Ouch, my knee(s) hurt

[Sparky00196]

Hey,
About a week ago I got a new(and my first) road bike. I rode it a tiny bit then last Sunday I rode 50 miles on the Trail of the Coeur d'Alanes(great trail, mainly flat). Then on Monday another 18 miles. My behind was the only thing that was noticably sore(new seat is pretty hard). It's now Wednesday and I rode about 19 miles on rolling, hilly type roads. Now my knee hurts when I bend it. It only hurst during the bend, betweeen bent or straight. Could this be because of new riding position(switched from mtn bike)? Or wrong seat height? Or maybe I should just take it a little easier? Thanks

[Dogman]

You may need to make some minor adjustments to your position. I had the same problem too, and it took me weeks to get the bike dialed in to exactly where I was most comfortable. And keep in mind, if you were hammerin' you might just be a little sore. Don't forget to stretch, too!

[GradStudent]

Try raising your seat height. And be careful about piling on the mileage until you get it right! I gave myself a bad case of tendonitis that way which took months to heal (=months off the bike :(.

Also, icing right after the ride can help.

[Leonardo7]

I had knee problems develop mid way through a three day, 325 kilometer ride a few weeks ago. This was my longest distance to date. I had already put about 2,000 kilometers, on day rides this summer, with no problems. I also strained my right achilles tendon. I determined that I had my seat too high. I am only now beginning to realize how critical having everything "dialled in" is. I am missing not being able to ride to the extent I want, especially with the beautiful weather we are currently getting in my part of Eastern Canada right now. I am determined to do whatever it takes to avoid injury and get evrything on my bike set up correctly so I can keep seeing the world from a bicycle seat! I urge you to do what you can to ensure you have everything set up correctly to avoid injury.

Best of luck.
Leonard in Ottawa.