PAlt

Anyone have experience with this situation? I have noticed in the last month or so some new twinges while either on my road bike or on my trainer (also road) bike. Right front knee pain (I have raised the seat post on both bikes and it has diminished the pain some), some pain in the right ankle joint on the outside, some shoulder pain on the left side. The question is: Both bikes were well fit several years ago, and no changes to the frame or parts that might effect frame dimensions have been made since then. The only things that have changed are my age (7 yrs older) weight (125 lbs lighter) and more frequent mileage (100+) a week. I'm having the most confusion about issues with the knee, because this suggests that my legs have gotten longer???
Is it time for a "retro" fitting? Any experiences, feedback, knowledge appreciated!

Beverly

First let me congratulate you on being 125 lbs lighter! That's a wonderful accomplishment.

You may already have this site but I've found it useful when trying to adjust my bike.
https://sheldonbrown.com/pain.html

Your legs probably haven't gotten longer but I'm sure you're seated differently on the saddle with the weight loss. That retro fitting sounds like a good idea.

George

It's kind of funny the same thing happened to me. I haven't been riding as long as you have but I had the same problem. I was really pumping the miles out and then my knee started to bother me. Not bad but bad enough, it was right above the knee cap. I raised the saddle as high as I could get it and still had the pain.I was affraid I'd injure me knee, so I just went to get a bike fit yesterday. Surprise, it was in my cleats,he moved them up and when he done that my saddle was an 1" to low. With the weather being bad I only had a short ride (10 miles) and everything felt fine.I can really feel that inch,it feels like a foot,but I think it worked. Good luck, George

PAlt

[QUOTE=Beverly]First let me congratulate you on being 125 lbs lighter! That's a wonderful accomplishment.

One slight addendum: only 25 LBS Lighter

Beverly

[QUOTE=PAlt]Any weight loss deserves a congratulation

RockyMtnMerlin

FWIW: Also be aware that not all knee pain is associated with bike fit. Sometimes just over doing it will result in pain. Frequently called "Spring Knee," this happens to a some of us who live in the colder climates and try to up our mileage too rapidly when the weather gets warm. I have also had this problem after a day of too much climbing. Cleared right up with a short break and did not recur. Heck this even happens to some of the pro's.

jwbnyc

Bike fit is not static.

Neither is bike riding.

Listen to what your body tells you.

Pushing bigger gears can cause a joint to act up where it might have been fine pushing a smaller gear.

Sometimes a day off, or a lower mileage day at least, is not a bad thing either.

Keep in mind that bike riding while generally good for one's health overall is an activity that is putting wear and tear on the rider at the same time. Riding over a rough road, for example, is putting the spine and other parts of the body through quite a few compression cycles.

Stretching is something to consider as well.

I've had days where I start off feeling the saddle is way too high only to feel it's way too low by the end of the day.

Do what you have to do in order to ride pain free or as pain free as possible.

John E

Do look into your cleat positioning and foot rotation.

jppe

The first thing to recheck is the seat height and also it's forward/backward placement. I'd check it just to make sure it's where it's supposed to be.

I've had similar issues with one of my knees when I had leg warmers stretched too tightly over my knee but didn't realize it.....sounds weird but but points out even the smallest thing can create issues. I have also adjusted a cleat forward a smidge if I had knee pain in the front of one knee but not the other.

The ankle thing is interesting. If you can set up on a trainer in front of a mirror and watch your pedaling (or have someone that you trust/respect observe for you), look to see if you're riding toe in or toe out by chance....and it could just be with one foot doing that.

Good luck......joint issues can be troubling.

PAlt

Any reason to think foot rotation would change meaningfully since before? No change in cranks, pedals. Have raised the seat height since the knee pain would suggest that, but perhaps front to rear and angle need adjustment. Getting some areas to examine and perhaps adjust from these posts. Appreciate all the feedback!

BluesDawg

+1
Although fit may be the culprit, it may have more to do with fit-ness. You say you are riding more distance than you were. Also your knees are older now. They may just want to let you know they are there.

NOS88

+1 The sensation at the knee and ankle would make me suspect this. Did your cleat position change? One way to check is by paying attention to the amount of float movement you have when you pedal in a normal fashion. You don't want to be at the edge of the float movement (either in or out). You should have some play in both directions. Next time you ride, see if you are reaching the complete limit (on either side) with your right foot. As another suggested, it could also be simple overuse, but I'd look into the cleat positioning first. I had a similar situation when I changed pedals on my trainer bike. Everything was the same, but I only had three degrees of rotation. The old pedals had six degrees. I put the old pedals back on, and the pain in the knee and ankle was gone.

PAlt

Thanks to all who contributed! After going back to get the retro fit done discovered the following:
SEAT HEIGHT - raised 4.Cm
SEAT TO HBAR,back to ctr - 2.Cm closer
STEM ANGLE - from 0 to 17deg
SEAT ANGLE - from 1.7deg to .9deg
Additionally, cleats were wedged 3mm on the inside edge of the foot to accommodate the natural pronation of my feet relative to the flat fixed plane of the pedal platform. This was done to relieve the ankle pain. For those interested, have photos the shop with angles of leg, back, arms, etc. indicated to note changes in position. PM if you're interested.