lopsided panier causing problems?

commuterconvert

Hello everyone,
I posted to the road gear forum but didn't get a reply so thought I'd try here instead (which makes sense as this is actually the board I've been reading for a while on anyway).

I've been cycle commuting for nearly a year now (30 mins each way with a 10 year old but well maintained & reasonably fast marin bobcat)

I started using a panier instead of a sweaty backpack and recently because of the colder weather its been getting heavier as I have to take more stuff with me.
I have the panier on the left side & just recently I've noticed that when I'm going at full tilt my left knee appears to have a bit of a wobble at the top, not major but noticeable & it just doesn't feel quite right.

Now I'm not sure if that's because of my single heavy panier or because my saddle's the wrong height or something else. An added complication is that my seat post is stuck at its current height, next time I get it serviced I'm planning on sorting that out but I've always felt it was the right height so never really bothered.
Can any of you experts give me some advice on this?

Thanks a lot! - Charlie

DavidTQ

I use a single right sided pannier thats often full to bursting, Ive not noticed it causing any wobbles when in motion.

Im sure other people might be able to help more.

Gary R

i use a single pannier with no problem,Is you rack good quality & are all the fixings secure?? a cheap rack might cause some flexing/wobble

commuterconvert

thanks for the comments, I'll check the rack it is a cheap topeak but the panier seems secure. Sometimes in the wind there's a bit of a wobble but I haven't really worried about that.

Its my left knee having a little flap about at the top of the circle just before pressing down again (I'm sure there's a technical term for that point in the rotation somewhere). Maybe its that my legs are different lengths & I've never noticed!?
I was thinking I might try swapping to use a right side panier for a while to see if that switched the problem to the other side.

Random Vince

switch the pannier to the right hand side, see if the wobble switches knees, continues or dissapears

commuterconvert

thanks, I think that is the right thing to try, guess I should have done that before posting really, i'll post back let you know if that solves the problem. thanks for taking the time to post.

chewa

I think most people's knees move a bit at the top of the stroke - is it not related to the anatomy of the hip/knee joint?

DavidTQ

Worth seeing if you notice any difference in how much space you get with the pannier on the right instead of the left I notice with both my triple pannier and my right sided one that I get a good bit more space from the average car overtake than with no pannier attached, I dont know if a left sided one works so well?

redvee

all the time I've ridden with panniers it has been with the right hand one only, in fact my left hand Carradice Super C is as new. Never had any balance/knee issues with a single pannier in the years I've ridden. Used a Blackburn rack and Agu bags for most of the time with Super C for the odd occaissons when more stuff has been needed.

commuterconvert

Surprisingly I managed to locate my right panier last night & put it on this morning. To be honest I didn't really notice much difference except when pulling away at the lights. Once I was going it seemed that the wobble on my left knee was still there.
Can't say I noticed cars giving me any more room than usual with the right hand side but I'll see how it is tonight.

I'm going to give it a couple more days just to let the change settle in then see if its still the same but I'm beginning to suspect that either its the height of the saddle or that my legs are different lengths!
Or perhaps I've just got a wierd technique that I only noticed recently then, in the same way when you hear a squeak in a car, I've just become obsessed with it and its all in my head :roll:

alfablue

Yes, saddle height, I was wondering if you had it too low - you should have an almost straight knee at the bottom of the pedal stroke, a quick set up method often suggested is to set the seat so that when the heel is on the pedal the leg is completely straight, then under normal foot position, the minimal bend is introduced.

You could have different leg lenghts I suppose a longer / shorter crank could resolve this, but you would probably need a good bike fitting / analysis to determine this for sure. Ulso, it is quite likely that you have different jount mobility in left versus right knees and hips, so your pedalling action is not symetrical.

commuterconvert

thanks, I think I'll need to set aside some time at the weekend to go down the bike shop to see what they can do about my seat post.

tardington

Is it a flat pedal you use? I've got the mini-toe clips, and I sometimes find when I'm using the bottom of the pedal after some lights, my foot lifts a bit...

Here's a wee link - they just stop your foot slipping forwards, and I find let me get my feet quickly into a comfy postition.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLq ... 147c003267

commuterconvert

i've actually got toe clips already but I'll check whether I can adjust the setting because now you mention it perhaps they're not putting my feet in quite the right position.

And I never got to the bike shop at the weekend or out for a panierless ride so I'll have to wait another week to get to the bottom of the issue.