HELP - PAINFUL SHINS !

spanky855

Hi Guys & Girls

I wondered if anyone could offer me some advice, I am a Mountain Biker born and bred but in March I was asked to ride John O Groats to Lands End which I start on September 7th 2010. Firstly I take back all the things I have ever said about Roadies ! The stamina involved in road cycling is incredible and after years of mountain bike, instructing and guiding I have had to hit the gym to build up my legs! :shock:

My question is, pretty much right from the start I have been experience pain in my shins and I have no idea why, could it be a cleat position thing ? I tend to get it when pushing hard, when I ease of it goes away, can anyone help ?
Kind regards

Lee

sungod

might just be that you need more time to get used to road

cleat position isn't the first thing that i'd check

pain in the shins might be due to excessive pronation, easy test...

barefoot, stand on one leg, foot flat on the floor, then slowly squat down, watch the knee you are standing on, does the knee remain in line with foot and hip, or does it tend to rotate inwards - if the latter then foot is over pronating

...you can correct this with footbeds and/or shims, the specialized body geometry ones are great, there's more on their website

otherwise, first check saddle height and position are correct

easy general check...

i) seated level, not clipped in, leg extended *without* stretching/leaning, middle of foor should just rest on pedal at botton of stroke

ii) with crank forward/horizntal, clipped in, a line dropped from foremost tip of knee should be vertically in line with tip of crank

...these are general guidelines, not right for everyone, but should be close

then cleats...

personally i like a narrow tread, so lateral cleat position is set so my shoes just clear the cranks

general advice is to set the cleat so that the pedal axle is in line with the ball of the foot, but if your feet are large, try moving the cleat back 5-10mm

Monty Dog

If the pain is chronic i.e. persistent, it could be shin splints or even compartment syndrome - suggest you get a professional diagnosis

unixnerd

I had it and solved it by moving my cleats further back, see

http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/pdf%20fin ... _final.pdf

mattward1979

Check that your knee is over the pedal spindle.... The extra exertion of pushing forward as well as down if your setup is wrong, could give you pain in the shins.

just google KOPS to get a guide to setting your bike up. usually down to a few mm on your saddle

Cleat Eastwood

if the pains in thebackof your knee then your saddles too high, if its in the fornt then the saddles too low.

Try sitting on the bike shoeless and see where your feet settlenaturally on the pedals. my right cleat needs to be a few mm back from the left, even small changes can have a big effect over the length of a ride.

spanky855

unixnerd wrote:

I had it and solved it by moving my cleats further back, see

http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/pdf%20fin ... _final.pdf

Guys

Thank you so much for your advice, this road riding really is a different ball game, my hat's off to you guys and girls cause the stamina and endurance needed is incredible , and as shown, it highlights that the slightest problem in set up can cause all kinds of problems.

Thank you Unixnerd, you nailed it mate, cleats moved back, no shin pain and no knee pain which i though was just down to age !!

Thank you to everyone that contributed with advice, safe riding guys and girls .

Kind regards Lee