Knee pain when the bike's loaded
iain_j
Posts: 1,941
Over the last 6 months I've been getting slight pain in my right knee - not so much in my knee joint but just above it, it feels like it's right at the bottom of my thigh muscle where it connects into the knee? (sorry I know sod all about anatomy!)
I couldn't figure it out at first because I would get the pain when commuting (3.5 miles each way), especially going uphill, but never on long rides at weekends (with lots of hills). I tried adjusting my saddle height - raising it by a few mm's at a time going by the idea that frontal knee pain = saddle too low, and tried adjusting cleat position, but it only made it worse. After lowering the saddle again the pain subsided again. Going by a couple of rules for setting saddle height, mine is too low, yet raising it (only by about 5mm per fortnight) made the trouble worse.
After reading something on here from someone who had knee trouble when the bike was loaded up, it clicked - could it be the extra weight from my panniers putting my knee under strain? If so how can I get round this? It's only ever my right knee - the other one never complains regardless of saddle height, cleat position or panniers.
I couldn't figure it out at first because I would get the pain when commuting (3.5 miles each way), especially going uphill, but never on long rides at weekends (with lots of hills). I tried adjusting my saddle height - raising it by a few mm's at a time going by the idea that frontal knee pain = saddle too low, and tried adjusting cleat position, but it only made it worse. After lowering the saddle again the pain subsided again. Going by a couple of rules for setting saddle height, mine is too low, yet raising it (only by about 5mm per fortnight) made the trouble worse.
After reading something on here from someone who had knee trouble when the bike was loaded up, it clicked - could it be the extra weight from my panniers putting my knee under strain? If so how can I get round this? It's only ever my right knee - the other one never complains regardless of saddle height, cleat position or panniers.
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