Fifty Plus (50+) - Doctor in the house

I've been fitted 3 times by different people, but I keep having this problem with my right knee. I was trying to pick up my speed some today for a 50 mile ride and I got home I had to ice my knee up. It happens on long rides more than short ones so I don't know if it's fit or not. I've been riding for 2 years and I really don't hammer like I would like to, because of my knee.
When I did get fitted I told the guy that my right leg was shorter than the other. So I laid on the floor and he pulled on my heels and did say it was about a quarter of an inch shorter. According to Pruitts and his book, that, that isn't enough to justify any special needs.
I was wondering if a sports doctor could fit me better, than anybody in a shop and I could have my insurance pick it up.
The bike feels go and I'm pretty comfortable on it, but the minute I start riding hard or long I have this problem. The bike is a Specialized Roubaix, but I seem to have the problem on my Jamis Coda more. I wondering if I'm aggravating my knee with the Coda and then when I do my long rides with the Roubaix, I feel it more. Thanks for any replies.

If the crankset has removable crank arms, it is possible to use different sized arms. I've read of people doing this.

Do the Roubaix and Coda have the same length crank arms? That is, do both bikes have 175mm arms?

Are you using the same pedals set up with the same float on both? Pedal type and float can affect your knees.

Do you know if the distance between the seating position and the maximum extension of the pedals is the same?

Or you could just have a problem in your right knee that someone needs to diagnose.

what pedals are you using--it ight be an issue of having them set up poorly...

train safe0

If the crankset has removable crank arms, it is possible to use different sized arms. I've read of people doing this.

Do the Roubaix and Coda have the same length crank arms? That is, do both bikes have 175mm arms?

Are you using the same pedals set up with the same float on both? Pedal type and float can affect your knees.

Do you know if the distance between the seating position and the maximum extension of the pedals is the same?

Or you could just have a problem in your right knee that someone needs to diagnose.

Yes Tom, everything is set up the same. that's what got me baffed. I'm going to have to go and get a ex-ray or something. Thanks for the help.

You say it is happening on both bikes. And that both bikes are configured identically.

Seems to me that either A) Both bikes are not setup in the best way for your knee. They could be right according to "formula" and for best performance, but that doesn't mean that it is best for the health of your knee.

B) The bikes are fine and the problem lies wholly within your knee.

I would certainly see someone about the knee. And I might play around with the settings on your bike to see if it helps. Mark where your seat post is set and then move it 1/4" lower. Or move your saddle position a bit forward or backward. Sometimes small adjustments make big differences as you perform 10,000+ revolutions in a single ride.

check the knee. I was having problems with my right one and found I have a slight tear in the meniscus. I get some issues with it on hills but not too bad and it doesn't swell anymore so I'm gonna hold off on the surgery for now. I got more trouble with my back than my knee to get straightened out first.

Good luck with the back issue stringbreaker. I went through that years ago. I had a ruptured disk and it healed it self. I think the name of the book I read was Oh my aching back. It said if you can put up with the pain it will heal up. I guess that and some good luck got me fixed up.

Tom the bikes are close, but the Jamis has the Brooks on it and I really don't think it's set back far enough. I did buy a set back seat post for it (23mm ) and it helped some, but I think that could be part of the problem. I'm going to try and just ride the Roubaix for a while and see what happens. It will probably be a while before I can get in to get a picture taken of my knee anyway.

Oh the pedals have plenty of float, so I don't think that's the problem.

George, do you think the knee problem could be related to all those jumps you made while in the military?

George, do you think the knee problem could be related to all those jumps you made while in the military?

Thanks Louis, my wife said the same thing last night. There was more than a few times that I hit that same knee on rocks and boulders. I really don't feel like getting it operated on, but if I have to, so be it.