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Knee Pains

Old 09-03-08, 11:58 AM
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Knee Pains

Any one else get sore knees from clippless? For me its only the right knee, and lately its not so much sore as painful to the point it keeps me awake sometimes. Only after longer rides, 10 miles + do I get sore like that, but only in the right knee. Im assuming its the clipless pedals because I commute to work with cages on my other bike and that doesnt bother me. I was thinking it might be the position of the cleat? Am I doing to much biking? Commuting 13 miles round trip to work 4 days a week and about 20-30 miles of Mountain biking on the weekend.

Its along the outside of the knee if any one else has experienced this before?
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Old 09-03-08, 12:24 PM
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I had knee pain when I went clipless, but mine was on the inside of my knees. I adjusted my cleats to the outside of my shoes to bring my knees inward and haven't had any problem since. Since yours is on the outside, you might try moving your cleats inward.

This was the site I used to try and figure out what I should adjust.
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Old 09-03-08, 12:53 PM
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"Kneesavers" make one heck of a difference!!

https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus-50/460888-kneesavers-pedal-extenders-follow-up.html

https://www.kneesaver.net/
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Old 09-03-08, 05:04 PM
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Clipless pedals cured my knee pain. I'd guess that yours are not adjustred correctly. There is fore/aft adjustment and angle adjustment. Most systems allow for a certain amount of float, that is, you can pivot your foot while clipped in instead of being locked into position. Assuming the cleats are adjusted right there is no reason it would be any different from riding on cage pedals. What position are you feet in on the cage pedals? Do you toes point in, out, or straight ahead? Is the ball of your foot centered over the pedal spindle (it seems obvious but my wife rides with her arches on the pedals )? You feet should be in the same position with the clipless system and you should be able to move you heels in or out a few degrees before the clip disengages and you clip out.
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Old 09-03-08, 05:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Kendeathwalker
Any one else get sore knees from clippless? For me its only the right knee, and lately its not so much sore as painful to the point it keeps me awake sometimes. Only after longer rides, 10 miles + do I get sore like that, but only in the right knee. Im assuming its the clipless pedals because I commute to work with cages on my other bike and that doesnt bother me. I was thinking it might be the position of the cleat? Am I doing to much biking? Commuting 13 miles round trip to work 4 days a week and about 20-30 miles of Mountain biking on the weekend.

Its along the outside of the knee if any one else has experienced this before?

I moved this here from another forum.

When I started back riding a couple of months back, I was riding a borrowed bike with platform pedals on a triple crank.

When I bought my bike, it came with a compact double and I added clipless pedals. I started having left knee pain pretty badly with the new pedals and had already been having it on the new bike before I put the look pedals on.

Now, do your bikes have different cranks? I found that the narrower CD might be the culprit so I added pedal extenders/kneesavers. I rode 27 miles on Sunday and, other than some pain from a spill, I have no pain in my left knee from riding.

If you have a similar situation, you might look into the kneesavers.


A triple has three chain rings on the crank. A double has two chain rings on the crank. a "CD" Compact double has two chain rings that are smaller than the regular double.

I called the 800 number for the people who make the Kneesavers and told them about my situation and let them suggest a size. If, after you get them, they are too wide, or too narrow, they can be exchanged for only the price of postage each way.

In my case, I went with the 25mm extenders.

I have a toe out problem that is more prevelant with the Compact Double.

I see in your post that both of your bikes have triples, so that may not be the problem. You may not have enough play in your cleats or your saddle may be too low.

I'd google "Proper fit for a road bike" and follow the suggestions there for the bike on which you are commuting. It may make a difference.
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Old 09-03-08, 06:10 PM
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Thanks for the feedback guys, I posted this in various forums because I wasnt sure where It went, Ed actually responded to a post I made in the wrong forum which Im going to quote below so the conversation makes more sense ...

Below are the specs of my two bikes.

Ive run the clipless on both bikes and only recently started experiencing knee pain running them on the Cannondale.


From what I understand of people describing float I have a decent amount of it in the pedals Im using (Im using Shimano SPD Pedals PD-M324, they are hybrids with platforms on one side.) MY foot is not locked in place, I can move it quite alot with out unclipping.

As far as cleat position is that something thats unversially a personal thing or is generally better to push them as far foward as you can? I just cenetered them up in the slots and didnt think about it.

Are the kneesavers not something I should be looking at then ed? I was reading about them and realized that my heel some times brushes against the frame, which is a bad thing?


