my knees are killing me...

fat fignon fan

Hi all,
I used to cyle a fair bit about 20 years ago, but a "pro" frame builder put me in a strange position that resulted in a prolapsed disc in my back.
I try and ride 10 miles a day, but my old knees are killing me! I think the bike is setup OK?
My question is, have any of you guys paid for a bike fitting?
if so are they worth £100+

Any advice would be great, i'm not confident about this as the frame builder ruined my back, my GP is a waste of time, and my back was treated by a physio who said it was a hamstring injury!
I know i'm a cynic but is bike fitting a gimmick?

Thanks.

CarleyB

Have you had a mes with the bike yourself to see whats comfortable?

fat fignon fan

Hi,
Yeah kinda.

the front of my knee is in line with the pedal axel, as is my big toe. I put on a shorter stem as I was a bit too stretched and the saddle height is about right. But I still get this sore ache and slight swelling below the front of the kneecaps on both legs?

Anonymous

If you can get to him, I'd highly recommend seeing Adrian Timmis at www.cadencesport.co.uk

He sorted all my niggles and pains out a treat!

Would never ride without the footbeds now either...

sungod

some reasons for knee pain at the front...

cadence too low and/or pushing too big a gear
saddle too low and/or too far forward
cleat too far back
cranks too long

...and probably many others

the swelling you mention is worrying, i'd lay off cycling until you sort out the cause and your knees recover, what you describe sounds like something i read in this book... http://www.amazon.com/Pruitts-Complete- ... 1931382808 ...i'm away from home until the end of the week so don't have access to my copy, will try to remember to look it up for you when i'm back

bike fit? yes paid for one, worth every penny

most doctors/physios don't have cycling-related injury experience, so at best will treat the symptom not the cause

aside from sorting out some position issues/bad habits, my bike fit led to footbeds+shims that instantly fixed a niggling knee pain, and a diagram+measurements i can use to set up a 'strange' bike to fit me in a few minutes - which comes in handy on hols when i hire a bike

you want someone who does bike fitting for a living, not a shop assistant who's done a course , mine was over two hours, mostly on an adjustable jig, but also getting posture, flexibility etc. measured as well

if you can't reach napoleond's chap, then post where you are and maybe you'll get some local recommendations

fat fignon fan

Adrian Timmis isn't too far away, but I should have included my location which is the
Wild West Midlands or Birmingham...don't hold it against me!

thanks

Anonymous

fat fignon fan wrote:

Adrian Timmis isn't too far away, but I should have included my location which is the
Wild West Midlands or Birmingham...don't hold it against me!

thanks

Perfect for Mr Timmis! (I travelled from Cheshire, twice!!)

Kneesaway

Go and see Mike at Bikedynamics in Leamington, Warwickshire. He sorted my knee problems out a treat.

http://bikedynamics.co.uk/

ilm_zero7

cant help but think I had an incident when my seat post slipped and I had no adjustment so ended up riding the last 20m too low and the next day my knees where in agony

and my power was down - then I saw this pro photo and it looks from the picture as if this bike is too small for him

sungod

had a look in pruitt's book, pain/swelling at front of knee can be inflamed tendon, from excessive stress - too much too soon, saddle/cleat position issues, pushing big gears etc.

he says stop cycling for a few days, take it easy on the knees, ice the knee for 15mins 2-3 times a day, take an anti-inflammatory AND get bike fit checked

The_Beast

I did get a bit of knee strain after I rasied my seat too high, backs of the knees were stiff as a board until I tuned it back.

This might seem like a strange question to ask but whatever, I've had heavy legs sometimes before or during a ride but what about the opposite.

Today when riding a fair distance, my legs literally felt like they had disappeared in the sense of feeling very light and almost weightless after a huge hill climb. I hope my ticker is ok.

hopper1

Epic Cycles do bike fitting, too...