Full bouncers and dodgy knees

gavin66

Hi all,,i'm after a bit of advice regarding my dodgy knees..For the last 20 years my knees,from time to time,swell up for no particular reason.
This makes riding very uncomfortable and to prevent further swelling i reluctantly take a break from riding,sometimes this can be weeks.
I realise that this is a medical condition that will be with me for life but quitting mtbing wouldn't be an option,i would go nuts not riding as this is the only way i enjoy keeping fit.
I have always ridden a hard tail but was wondering if a full susser would reduce the wear and tear on my knees,,,,,thanks

robertpb

I was riding a rigid and swapped to a full susser because of my knees.

I had been riding a rigid for best part of 25 years and the knees just said enough is enough.

Since buying a Meta 5.5 two and a half years ago I haven't had any issues with the knees.

MountainMonster

I also have dodgy knees, and when riding the hardtail, even light XC trails with a few roots could cause pain for my knees. Since buying the fully, I won't say the pain has completely cone away, but it is much better.

.blitz

In my experience a FS makes no difference. I have been riding short-travel FS, HT and 140 mm FS several times a week since the mid-90s and any knee issues have been related to seat height/position, shoes and pedals.

lemoncurd

With a FS you can remain seated when you are going over terrain that would normally require you to stand up. This may be slightly easier on the knees but it's not going to make much difference.

Try and borrow a FS for a couple of days to see how you get on.

Best bet is to keep the gearing low so you are not putting too much strain on your knees.

MuddyFunster

I've had dodgy knees for years - had both operated on to fix cartilage problems. I didn't find any difference between fully rigid, hardtail or FS bikes. But, there are a couple of things that will make a difference. One is pedals, where cleat aligment and / or float is crucial (or get flats - I'm still trying to get the hang of staying on the bike with flatties). The other is seat height. I've found that having the saddle too low can create problems on longer rides, especially if they involve long seated climbs. Relatively small changes in seat height seem able to make a big difference. And an FS bike intended for more fun on the downs that the ups might encourage a slightly lower seat height and create problems that way.
Whatever bike you're on, it's setup that'll make the difference rather than the type of frame.