29'er 4 with Caffeine frame technology

Frame Caffeine 29
Fork RockShox Dart 329
Rear Shock N/A
Rims WTB Dual Duty FR, 32 hole
Hubs Shimano M475 rear
Spokes DT Swiss Champion
Tires WTB�Prowler 29 x 2.1�
Pedals Wellgo alloy platform
Crank Shimano FC-M4428 22/32/44
Chain Shimano 9-speed
Rear Cogs Shimano HG50 11-34
Bottom Bracket Shimano BB-ES25 Octalink
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore
Rear Derailleur SRAM X-5
Shifters SRAM X-5 Trigger
Handlebars Cannondale C3, 20 mm rise
Stem Cannondale XC3 1 1/8", 31.8 mm
Headset Cannondale HeadShok Si
Brakeset Shimano BR-485 160/160 mm
Brakelevers Shimano BR-485
Saddle Cannondale X-Country
Seat Post Cannondale Alloy
Sizes M, L, X
Extras Cannondale Morse Grip

This is the my Mountain bike A caffine 29er.. Ive got the Large sized frame. Im a bit uncertain how you tell what size your cranks are? It has several options listed there. This is my first higher end MTB.

The bike Ive turned into my commuter is this

a Trek 4300

Sizes 13, 16, 18, 19.5, 21, 22.5, 24"
Frame Alpha Black Aluminum w/externally relieved head tube, hydroformed bi-axial down tube, monostay seatstays, forged disc ready dropouts
Front Suspension RST Gila T8 w/preload, 100mm
Wheels
Wheels Alloy front hub, Shimano RM30 rear hub; Bontrager Camino, 32-hole rims w/eyelets, machined sidewalls
Tires Bontrager Connection Trail, 26x2.0"; 27 tpi
Drivetrain
Shifters Shimano EF50, 8 speed
Front Derailleur Shimano C050
Rear Derailleur Shimano Alivio
Crank SR Suntour XCC-T102 42/34/24
Cassette SRAM PG830 11-32, 8 speed
Pedals Alloy platform
Components
Saddle Bontrager Select Basic
Seat Post Bontrager SSR, 20mm offset
Handlebars Bontrager SSR, 25mm rise
Stem Bontrager SSR, 25 degree
Headset VP-A76C-TK, 1 1/8" semi-cartridge, sealed
Brakeset Tektro V w/Shimano EF50 levers


A little information about myself. Im 6'4 220lbs size 14 feet. What is Toe out? I was reading the kneesavers website and they kept mentioning it. Also how do I know what size kneesaver to get?

Im using SPD Pedals PD-M324, they are hybrids with platforms on one side.

Im afraid I dont know what your talking about when you say double crank, triple crank, and CD.

Please Excuse my ignorance

Last edited by Kendeathwalker; 09-03-08 at 06:14 PM.
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Old 09-03-08, 06:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Kendeathwalker
Thanks for the feedback guys, Are the kneesavers not something I should be looking at then ed? I was reading about them and realized that my heel some times brushes against the frame, which is a bad thing?

Well, it could be that you do have a toe out problem and the kneesavers could help with that.

I had a friend ride behind me and look at how I was riding the bike. He told me that my knees were pushing out as I pushed the pedals down (I haven't mastered spinning yet) and that my seat could be too low. I had a re-measurement at the LBS for seat height and they told me that it was correct.

The Kneesavers move my feet away from the bike/crank and, in doing so, mostly correct the toe out problem.

Another thing I've been told about road biking (commuting) is to keep the cadence up and to not mash the pedals as mashing can also cause knee pain.

The kneesavers will cost you $45 + postage. That's not a lot of money and I figured that I could always put them in a trade/swap & sell forum if they didn't work out.

You may find some other useful suggestions on the correction of knee pain if you wait a day or two and post in the road cycling forum about knee pain.

Hope all of that helps

Ed
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Old 09-03-08, 06:27 PM
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We don't need to know your bikes specs, most pain prob are with fitting.

Originally Posted by Kendeathwalker
As far as cleat position is that something thats unversially a personal thing or is generally better to push them as far foward as you can? I just cenetered them up in the slots and didnt think about it.
That's the problem right there, IT'S NOT UNIVERSAL. Everybody's legs is different just like shoes size even wide/narrow toes. YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO FIT THOSE CLEATS PROPERLY.

The way I did it was to put the cleats on, but not tighten then, then climb on my trainer, start pedaling and wiggle my foot around until at the end they settle on my "natural" position, then I gingerly remove my foot from the shoes still attached to the pedals, unmount and tighten the bolts. Am sure some ppl here will suggest a more scientific way.
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Old 09-03-08, 06:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Kendeathwalker
Are the kneesavers not something I should be looking at then? I was reading about them and realized that my heel some times brushes against the frame, which is a bad thing?
If you watch your leg up and down during a pedal stroke you see the foot pulls in just slightly.
That means you lower leg is twisting your knee at the bottom of the stroke. That is where a
set of kneesavers work best. They enable the leg to stay parallel thoughout the entire pedal
stroke thus no twisting, thus no knee pain!
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I dislike clipless pedals on any city bike since I feel they are unsafe.

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Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred, which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?
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Old 09-03-08, 06:41 PM
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Old 09-03-08, 06:44 PM
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Originally Posted by starla

This was the site I used to try and figure out what I should adjust.
Good site with a lot of great information
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