Hello from Grayrigg! (nr Kendal)

[ngled]

Just trying to get back into cycling, not been on bike since last August. Started last week with a hard 16 mile ride, probably 75% hills, found it fine apart from a lot of knee pain, mostly due to slipping gears when pushing hard. Having real problems stopping this happening. Any suggestions gratefully received! Trouble is where we live whichever way you go its hard hills, bit tough when you're not very fit. Bike is a Specialized Hybrid with narrow wheels, great bike as long as there's no loose gravel about! Look forward to gleaning loads of information from the site. Cheers!

PS Starting to train so me and a mate can do the Manchester to Blackpool run on 4th July. Gulp!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Hello!

Grayrigg, wasn't that where that Bendylino crashed??

That must have been quite something!

 

[ngled]

Grayrigg

Yeah, just 1km from our house! Sods law we were away in Leeds that weekend and missed the initial crash. First time anything exciting has happened in 24 years we've lived there!

 

[Globalti]

Were your mates putting pennies on the track?

Knee pain: you need to explain where the pain is. Pain behind the kneecap usually means your saddle is too low and pain behind the knee means it's too high.

Slipping gears: do you mean dodgy and ghost gear changes? If so, when was the last time you changed the cable outer at the rear derailleur? These wear quite fast and cause sluggish movement and dodgy changes. If the bike has been laid up it would pay you to treat it to a full set of new cables.

If the chain is actually slipping on the gears it's time for new chain rings at the least and probably also new chain and cassette. Check with a good bike shop.

 

[Scoosh]

ngled and to CC . Good to have you .

Cycling Plus magazine did two excellent articles on knees a couple of years ago, and they can be found here (Pt 1) and here (Pt 2).

HTH

 

[bauldbairn]

Hello and Welcome to the CC forums ngled.

 

[ngled]

Thanks for replies folks, sorry its taken a while to get back to the site. Knee pain I think is just lack of general fitness, went out again on same 16 mile route, and although gears were even worse my knees weren't half as bad this time. Need to get a service done on bike methinks!

 

[Iainj837]

Hi and welcome to CC

 

[jazzkat]

Thanks for replies folks, sorry its taken a while to get back to the site. Knee pain I think is just lack of general fitness, went out again on same 16 mile route, and although gears were even worse my knees weren't half as bad this time. Need to get a service done on bike methinks!

Askews is probably the best place or Gill cycles in Ulverston.

Look on the bright side. You might feel unfit here in sunny Cumbria, but feel smug that cycling anywhere else in the country will feel like Holland , no gentle hills here!

 

[mcshroom]

Except if you get up onto the Solway coast

Hi ngled and welcome to the insanity lounge