Alias530

Every year about this time, early winter, I start to get knee pain. I'm in CA so I rarely ride in temps below the mid 40's but I can't help but wonder if it's temperature related.

I wear knee warmers on top of leggings, start out slow, foam roll and stretch after each ride, hot showers or baths, etc... and I'm only 29 years old. I take glucosamine and fish oil daily as well. Is there anything I'm missing? I've only been riding a few years but it seems to be this time of year always.

dalava

yes, and it's something I lived with since turning 50.

dalava

BTW, if you are only 29, I would pay attention to your pre-ride routine when it's cold out. You may not be sufficiently stretched and the knee pain may be some muscle related, e.g. the IT band.

bronco71

If I were you, I'd go see an orthopedist.

I developed a hip impingement in my early twenties that led to an arthritic hip. I had to give up running because of it. I can however, ride a bike without pain, except when its cold.

Let your ortho rule out early onset arthritis.

Alias530

Yeah, foam rolling the IT band helps a LOT..

Jakedatc

Spend more time warming up in the winter.. in the summer i'm usually good to go in like 5mi.. takes more like 10 when it is cold out.

please send your mid 40s east.. rode in the mid 30s yesterday with 15+mph wind (cue the Michigan folk in the teens)

Alias530

We have a fantastic set of paved trails for cyclists only that goes along the river for probably 50 miles. I do 99% of my mileage there so I don't have to worry about cars and the pavement is totally smooth (no potholes or debris).

It's just over 2.5 miles from my house so I usually go slow-ish on that but I'm going hard the minute I get to those trails. I'll try warming up in the house beforehand or going slow for another mile or two and see if that helps.

Jakedatc

i've done that.. spin for 10min on the trainer or rollers then head out. just don't put your warm top stuff on or you'll go out sweaty and get cold

Flatbroke

Are you gear mashing or keeping your cadence up above 90? My knee hurts if I mass. A lesser gear and higher cadence along with pulling up on peddles elimates it. I also wear a warmer year round

SlowSpinner

Yes

Alias530

According to Strava my average cadence is in the 85-86 range for most of my rides, but I think this factors in when you're coasting. Whenever I look down when spinning I'm in the 88-92 range. I find that I can't maintain 93-94+ as long so I usually upshift when I get to that point. I use an 11spd 12-25 cassette so I can make 1 tooth upshifts/downshifts from 12-19

nkfrench 

My knee pain is more weather changes not the actual weather. The knee swells inside and gets stiff and achy. I know some sort of weather front is coming in (or leaving) but I can't tell exactly what the weather is going to do. My knee likes cool and dry conditions best.

I have a lot of bone spurs, calcified tendons, scar tissue, and the tibia and fibula fused. It's the reminder that I trashed the knee 25 years ago and had major surgery.

I agree - long warmup with soft pedaling. I also like to pedal backward (no resistance) when I can. I will stomp on the pedals a bit to see if I can pump up the circulation.

Sometimes the knee never really loosens up. I reset my plans to just poot around for a while instead of going out for a hard ride.

Machka 

That might be it.

I did a long ride with a lot of layers one year, and developed patello femoral pain syndrome ... diagnosed by a sports Dr. And it was all the layers over my knees that caused it. The layers didn't allow my knee to move naturally and while lots of layers wouldn't have made any difference on my 13.6 km commute ... they did make a difference on a long ride.

Since then, I cannot wear anything remotely tight over my knees.

I might wear shorts with knee high wool socks ... and then tights over that with articulated knees. That works. The articulated knees leave enough room around my knees so that they can do their thing naturally.

Alias530

I've tried both ways... just leggings and warmers on top of leggings. Maybe I just need thicker leggings? I imagine the results would be about the same unless I went up a size though.

Machka 

Have you tried less over the knee? Make sure your thighs and calves are well covered, but that your knees are just lightly covered.
And baggy over the knee? That's the effect the articulated knees provides ... bagginess over the knees.

gregf83 

Are you riding regularly (5+hrs and 4+ days/wk) or sporadically (weekends only)? I would look at your bike fit. A poor fit combined with less frequent but still long rides could cause problems. I'm 55 and ride in colder conditions with no pain. I've never worn multiple layers on my knees though so perhaps that's causing an issue as Matchka mentioned. I wear either leg warmers or tights over bibs. At 40+ I would just use leg warmers

Alias530

My strava usually shows 3-4 days and 100-120 miles average depending when you look. Right now it says 3 days and 100 miles. I'm on the same bike that never gave me issues before... I've ridden less frequently the last week or two since it has been colder than normal, just getting to the point where it's harder to have fun.

StanSeven

Yeah the problem is fit or position related. Knees aren't as sensitive to cold as many cyclists think. Wearing knee warmers on top of tights might alter your regular position. Try tights without the knee warmers, take it easy at first to warm up, and save the hard workouts to Srping. Having your fit checked by a knowledgable and experienced person is a good idea, preferable someone that uses Retul so they can analyze your movements.

Alias530

I have over 1,000 miles on this bike though. This is the first time I've had pain. I had a professional fit when I got it and went back for a few minor adjustments after a few weeks of riding it.

You're saying I should go on less intense paced rides until spring, focus on endurance maybe?

TrojanHorse

Anything more than a light pair of leg warmers is overkill in SoCal. Try going commando on the knees. See a doc to make sure you don't have something else going on.

If you're older (like me) and have had several arthroscopic surgeries on your knee (like me) and plenty of osteoarthritis... your knee will ache whenever the weather changes, particularly if it gets rainy. There's a reason old people like to retire in Arizona and it's not just the warm weather.

Jed19

OP, have you injured your knee(s) in the past? My father, who turned seventy-nine last august, had a motorcycle accident as a young man of twenty-two where he injured one knee badly. Every winter since then, for about a week or two, he has had a kind of annual reminder where the injured knee just aches like crazy, and then just like that, the pain disappears when the weather turns out for the better.

DXchulo

I've experienced this on long rides when it's really cold, which I would define as a day when the high temperature only makes it to 35 or so. To me it's more of a stiffness than a pain. It goes away as soon as I get back home and get warmed up. Days like that tend to be miserable for my whole body, really.

I just have to keep my legs as warm as possible. I use standard knee warmers up to about 75 or so. If it gets down around 50-60 I have these thermal leg warmers that I use. Around 40-50 I'll probably start wearing my PI Amfibs. I love the Amfibs. They do the job without a lot of bulk. If it's 30-40 or so I'll wear the Amfibs with standard knee warmers underneath. I've never had a problem with 2 layers restricting my ROM.

YMMV. I tend to go for overkill on the lower half. There are times when I'll have my thermal leg warmers on when thinner knee warmers would have done the trick, but being extra warm on the bottom isn't as uncomfortable as being extra warm on top.

StanSeven

That's what many people do and that's just work on on their endurance base on winter. Between cold, shorter daylight, and all the other time demands, it's hard to keep a fitness edge year round. Use winter as a mental and physical break.

pdedes

if you put on a bit of weight, or wear extra layers in the off season, you might want to try lowering your seat a bit to compensate for the extra padding.