New bike slowly killing me...

[rosscbrown]

Ahhh! The pain!

I've just got a new bike and Have been trying to do about 15 miles a day. I've done that kind of distance and more on an ill fitting ancient road bike before without any issues but on my new Tricross I've having all sorts of issues.

Knees - pain in the back of the knee in pretty much every position. Couldn't sleep last night and had to take two co-codamols.

Knees - an aching sensation under the knee cap - not very painful but annoying none the less.

Shoulders - pain when touched and when turning neck. Not terribly painful but still something new. I carry a lot of tension in my neck/shoulder and my GP has given me something for it but I don't feel any improvement, mostly as it wasn't causing me much of a problem to start out with.

I think the saddle is a little low so I'm going to gradually up it a little but. Also I have plastic toe clip pedals that I'm thinking about taking for a little bit to reduce stress on my legs - I find that I tend to pull the pedals up when using them.

So to my question: what's out there to help me improve my cycling style as to avoid the pain outlined above. I'd like a beginners guide to not doing damage to myself while cycling.

Finally: I'm going to go the the GP fairly soon to get everything looked at. She's a cyclist too so will probably be able to advise. I'm just looking for some tips and perhaps a method of cycling right now that will cause the least pain...

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Have a look at Sheldon's site - there's plenty of others available too. This one gives you adjustments depending on where it hurts!!

http://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

If it's a new bike from a bike shop, take it back there and ask them to help you too.

Good luck!

 

[Simba]

When adjusting the saddle, put your heel on the pedals (while sitting on the saddle) and if your leg is straight at the bottom of the downstroke, then when cycling it will be the correct height. Ie putting the ball of your foot on the pedals, you will have a slight bend on the downstroke, thats how I do my saddle adjustments and I get no problems with it.

 

[Fiona N]

Pain at the back of the knees and around kneecap is classic from a too high saddle - i.e. you're straightening the knee too much at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Combined with the neck and shoulder problems, I wonder if the reach to the bars is too much so that you flatten the back and rotate the pelvis forwards to reach, which in turn causes the knee problems - especially if, like most cyclists, you have short, tight hamstrings. You have to take this into account when setting saddle height - people with long, flexible hamstrings can set their saddles relatively higher than people with short, tight hamstrings. If the reach is a problem, it's also possible that your position after a few miles, as you tire basically, becomes worse so a saddle height that seems OK while just standing still becomes effectively too high as you move around trying to relieve the load on your arms.

Definitely a case for a good bike fitting before you do some long-term damage

 

[rosscbrown]

So I'm getting there with the new bike. 160 miles in and the saddle is nice and comfortable. I've upped the sadel height and moved it forward ever so slightly and this solved the knee pain for the most part. Or so I thought - no pain in the left knee and the right knee was slightly better but now I've having real problems. Right knee pain, felt most as the right leg comes up and nears to top of the rotation. Feels fine for the first 8 miles or so but after that I'm having to drop right down into the easier gears (even on the flat) and at one point had to jump off and walk for a bit.

Still waiting on a GP appointment and the bike seems to be set up fine (no issues on the left side anymore and actually enjoyable;e to ride now) so I'm really not to sure what to think. Any suggestions?

 

[Fab Foodie]

can't help with the specific knee problem much, maybe a sports doc is required. But bike set-up and cleat set-up can have a big influence.

Bike set-up advice is very good here:
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/fitting.htm

If you're using cleats try adjustments, both shoes might not be the same. Sit on the edge of a table and let your legs dangle free, take a look at the angle that your feet naturally point in and make sure your cleat set-up somehow reflects that. Also fore/aft position of cleats can also have a big effect on knee twinges.

Good luck!

 

[Banjo]

Maybe after hurting your knees initially with the bike set up wrong you now need to give it a rest for a week or two then try again gently.

Some more good stuff on bike set up here.

 

[moggsy100]

Totally silly but prob sensible idea... But have you measured all your heights/settings from your old bike and transferred them over to your new bike!!!

ie... saddle height to centre of the crank... saddle position fwd/aft over crank and to the front bars etc....

 

[jimbut]

Are you perhaps trying to turn too high a gear rather than spin your legs at a good cadence ( if all your set ups are OK ).

 

[ColinJ]

I agree with Fab Foodie that foot position could well be your problem.

I ride with SPD pedals/shoes these days and got the cleat positions wrong and had pains in my knees within 2 miles, something I don't normally suffer from.

It turns out that my natural pedalling style is heels-in. I had my cleats set up in such a way that they were trying to force my feet parallel to each other and my knees didn't like it!