biking everyday=bad?

[CarLo]

If I overdo biking, will it mess up my knees? Right now they kinda crack. Like when you crack your knuckles it makes that noise. It does that in my knees.

[redtires]

Uhhhhhhhhhhhh....I'm sure we'll see a bunch of speculation, but that is really something that you should see a doc about. However, cycling has been a long time activity for knee recovery therapy and as long as your saddle is properly adjusted and you don't just crank out insanely large gears all the time, your riding should benefit your knees rather than cause any damage. Just remember, try to stretch at least a little before each ride and again, make sure your saddle height and cleat adjustments are in check.

[CarLo]

thanks for the tips. I do push hard on the large gears when i go down hill. I guess I'll do that less now. But I cannot resist it, its so fun! haha

[redtires]

thanks for the tips. I do push hard on the large gears when i go down hill. I guess I'll do that less now. But I cannot resist it, its so fun! haha


Well, pushing a larger gear going downhill is a bit different than grinding out a 60rpm cadence everywhere you go, which is more what I was getting at.

[aadhils]

Well, pushing a larger gear going downhill is a bit different than grinding out a 60rpm cadence everywhere you go, which is more what I was getting at.

Just to clarify, rpm mean Rotations (of the bike cranks) per minute. 60 is considered a tad too low which means you're grinding to low (big) a gear which is generally bad for your knees. A normal cadence is typically between 80 and 90.

[andrelam]

I had a neighbor in the Netherlands that rode her bike just about every day as it was her only mode of transportation (other than using the Bus). She did this till her knees gave her problems... but she was 85 at that point. I also had a distant relative in Amsterdam who rode his bike also just about daily till he had balancing problems, he had to give up riding around the age of 87. Both of these good folks would be poster "children" for showing that keeping active daily helps to improve quality of life. Both were able to lead an independant lifestyle as they were in control of their own transportation. Now if you plan to ride a century each day... there is always a point where too much of a good thing is over-doing it. You hear stories about hard core athletes such as the ones in the Tour De France who become suceptible to infections since they train and work so hard they actually suppress their immune system.

If it doesn't hurt... keep on riding. Moderation appears to be one of the halmarks of a good healthy long life.

André

[zeytoun]

60 is considered a tad too low which means you're grinding to low (big) a gear which is generally bad for your knees.
There's nothing wrong with 60rpm. So long as you're not straining, it's a very efficient cadence.

[sgtsmile]

Cadence (as long as you are not straining - if your knee hurts, you are straining) is about comfort. I prefer personally about 90 rpm. But it is what I am used to.

[redtires]

lol....here we go....... ;)

[sgtsmile]

Sure :) This will be fun :) But seriously, cadence is a matter of comfort.

[zeytoun]

lol....here we go....... ;)
I'll be good...

90 is also a perfectly good cadence. It's quite efficient.

[caloso]

Make sure your saddle height/setback is right. Oh, and cleat placement.

[CarLo]

Right now I'm taking a rest which may heal my leg problem. I'll go easy on my biking next time. I'll wait out maybe 3 to 4 days.

[bhtooefr]

Don't bike on the roads on Friday or Saturday nights, drunks crashing into you can hurt your knees really badly. :p

Otherwise, I see no reason not to, as long as the distance is reasonable, the bike is in adjustment, and you're selecting the correct gear.

[GreenGrasshoppr]

the only joint I have bigger than a finger that cracks with effort is my right elbow. A doctor once explained that it's a tendon going over a slight bone protrusion, and then snapping into place.

I'm not sure if that could apply to a knee, however

[pluc]

I have light arthritis into pretty much all my major joints except my ankles and shoulders. I bike every day about 45 minutes, which can go up to 3 hours a day on some days (when I have shopping to do).

I've noticed that as long as you don't put too much pressure/weight on your joints, you won't hurt them (like I cannot run too much otherwise I'll stay on my ass for a week). Some level of hard pulling is acceptable, like climbing hills for an hour and a half with 150lb cargo on my trailer. But I wouldn't do it every day.

It's all a matter of moderation. I go about 35 km/h on flat, and I don't find it hard nor am I putting too much pressure.

I'm 100% sure my job as a cook is way harder on my knees than the biking I do every day.

[john bono]

As long as the bike fits you, and you are not mashing the pedals, you shouldn't have any knee strain at all. The big benefit of cycling is that your joints don't have to take the pounding you get when running.

[Daily Commute]

If your knees still hurt after you've made sure your bike is properly adjusted and you are using appropriate gears, see a doctor. Cycling shouldn't cause joint pain. If it does, you need to have a professional check you out.

[nova]

the only joint I have bigger than a finger that cracks with effort is my right elbow. A doctor once explained that it's a tendon going over a slight bone protrusion, and then snapping into place.

