any ideas

andy610

my legs ache a lot just above my knees on each side of legs im sure thats its something wrong with the bike set up anyone any ideas, i guess i was sold the wrong size frame ive had the bike 19months now, im 5ft 6 and frame is a 56cm ive got the bars and seat at the same height for comfort and ive got the seat as far back as possible so when i use a plumb bob on the bony bit below the knee the plumb line is still too far forward from the middle of the pedal axle could this be the problem or could my seat be too low

Yeti575

I'd say the frame is too large. I'm 5'10" and a 56cm frame is perfect. May be try a 54cm?

Doobz

sounds like your seat is too low..

Knees
Cycling, done properly, is much less stressful to the knees than many other aerobic activities, because there's no impact involved. Nevertheless, knee injuries do occur, again usually as a result of poor technique or position.

* Gear Selection
A principal cause of knee problems is over-stress caused by using too high a gear.
* Saddle Height
Another common cause of knee problems is incorrect saddle adjustment, particularly if the saddle is too low. See my article on Saddles for more details on this.
* Cleat Adjustment
Some knee problems result from incorrect placement of shoe cleats. Everybody has a natural angle that their feet take when cycling. When you ride with plain pedals, your foot assumes this angle, and everything is fine.

However, if you use cleated shoes and matching pedals, it is important that the cleat is adjusted so as to permit your foot to be at its natural angle. If your cleats are misadjusted, the resulting twist on your lower leg will affect the alignment of the knee joint, and cause problems.

This is less of an issue if you ride pedals with "float" in the cleat attachment. Most newer clipless pedals offer at least some float.
* Lateral Movement - Chondromalacia
The knee joint is basically a ball-and-socket joint, with the ball at the bottom of the femur and the socket at the top of the shinbone. A common cycling-related injury is called "chondromalacia", and has to do with irritation of the cartilage pad in the "socket" which provides lubrication for this joint.

Chondromalacia is often blamed on lateral movement of the joint, and a common prescription is to strengthen the quadriceps muscles which run along the front of the thigh and along side the front of the kneecap. It is these muscles which provide lateral positioning for the joint.
* Long Cranks
The longer your cranks are, the further your knees will have to flex on each stroke. Different riders will have different amounts of flexibility, but riding with longer cranks than you are used to can definitely cause problems.

rest of the article here http://www.cobr.co.uk/e-cobr_informatio ... ains.shtml