Calf muscle cramping

willhub
willhub Posts: 821
edited January 2012 in Road buying advice
Hi.

I notice on my main bike my left calf always seems to cramp up, yet on my commuter I never seem to get this??

Is calf muscle cramp an indication of incorrect saddle height?

**edit** Sorry placed this in wrong section, I was sure I clicked on Road Beginners.

Comments

  • ajb72
    ajb72 Posts: 1,178
    You're spot on, one of the causes of cramp in the shins or calves can indeed be a saddle that is at the incorrect height - generally the saddle set too high. I had the same problem for a while last summer, a 5mm drop in saddle height and all sorted. If you do lower the saddle do it in small increments until you feel it is right, too much change may cause more problems than it solves.
  • neeb
    neeb Posts: 4,467
    Do you use the same shoes for your commuter and your main bike? Some people get calf cramping from having the cleat too far forward on the shoe.
  • neeb wrote:
    Do you use the same shoes for your commuter and your main bike? Some people get calf cramping from having the cleat too far forward on the shoe.

    I can speak from experience and tell you that neeb is spot-on. I had terrible calf cramp problems, tried all the usual, stretching, correct hydration, nutrition etc. Still problematic.

    Then I moved my cleats 5mm back. Problem solved.