Northern California - Sores knees on steep hill (Mecham Rd, Petaluma)

If anyone lives in/around Petaluma you probably know Mecham Rd by the dump. I was wondering if as a newbie (only about 100 mi total on my bike) would it be normal to have sore knees after doing that hill?

For those that don't know that rd the bottom of it starts at about 8% grade and levels off around half way up for a few hundred feet(about .75 mi in) but the last .75 mi starts at about 10 and goes to an increasing 13-14%??? maybe a bit more at the very top.

Would doing a hill like that as pretty much the halfway point of a 11mi ride that is pretty much all 3-5% rollers make for sore knees on a newb... After doing it 2 days in a row i feel like an old man, is there a way to not make them hurt on the hill? Yes my bike is fitted correctly i have no problem on long rollers or flat rides just with that hill.

One thing that can cause sore knees is pedaling too slowly. Do you have a cadence unit? If not, it would be a good idea to at least get one for a time and find out what your cadence is. I tend to like 105rpm. Others like 90. When you get down to 70 and lower, knee pain starts. Mashing up hills can do that.

I do have a cadence unit, and on the flats i maintain 85-90 avg... but this hill is so challenging for me (but part of my commute) that i can barely maintain 70 in the lowest gear on my compact, and i really don't like standing until the last really steep part otherwise my legs get burnt up... i have mostly big fast twitch muscles bad cycling genetics i guess...

Did you get fit to your bike? Could be your saddle height is too low (or high).

yes, he got fit. assuming his fit is correct, it's more likely that he's just pushing too hard a gear (dictated by the steep grade) too soon and too often in his cycling career. remember, a little discomfort is not unusual in the first year or two of regular cycling. our body is acclimating to the activity. just make sure you can differentiate between discomfort and pain.

Trinity, with only 100 miles under your belt, it sounds like you're just over-doing it. build up to the steep grades gradually. increase your saddle time gradually. your body may not be ready to go from couch to bak-to-back riding days. listen to your body.

If you aren't strong enough to maintain a cadence that your knees like you could work you ass off on the rollers, get stronger, and then try that hill later when you can keep at least an 80 cadence. Also you shouldn't do a hill so challenging two days in a row. Do the hill as hard as you can one day, let your legs and knees recover on a day or two of light spinning, then maybe you can do the hill again. Your body needs time to heal your knees and muscles so it can come back a little stronger next time. You never get stronger if you don't let your body fix itself.

cadence of 70 is fine for steep hills, but I'd recommend more standing.

Try to force yourself to stand a bit more than you'd like, and upshift a cog when you stand.

If the pain is above your knee, you just need some more training (time in the saddle pushing yourself).

unfortunately there is no reasonable alternate route to/from work... so that hill is something i face if i want to commute, any other path adds 7-8 mi one way onto the commute. I am wondering if my saddle might be a "little" bit too high i have noticed on a day like yesterday (strong headwinds) when i am in the drops most of the ride i get tell tale numbness.... i have been trying to get my body acclimated to using a road seat and figured some initial discomfort is nothing to worry about and normal so i didn't run to buy a new saddle but after 100 or so miles i am thinking i might need a wider? saddle or perhaps just a different one; maybe it is just a bit too high? I did get a pro fit from my Specialized dealer using the BG system so the angles are all correct for my body parts.

You are probably right i shouldn't tackle that hill 2 days in a row...


BTW i have the stock saddle on my bike it is a Specialized Alias size 143.

As far as pain or discomfort it is definitely more discomfort but since that is such a subjective term to describe it more accurately, it is tightness when climbing stairs or getting up from a chair anything that requires bent knee pressure, with some slight cartilage movement type feeling in my knee but not the bad kind of movement if that makes sense (hey i am an IT not a doctor! lol)

P.S my B-day is in a few weeks, and i am hoping to buy some cooler weather gear and a set of rollers any recommendations under $200 for a set?

I do have a cadence unit, and on the flats i maintain 85-90 avg... but this hill is so challenging for me (but part of my commute) that i can barely maintain 70 in the lowest gear on my compact, and i really don't like standing until the last really steep part otherwise my legs get burnt up... i have mostly big fast twitch muscles bad cycling genetics i guess...

The other thing is to get a triple chain ring set. This would give you even lower gearing so you can spin faster at a slow speed. Also, sonoma county has some big hills, even though you become more fit you may encounter some steeper hills that will give your knees hell. I have seen people doing the Death ride with a mountain bike cassette and derallieur so they would have a 32 tooth on the back.

I have a triple, but then my knees are old.

I always thought I was more of a fast twitch muscle person too, good at sprinting only ok at distance running. I think it might have more to do with conditioning and what you do to condition.

Anyway, good luck

Jeff

I would love to get a triple but i got my bike at $300 off msrp (for a $1200-1300 bike that alot!).... so well yea thats why. What doesn't kill me makes me stronger... or so i believe now that I was brainwashed with that in bootcamp. ughh

What's your cassette gearing? Count the number of teeth on the large cog. Its likely that you could swap to a cassette with a lower (larger) low gear.

Standing more is also a good suggestion. And Lori is right, stuff's going to hurt when you are starting out. But standing more and/or lower gearing could help you now so you can ride that hill.

According to Specialized here is my cog info...

CASSETTE FREEWHEEL
SRAM PG-950, 9-speed 11-28t

CHAINRINGS
50x34T

what does that mean in terms of riding... good/bad? too low/too high? etc... i am clueless about gearing other then how to count teeth.

The highest the number on your cassette combined with a lowest number on your crank give you the most climbing power. My lowest on my triple is a 30x25. Your lowest is a 34x28. I'm not sure exactly how those would convert for comparison of final drive ratio.

Final drive ratio of 30x25 is 1.2, 34x28 is 1.2143. Triple is very slightly easier.

34x28 is low enough to get you up most anything, just gotta keep at it.

You could also get a long cage mtb derailleur and then you could go to a 32-34 tooth cassette in the back.... :D

The best way to convey level of difficulty in turning the crank is in terms of gear inches. Here's a handy dandy .xls that makes it easy to compare different combinations:
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh48/jwill911/Gear_Inches_Chartxls.jpg
I have a compact double on my Orbea 50/34 with a SRAM OG 1170 11-28 cassette. And that was OK for the Death Ride but sometimes we chase some really steep routes so I just bought a XTR MTB RD and a PG980 11-34 cassette for my TREK with a triple. My knees are old to and I want to keep using them for a long time.
jw

Thats an awesome chart... thanks for all the tips.. I think what I am going to end up doing is some hill repeats on the base. The whole thing is on a steep hill, and there is a good smooth running track that goes up a decent amount of it that is maybe 9-11%. So i am hoping some hilll repeats at the end of my laps around the course (2.5 mi course) during lunch will help.

I am late on this thread but I would probably attribute your knee pain to a mild tendinitis due to your lack of training. Before tackling too steep a hill I would recommend you increase your mileage on flatter roads and easier climbs in order to strengthen your knees. Increase your weekly mileage progressively by 10 to 20 %. Start aiming higher after a month.

The tendinitis could also be due to a saddle that is too low (assuming the pain is in the front, a rear knee pain would be the result of a saddle positioned too high), so try raising it by 1/2 inch, make sure your hips are not rocking.

With a 34/28 high gearing you should be able to tackle pretty steep climbs. If you are climbing the tough hill at 70 rpm gearing is not your issue (30-40 rpm would be another matter). And as others recommended alternate standing and sitting to balance the effort and provide some relief to your knees.

You could always cheat and get an electric bike ;)