Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - worried about damaging my knees

i started riding fixed about a wek ago and love it, so i took the rear brake off of my bike. m i risking damaging my knees from resisting the pedals to slow down? now and again while resisting the pedals i feel a click in my right knee but it doesnt hurt really. i dont really have any interest in skidding because tires are expensive and im a student, but i know that will hurt your knees after a while.
i do most of my braking with my front brake, and supplement it by resisting, and i also resist at lower speeds usually without the brake.

anyone here who has been riding fixed for a long time care to chime in? im running about 73 gear inches btw.

If you're not comfortable doing it, either switch to a lower gear or don't do it. If I was riding 73 gear inches, i'd probably be fine resisting some of the time. Low cadence, high torque resisting is as good as mashing up a hill at 5rpm.

what's the point of only taking off the rear brake in the first place?

so that i still have the front brake.

I run a 71.1 gear inch setup and horrible knees run in my family. Never any pain or weird feelings. But I'm also only 17 and have been riding as long as I can remember.

i have had acl reconstruction, and for fun spin my wheels backwards when i am stopping, pushing with everything i have, and my knees still feel great.

/end relatively meaningless personal anecdote

If your knees start hurting, stop doing it.

I've had a lot of knee problems for my age (only 24 and had some serious problems from running hurdles in high school) and if anything, I feel like the bike has helped.

I'm with skeletor, if'n it hurts don't do it. Ya know, you can still resist pedal movement to slow down AND run a back brake. Unless, of course, yer afraid of the other kids pokin' fun at you.

Get a proper fitting. +-10mm in saddle height and fore/aft can be the difference between knee/IT band/hamstring pain and a comfortable ride.

And if 73 gear inches feels too tall, don't be afraid to run a smaller gear. I run 66 gear inches and like that it's low enough to let my knees warm up in the cold and make quick accelerations in traffic.

I work on my bike and after a year or so I though the track bike was killing my knees... I had a lot of knee pain that was becoming worse and worse... what was actually happening was that I was not taking proper care of my bicycle... I wasn't changing bearings... I wasn't keeping the tires inflated to proper capacity... I wasn't changing my bottom bracket enough... I wasn't keeping my chain nice and oiled... so fixed wasn't the problem...

lol im not worried about being made fun of, a quick stfu would take care of that. and 73 gear inches feels great actually

Don't worry about your knees.

I would say perhaps the fit is probablly what it is? Im a week into fixed gear riding too and run a 71 inch setup and had bad pain in the back of my knees the first day or two, but feels a bit better now. Im using a front brake and try and just use my legs but the soreness is going away. Maybe your seat/handlebar height isnt right for you?

I have terrible knees that pop with every step I take, and when I was into tennis, they would hurt every single day the first month of the season. So far, I've had no problems riding a brakeless fixed gear. I do feel some tension in my knees when backpedaling very hard (this actually feels harder on my knees than skidding), and on a few days my knees might become a little sore, but I've had nothing to whine or worry about. Make sure you are properly fit on your bike, and I think you'll be ok.

seat height is really really important.

my knees are fine, and i run between 71-73 gear inches, between several bikes.
it made my shins worse than they were, I have 23 micro fractures in my left leg between years of soccer, karate, and cycling.

they were screwed up anyway, but riding brakeless for a year didn't help.

I would say perhaps the fit is probablly what it is? Im a week into fixed gear riding too and run a 71 inch setup and had bad pain in the back of my knees the first day or two, but feels a bit better now. Im using a front brake and try and just use my legs but the soreness is going away. Maybe your seat/handlebar height isnt right for you?

Sounds like your saddle might be a bit high and it's straining your hamstrings.

If you've pretty much decided that it's pain due to fit, check this out:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

It would also be a good idea to give your self a breather on a geared bike a few days each week. After a few months you won't need it, but it's a good idea at first. Remember that it's not the big muscles that you need to worry about, it's the small ones that keep your kneecap in place that get tired and angry! Keep those guys happy until they are built up.

Sounds like your saddle might be a bit high and it's straining your hamstrings.

I actually adjusted that this week and its a lot better. Im not as sore