Knee pain and cleat position

[macp]

Went for a longer ride today and im getting knee pain in my left leg on the top of my knee. Im certain my saddle height is right I cant go higher and risk not being able to touch the ground in the saddle. Im suspecting saddle too far forward or cleat positioning. When I fitted my cleats I pretty much set them straight. There is some float but im thinking its not enough. Is there an easy but tried & tested method ?

I also have some neck pain so wondering if I will have to raise the bars.

 

[PK99]

You should not be able to touch the ground other than by tipping the bike or en very extreme tip toe.

 

[S-Express]

Im certain my saddle height is right I cant go higher and risk not being able to touch the ground in the saddle.

That is not how you establish saddle height.

 

[macp]

That is not how you establish saddle height.

What I should have said is I used the heel of the foot and leg straight method. Thankyou for the advice though

 

[mjr]

You should not be able to touch the ground other than by tipping the bike or en very extreme tip toe.

Depends on the bike, especially BB height and seat post angle.

 

[S-Express]

What I should have said is I used the heel of the foot and leg straight method. Thankyou for the advice though

Your earlier comment implied something quite different. If you want to touch the ground, get off the saddle and stand over the top tube.

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Do you need to use cleats. Unless you're doing a significant amount of stand up sprinting you're not really gaining anything over a good set of flats.

 

[Salty seadog]

For setting cleat position sit on a table and let your feet hang naturally, whatever angle your feet are at is how you want to set the cleats so they the same when clipped in. My feet naturally hang with toe pointed out slightly so I twist the cleat to allow for this.

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^^^ THIS.

For saddle position, have a look at this...
[media]

]View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAl_5e7bIHk[/media]

 

[CanucksTraveller]

+1. I did the feet dangling method, plus another one where you march on the spot and then come to rest before examining your foot angle. One of my feet points waaaay left, which surprised me. Once the cleat was set to allow for that, my knee soreness went away.

 

[e-rider]

Went for a longer ride today and im getting knee pain in my left leg on the top of my knee. Im certain my saddle height is right I cant go higher and risk not being able to touch the ground in the saddle. Im suspecting saddle too far forward or cleat positioning. When I fitted my cleats I pretty much set them straight. There is some float but im thinking its not enough. Is there an easy but tried & tested method ?

I also have some neck pain so wondering if I will have to raise the bars.

it sounds like you might have many things that need adjusting - my advice would be to either seek professional help, or at the very least use normal flat pedals until you have the rest of the bike setup correctly, then refit the clipless pedals as you will then be able to focus just on pedal setup

 

[Racing roadkill]

Do you need to use cleats. Unless you're doing a significant amount of stand up sprinting you're not really gaining anything over a good set of flats.

What?

 

[Racing roadkill]

But seriously, I'd say it would be a good idea to get a proper 'belts and braces' bike fit, which includes cleats.

 

[Ajax Bay]

Im suspecting saddle too far forward or cleat positioning. When I fitted my cleats I pretty much set them straight. There is some float but im thinking its not enough. Is there an easy but tried & tested method ?

On cleat positioning, I think this article (by Steve Hogg) is well worth reading with regard to cleat positioning.
POWER TO THE PEDAL

 

[PK99]

But seriously, I'd say it would be a good idea to get a proper 'belts and braces' bike fit, which includes cleats.

On a mini bike fit recently, MrsPK's left cleat was moved by an invisible fraction to correct a knee tracking issue. Apparently the difference in "feel" was very noticeable. A few other minor tweaks were also made to improve position. (Seat a fraction, flip bars..)

Get a proper bike fit!