I'm not sure if that could apply to a knee, however

Hell yes it can myknees do it all the time till i start to build back up. My knees pop and grind most forme is my knee caps tend to float alot. Ive got torn ligaments and such in my knees and legs from years doing really stupid stuff on bmx and mtb. So muscles are pretty much replacing the job of said ligaments and such heh. Clipless pedals for me are not just some optional item that lets me put power in to the down and upstroke. But allow me to build up all the muscles around my knees and in my legs.

I maintain a absolute min of 76 to 78 cadence My goal is to have a avg of mid to high 90s by end of year. Ive leveled off at 85 to 86 right now after having a jump from 78 to 84 on my 15 mile loop.

My avg max per ride is 129 up from 118 :)
Last season even though it was a short one i had a avg of 97 for the entire season.

[genec]

Just to clarify, rpm mean Rotations (of the bike cranks) per minute. 60 is considered a tad too low which means you're grinding to low (big) a gear which is generally bad for your knees. A normal cadence is typically between 80 and 90.


I am not disagreeing with you. Just passing on some irony regarding the medical community and that 60RPM pace.

Over 20 years ago I had knee surgery. I did quite a few miles a year back then... thousands actually. I tore my knee in a surf accident.

Anyway after the surgery, I went to physical therapy. After a few weeks of lifting weights, I was put on an exercise bike. (talk about frustration... com'on I wanted to go!) The PT wanted to keep my RPMs down... they kept telling me "no faster than 60."

Finally I said, I would never ride a bike that slow and I am not going to start doing it now. I kept up a minimum of 80. (90-100+ was my normal riding cadence)

In the end I recovered quite quickly. The PT staff said my recovery was very fast… as they pointed to other patients that were doing well under 60 RPM and had been at it weeks longer than me.

[nova]

I am not disagreeing with you. Just passing on some irony regarding the medical community and that 60RPM pace.

Over 20 years ago I had knee surgery. I did quite a few miles a year back then... thousands actually. I tore my knee in a surf accident.

Anyway after the surgery, I went to physical therapy. After a few weeks of lifting weights, I was put on an exercise bike. (talk about frustration... com'on I wanted to go!) The PT wanted to keep my RPMs down... they kept telling me "no faster than 60."

Finally I said, I would never ride a bike that slow and I am not going to start doing it now. I kept up a minimum of 80. (90-100+ was my normal riding cadence)

In the end I recovered quite quickly. The PT staff said my recovery was very fast… as they pointed to other patients that were doing well under 60 RPM and had been at it weeks longer than me.

Low cadence is puttign alot more force on your legs. sure it will have the effect of building bulk in your muscles but it will be raw untoned muscle. This is fine and dandy if your looking to just build bulk and then plan on toneing up after. But why bother? Ride hiher cadence from he get go and you may build muscle slower but your going to tone up as you build that bulk. In effect your goign to skip a step. I dont think ither is right or wrong really but if you got knee problems or ankle etc the lower cadence will hurt more and youll get more popping and knuckle like cracking from stressing your joints more.

[Winter76]

I actually ride to strengthen my bad knees. I used to run but that tore up my knees something fierce. Riding has been a great thing for me and I ride every day and twice on Sunday (Once slow with my wife and towing the kids and then a second time in the afternoon at my own pace (24kph). :D

[Mr. Underbridge]

If you don't spin at 250 RPM, you're a loser. That's what Lance does. I love Lance.

;)

[bhtooefr]

TWO HUNDRED FIFTY RPM?

Damn.

I don't know where I actually spin out (no computer - I don't need cadence functions, I can memorize gear tables fairly well, as my cage doesn't have a tachometer - but I do need a speedometer, lol), but I would suspect it's somewhere around 120-150 RPM.

[Winter76]

I doubt if I ever get past 90 rpm, if I go any faster I started bouncing.

[gosmsgo]

No, cadence does not matter. Physiology is such bull.

I ride 20 mph at 2 rpm.

I have a 450 tooth front chain ring. My quads are the size of oak trees.

<end sarcasm>

Of course cadence matters. 60 is not as efficent as 90 and that is the end of the discussion.

watch the tour de france if you need more information

[I-Like-To-Bike]

Of course cadence matters. 60 is not as efficent as 90 and that is the end of the discussion.

watch the tour de france if you need more information
Oh Yeah? You da final authority? I heard that size matters;end of discussion. If you need more information ask your wife. Sarcasm off :)

[gosmsgo]

:)

[Carusoswi]

Yep, it seems silly to use cadence as some sort of measure of potential knee injury. I dare anyone to mash on a steep downhill, no matter how long the gear length. And, for my knees, nothing is more relaxing than to stretch your calf muscles as you spin super slow on level ground with almost no effort in your longest gear. Slow, silent, stately, relaxing. No chance of knee damage in that scenario. Knee damage is all about how much pressure (strain) you place on your knees while riding - and even that is relative to how much conditioning you have given them prior to the "strain."

