Zenbiker

Is pushing a high gear or spinning a low gear harder on your knees? I have heard many conflicting opinions on this matter and want to get my facts straight. I live in Kamloops B.C. (very hilly!) and am wondering what kind of gear would be best for knee health. I am waiting for the new track cogs to arrive (its been three months already and I'm thinking about ordering from the internet) and am wondering what gear to choose. I would like to work on and spin for the winter and choose a low gear 42-16 or 42-18. Would spinning too low a gear down a big hill (there are many) have a negative impact on my knees? Would a higher gear such as 42-14 be better? Thanks for your help.

JavaMan

Sounds to me like limiting yourself to only one gear is what's hard on your knees.

Tom

glowingrod

depends, are you going to be using a front brake to control your long descents or were you planning to use your legs? Certainly if there are long descents there must be long climbs ahead of them or after on the way back. For me, stopping blew my knees, not my fast cadence or a long climb. In my experience the reverse pressure of slowing/stopping can lead to damage faster than than a good spin or the hammer up the hill. So I'd say no more than the ol three to one for a hilly area with or without brake. It may limit your speed going down, but keeping control of that descent with your legs will add to your workout and muscle development. Even the speeds you reach on 48-16 will be frightening if you find yourself unable to slow down on a descent. Control is everything.

ultra-g

I'd say pushing a bigger gear is harder.

ostro

I am riding 42x14 in SF, i have a few climbs and descents on my daily ride, but some really awesome climbs and descents around town. I started with 42x16 worked up some muscle and changed as my endurance and strength increased. Start with 42x16 work your way up to a more difficult gear, you may even like it better at 42x16. I have a front brake, some days i stop with the legs and somedays i use the brake.

Start with easier options (brakes, easy gearing) and eliminate them as you get used to your ride.

Fugazi Dave

My intuition is that the more gear inches you're pushing, the harder it is going to be on your knees. However, as others have noted, the real culprit may well be just using your legs to stop. I say run a front brake and give your mid-leg joints a bit of a break.

bostontrevor

It also just sort of depends on how you ride. You may be pushing a low gear, but if you always skid, skid, or rapidly decel, that can be rough on your knees. On the other hand, you may be pushing a 100" but if you gradually work up to speed and never have to climb, that can be completely benign.

Me, I run 47/16 and 42/16. I have a front brake and I don't mind using it, so the higher gear is really worse for me (there's one particular spot in my commute where I really hammer it and I know it's bad for me, I can feel the knee strain). YMMV.

sohi

pushing back hard on the pedal is like having your saddle too low. the knee is bent
more. and a saddle thats too low is considered bad for your knees.

climbo

how hilly is it exactly? Anything bigger than a 42x18 is pretty damn hard to push up a 15% slope. I run a 38x18 fixie/SS, I have some 15% and 20% slopes in my commute and it's not easy. I ran a 42x15 when I live in flatter conditions.

skitbraviking

My experience has been that pressure on the knees is the bottom line. Your knees will tell you if it's too much. Try your gearing higher and if your knees ache for a couple weeks but adjust it should be OK. However, if they don't adjust, go lower. It takes a little bit of experimentation.

Ceya

Boston Trevor said it well.. USE A FRONT BRAKE! I don't like using them but when your knees start to go..they GO!

get a fork with a drilled hole and use a front brake.

S/F,
CEYA!

tachyon

I rode through Kamloops last summer on my fixed (49x18) and didn't have any problems. For me backpedaling has always been the source of knee probs. Just use a front brake to modulate your speed down hills instead of backpedalling. Skidding around town is ok, but trying to resist forward momentum when you're going 50kph+ is hard on the knees if you're doing it continously down mountain roads.
Also if you're cranking high rpms down lots of hills and you're bike fit isn't perfect you could feel it in your knees - the slightest imperfection in crank length/cleat placement can cause youre legs to rotate kinda funky, which doesn't matter if you're going short distances, but if you're putting in lots of kms you'll notice it.
In my opinion, 42-18 is way too low for mountain descents, but that's just me - 42-16 is close to perfect.
If you have a flip-flop hub, why don't you run both a 16 and 18T?