Via Nirone first ride / knee pain / what to lube

moorehen
moorehen Posts: 95
edited June 2008 in Road beginners
Out today for my first proper ride on my new via nirone which some of you may remember arrived during the week.

Very impressed with the bike, slightly less impressed with my performance :roll:

Picked out a circuit that crosses a few hills and mixed busy road with country lane to get a real feel for the new ride and did 11.5 miles in 48 mins (bits of the ride were realy hilly - honest guv).

Only thing I noticed was towards the end of the ride I developed a pain behind the left knee, nothing terrible but it was there nonetheless. Everything else felt very comfy, no back pain, arms/wrists felt fine etc and the right knee was also fine. The pain was worst when I pushed down on the pedal particularly when applying extra pressure on hilly parts or just getting a move on.

I seem to remeber from my roadie days of past that knee pain was quite common but can't remeber what the best ways to solve it were.

Anyone got any ideas where I should start?

One other question - what does everyone do re lubing a new bike in particular the chain? It seems to have a 'coating' on it and I wondered if I should degrease it and re-lube before the next ride?

Comments

  • Marko1962
    Marko1962 Posts: 320
    As a recent newbie myself I have suffered from pain located behind my knee and from what seems to be my tendons, the outside one in particular. In my case I think it was a case of too much too soon and incorrect saddle positioning. Pushing myself to get fit and quick too fast instead of getting the miles under my belt first and gradually increasing the distance and effort. My saddle positioning was wrong for me - too high. Also if I increased my cadence from 70ish to 80+ this increased the pain.

    I was getting pain in my tendon area every ride so I took a week of and then went on a few easy rides of 15 miles or so every other day and built up a couple of miles each week. I'm up to 30 miles a ride now and can push myself without feeling any pain normally. On occasion when I do feel a tightening in my tendon I stop for a few minutes and lightly stretch, this does the trick and I can then carry on. I'm no expert on these matters by any means but this is my experience and what is working for me...
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    Have you changed your cleats at all? Misaligned cleats could very easily give knee pain.
  • campagchris
    campagchris Posts: 773
    Heres a little link to help.
    http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm

    use it as a guide only,and don't change too many things at once,also little adjustments at a time.
  • carl_p
    carl_p Posts: 989
    I get occassional pain in my right knee. I blame that partly on my bike as all my road miles are currently done on a hardtail MTB with hybrid tyres - the bike is very heavy. When I first started cycling I did get pain behind the knee but that seems to have cured itself and now the pain is in the kneecap area.

    I also come from a gym culture and "spin" classes where the objective is often to make things as difficult as possible to gain fitness. I kind of carried on that attitude with my cycling by cranking through the hills and inclines without changing to an easier gear. I've no doubt caused a knee problem by doing this but hey you live and learn. I now therefore tend to favour high cadence and slight resistance and that tends to work for me and any pain tends to go away the following day.

    It may also be a case that the slightly different angles that your new bike puts on your body may be having an impact on your knee and your body will simply get used to it. I agree with Marko and you should build up the miles gradually and see what happens. The current issue of Cycling Plus has a useful article in knee injuries.

    I'm also trying to increase overall leg strength at the gym to build up the muscles in my legs to lessen the strain on my knees.
    Specialized Venge S Works
    Cannondale Synapse
    Enigma Etape
    Genesis Flyer Single Speed


    Turn the corner, rub my eyes and hope the world will last...
  • moorehen
    moorehen Posts: 95
    Thanks for the tips one and all, I'll make some small adjustments over the next few days/weeks and see if things improve.
  • iga
    iga Posts: 155
    Re: your chain. The coating is factory applied grease and probably the best lube your chain will ever get so leave it on! Then lube as often as mileage and conditions dictate with whatever your preferred lube is.
    FCN 7
    Aravis Audax, Moulton TSR
  • JWSurrey
    JWSurrey Posts: 1,173
    As mentioned above - seat position.
    I was recommended to drop a plumb line from the front of my kneecap.
    This should pass through the pedal axle.
    The further forward you sit - more of a TT position which is good for power - the more likely you are to suffer knee pain.

    I recently changed from SPD cleats, which I love, to Time cleats. These have solved my knee pain that I've been getting with increased mileage.
    I did go a bit over the top though, and have been to see a sports physio who is also very in to his biking - He's come up with some custom footbeds to stop my assymetric leg problems from causing knee pain. Rather expensive, so try the saddle thing first, then maybe look at pedals with more free float...
    Speedplays were recommended by my physio, but I find my Time pedals are doing the trick for me right now.

    When you chain is finally gunky/gritty that it needs a clean, I find paraffin to be the best cleaner. Cheap and very effective - plus your chain won't rust whilst it's immersed.