I have spent the last couple of years putting many a mile on a bike with what I suppose are gear lengths that rival any on this board - 63/11.

I would never be so silly as to try powering up a grade in that combination, but, my knees do not complain at all over the many grades I have descended casually turning that huge gear without effort.

These discussions about wearing out knees on a bike make me wonder if the concerns don't arise from already injured joints rather than injuries that have resulted from bike riding.

The only knee soreness I have experienced from riding a bike resulted from having taken a spill.

Caruso

[banerjek]

If I overdo biking, will it mess up my knees? Right now they kinda crack. Like when you crack your knuckles it makes that noise. It does that in my knees.
If you overdo anything, you will have problems -- that is by definition what the word "overdo" implies.

Seriously, you don't want to mess up your knees and cycling is a good way to strengthen or screw up your knees depending on how you ride. A lot of people associate pedal mashing with strength, but it's actually not an effective way to ride if you want to go fast.

[dynodonn]

I force myself to take at least one day a week off from the bike,:eek: and do other activities. On my last bike day off, I did such leisurable activities as mowing my megalawn, painting a spare bedroom, and topped it off by spending a couple of hours using my string trimmer on the neighbor's overgrown yard.(left the blackberry vines though, I can smell the blackberry pies cooking already, just a couple of more months.:D I also realized at the end of the day, was that I didn't break into a sweat once.

[bragi]

I agree with higher rpm while riding. I started having trouble with my knees afew months back, and guessed it was because I enjoyed cranking up steep hills in the highest gear I could manage. I stopped doing this (well, I did a lot less of it), and the knees stopped being creaky within a couple of weeks.

[neilfein]

If I overdo biking, will it mess up my knees? Right now they kinda crack. Like when you crack your knuckles it makes that noise. It does that in my knees.

I get a kinda muted "crackly" noise sometimes. Sounds kinda like snapping celery underwater. It's not quite like cracking my knuckles.

After doing around 10 deep knee bends, very slowly, the noise usualluy goes away. If it doesn't, I get on the bike and warm up very slowly, almost spinning in a low gear for a block or so. If I do feel a warning twinge in my knees, I slow down again for a little bit, but that almost never happens since I started this routine. It's all about listening to your body!

It helps that I go for endurance and not for speed. (I rarely cruise about 15, somtimes lower.)

[John C. Ratliff]

I don't keep track of cadence at all. But I do ride my bike 50-90 miles per week. I also use a recumbant, and enjoy the bicycling. I think that the "secret" is not to push it, but to do reasonable work. I'm 61 years old, and hope to continue bicycling 20-30 more years.

John

[John C. Ratliff]

I get a kinda muted "crackly" noise sometimes. Sounds kinda like snapping celery underwater. It's not quite like cracking my knuckles.

After doing around 10 deep knee bends, very slowly, the noise usualluy goes away. If it doesn't, I get on the bike and warm up very slowly, almost spinning in a low gear for a block or so. If I do feel a warning twinge in my knees, I slow down again for a little bit, but that almost never happens since I started this routine. It's all about listening to your body!

It helps that I go for endurance and not for speed. (I rarely cruise about 15, somtimes lower.)
Be careful with deep knee bends. Our culture is not used to this kind of flexibility requirements for the knee. A deep knee bend requires that tendons, etc. flex more than we are used to. Most trainers say to do a 90 degree bend, and perhaps increase it slowely as you gain flexibility in the knee joint. Asian countries, where squatting is normal, don't have this problem, but "Western" countries where people rarely flex their knees to this extent can have problems with deep knee bends.

John

[pityr]

I dont really keep track of cadence either. Im up to around 150 miles a week and I try to listen to what my legs and knees are telling me. Sometimes they tell me to up-shift and spin faster because they are working too hard or putting too much stress on the knee. Other times they say downshift because they need more to do.

I do take the weekends off though. My body appreciates it.

[Markok765]

If I overdo biking, will it mess up my knees? Right now they kinda crack. Like when you crack your knuckles it makes that noise. It does that in my knees.
My knees used to "crack" before I went biking a lot. Its better now.

[littlewaywelt]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned clipless pedal cleat alignment.
If the cleats aren't aligned properly (even todays models that have some range of motion) you can mess up your knees very quickly.

[p2000]

Ok so I got a computer and can measure my cadence at about the midpoint of last year. However I usually find myself switching to mph over cadence. I can't seem to get away from this habit. As a result I don't really know what my average rpm is although I try to maintain 75 - 80 when in that mode.

Would it be fair to say I would better benefit from spending some time completely ignoring mph for a while and concentrating on rpm regardless of speed? I have heard numerous opinions but have kind of settled on thinking that 80ish would be a decent place to ride. (I'm thinking more of cadence in general as opposed to which range would be the absolute best benefit.)