who seem to be relaxed rather than some one on a rusty object who is struggling for not much speed, do you have eurosport (sky tv ?) lots of cycling on atm so you will see how fast most of the pros pedal at maybe 90 rpm seeming to be the sweet spot.

As for top gear i run a 8 speed gear at the back and spinning in 3 from the fastest (if that makes sense?) i can go comfortably fast, i only use the two fasted gears down hill at 25 mph +

 

[aembleton]

If you are spending all your time in top gear you are either a pro cyclist commuting at 35mph or your cadence is far too slow.

I can barely turn my top gear for more than 2 mins before my legs fall off!!!!

My tip is to look at a number of other cyclists on your commute, and try to match their cadence and speed as you ride along with them.

My bike isn't a road bike. I am considering buying one, but I am currently cycling on a mountain bike so the gearing means that the top gear really isn't all that hard. Whilst in the top gear, I average 17 mph. I'm not spending all of my time in top gear; just most of it.

I don't have sky but I'll go and watch some cycling on youtube and try to match the cadence of other cyclists.

 

[BentMikey]

OK! So my thoughts turn to you having increased your mileage too much too soon, or there's a saddle height issue. Good luck!

 

[Jezston]

Well my knees are a little sore this evening but may be due to taking my new non worn in 3 speed on it's maiden 20 mile long route home from work into a rather fierce head wind! I think a 42 tooth crank might have been a bit ambitious!

 

[Jezston]

Well my knees are a little sore this evening but may be due to taking my new non worn in 3 speed on it's maiden 20 mile long route home from work into a rather fierce head wind! I think a 42 tooth crank might have been a bit ambitious!

 

[johnr]

joan - 4th posting here and already being an arse

I think you're going to like it here.

 

[AhThisFeckinThing]

aembleton, don't be put off by the SPD's. I heightened my seat the other day and since then the pain has totally disappeared from my knees. I don't think I could go back to basic flat pedals again.

 

[CorsairC]

...Unfortunatelly, my knees are starting to ache during the day. The commute is fine, but just walking around the office hurts. Does anyone else get this, or had this?

Will they let you cycle around the office?

... Just a thought ....

 

[CorsairC]

From years of footie my knees are the greatest. I commute on a MTB I tend to change gears to ease the pressure on them rather than to maintain any specific speed. I also notice that saddle height up or down the tiniest amount makes a big difference to knee comfort for me. Also I find my saddle slightly too high its the most comfortable for my knees.

 

[2Loose]

+1 for saddle height.

Using SPD's does effectively increase the length of your legs by a few mm, so it may be a simple case of adjusting those mm out by putting the seat up a smidgeon.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Well my knees are a little sore this evening but may be due to taking my new non worn in 3 speed on it's maiden 20 mile long route home from work into a rather fierce head wind! I think a 42 tooth crank might have been a bit ambitious!

Well my knees are a little sore this evening but may be due to taking my new non worn in 3 speed on it's maiden 20 mile long route home from work into a rather fierce head wind! I think a 42 tooth crank might have been a bit ambitious!

Is that a 1 knee = 1 post ratio?