Need some advice. Last week i decided to do some adjusting on my bike seat height and my handlebars. Went on a 26 mile ride and was pushing hard. My knees were screaming by the end. I'm guessing i raised my seat to high and was putting to much pressure on my knees. I took a couple of days off and then went on an easy ride to see if it was the seat height, on the straight aways my knees didnt hurt but when i hit hills they started to hurt. So i decided to lower my seat again, and on the next couple of rides my knees aren't hurting but i am feeling some numbness on the side of and just below my knee. Im wondering if the muscle just before my knees is squishing my veins and causing the numbness. Anyone else ever experience this?? and any clues on how to get it to stop being numb??

From your description if you are truly getting numb on the outside part of your knee on the side rather the back, that is the L5-L4 nerve distribution. This is not a circulatory problem. Hard to pinch off blood supply to that area. I suspect you are exerting some pressure on the portion of the sciatic nerve that supplies that region of the knee. or your position affects the lower back that innervates that area. If no back pain, this is less likely. May need to keep adjusting your seat.

sometimes when you're seat is too low that happens...at least in the spinning room where i teach if does to some of my students..just a thought ;)

Well finally got in to see the doctor after having to wait a week. Come to find out something is pinching the nerve in the back of my knee. The doctor could only come up with a couple of things, either a blood clot or whats known as a Bakers Cyst. He was able to test for the blood clot, and found none. He said if i have a bakers cyst its a small one cause he can't feel it. So I get to be lucky and get a cat scan next week of my knee, in hopes of seeing if there is a cyst or not... I read up a little bit on bakers cysts and from what I can tell it is the body's own special way of saying hey your pushing me to hard. Basically the knee or whatever joint it occurs in is being hurt although you may not feel it, and so the body creates this sac to help prevent any further injury. From what I have read on the interent about it, it is cureable by resting and just not straining the area. Usaully it will just drain, if for some reason it doesn't then they go in with a needle and drain it, and in serious cases they go in and cut it out. If I do have one its not serious cause the doctor with all of his pushing around on the back of the knee could not find it. Will keep ya all updated, so in case any of you evr encounter this problem, you might have some quick knowledge available to you.....

Well another update got the results from catscan: everything in my knee is normal, no cyst, no tears. This begs the question wth is wrong with me.....

I think i have come up with a couple of ideas, one, with the raising of my seat I think that I strained my Hammies. I took a week and a half off and went riding last night, my hammies started getting tight again. I think my seat height is still a little high, as i feel strain from the top of my calf across the back of my knee in to my hammy. Anyone what the pain is supposed to feel like if your seat is to high???

Usually, if your saddle is too high your butt will roll from side to side as you pedal.
The time or two that I've ridden with a saddle too high, there was no pain involved.