My Knees Are Killing Me !

hopak

Does anyone know if it's possible to get longer cranks for a Ridgeback Comet.
The present ones are 170/175mm but I need at least 25mm longer.
My alternative is a seatpost with more layback but I'll end up sitting half-way over the back wheel
Many thanks for any suggestions

cooldad

Not that long. If it's that bad sounds like the bike's too small.

IT66T

I have to agree with cooldad , so it means you'll need a bigger bike or frame as trying to get longer cranks or seat post isn't the way to go .

hopak

Thanks for the advice.
The frame is an XL which is 23". I'm 6'2" so in theory it should be the right size for me.
My road bike is a 58cm Condor Acciao which I've ridden for 80 miles in a day without any problems.
All I use the Ridgeback for is pootling around town but regardless of how I set it up, within a mile my knees hurt.
Perhaps an even bigger frame is the answer.

jejv

IT66T wrote:

I have to agree with cooldad , so it means you'll need a bigger bike or frame as trying to get longer cranks or seat post isn't the way to go .

Sorry, just No.

Frame size is really not very important at all. Unless the frame is way too big. Which is not the case here.
What is the frame size of a Brompton ?

What matters is:
- What size circles do your feet make ?
- Where is your bum relative to your feet ?
- Where are your wrists relative to your bum ?

You've posted on a low-traffic forum - Road beginners, or even Commuter chat would get more attention.
There are a lot of threads about knee pain, if you search.

hopak wrote:

The frame is an XL which is 23". I'm 6'2" so in theory it should be the right size for me.
My road bike is a 58cm Condor Acciao which I've ridden for 80 miles in a day without any problems.
All I use the Ridgeback for is pootling around town but regardless of how I set it up, within a mile my knees hurt.

That is odd. Knee pain when pootling. More normally associated with being clipped in, having cranks too long, using too high gears at low rpm, saddle in a silly place, trying too hard without warming up...

I guess the Ridgeback has 170mm cranks.
What length cranks does the Condor have ? [ I guess 172.5 or 175mm]
May be stamped on the inside of the ends of the cranks.

hopak wrote:

Does anyone know if it's possible to get longer cranks for a Ridgeback Comet.
The present ones are 170/175mm but I need at least 25mm longer.

185mm cranks might just possibly make sense, but not 195mm. 175mm readily available.

hopak wrote:

My alternative is a seatpost with more layback but I'll end up sitting half-way over the back wheel

Sitting over the back wheel is just what happens if you're tall, unless you have a fully custom bike. But doesn't the Comet have more setback to start with, because of the seat tube sloping back more ?
Getting the seat back far enough is more likely to be a problem on a road bike.

What pedals do the two bikes have ?

What gear do you use most on:
- the Comet ?
- the Acciao ?
and at what speeds/rpm ?

davis

Surly do their Mr. Whirly in up to 185mm, but I've got absolutely no idea if it'll fit your bike.

hopak

jejv wrote:

IT66T wrote:

I have to agree with cooldad , so it means you'll need a bigger bike or frame as trying to get longer cranks or seat post isn't the way to go .

Sorry, just No.

Thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive answer. It's going to take me some time to work through all of it, but suffice to say I've moved the toe clip so my foot is further back on the pedal and so far so good.
Thanks again.

jejv

hopak wrote:

jejv wrote:

IT66T wrote:

I have to agree with cooldad , so it means you'll need a bigger bike or frame as trying to get longer cranks or seat post isn't the way to go .

Sorry, just No.

Thanks for taking the time to give such a comprehensive answer. It's going to take me some time to work through all of it, but suffice to say I've moved the toe clip so my foot is further back on the pedal and so far so good.
Thanks again.

Well, I am definitely not a physio, or any kind of expert on this stuff. But that might help. Even if you have found something that seems to make the problem go away, it is probably still worth trying to understand better, so that you don't run into the problem again.

I'd suggest searching these forums for "knee pain". You'll get a lot of results. Figure out which forum gives the most thoughtful results, and repost your question there. With stuff about how fast you go, in what gear, with what crank lengths, with what pedals, and anything about how your pedals are set up.

hopak

Many apologies, I should have updated this in case it's of any use to anyone else.
Problem solved.
It was all down to the cleats being misaligned on my shoes.
Cured by sitting on the table edge and noting the angle my feet hung naturally, and then fixing the cleats so my feet stayed at the same angle on the pedals.
I can't believe it was so simple. Six months later and not even a niggle.
Hope this helps.

craker

Hadn't spotted this thread first time round - suffering knee pain myself and not sure of the cause. I'll add this to the list of things to try.

godders1

This worked for me too after it was suggested by a physio (I was lucky enough to be referred to a physio who also happened to be a cyclist!).

Not many people's feet point straight forward, cleats should be adjusted to accommodate any angle.