Is there a running count of how many times this has been asked?

Hey, I'm a late joiner and haven't read all 40 previous pages, but I do love that little dude's moves.

Dear Carleton,

The last couple days I've been having a little knee pain. I have my seat set up correctly, and am generally conscious about my form. I raised my saddle height a very small amount last week (maybe 1/4") but didnt have any trouble until now. My pedal stroke feels fluid, and I'm not rocking my hips. I do skid sometimes, but not generally. Anyhow, wondering if you have any advice.

Thanks,

Where on the knee is the discomfort? Above the knee cap, below the cap, inside, outside, behind the knee (back of your leg)?

inside part of my left knee

If you are riding clipless pedals, try moving the cleat further away from the bike, which will effectively move your foot closer to the center of the bike.

Let me know if that works.

Dear Carleton,

What fit issue does top of the knee pain mean (above the kneecap)?

Chances are that is simply over-use. Meaning that you are just riding harder than you normally do. This is common early in the season. The discomfort should go away.

Carleton,
How would you train if you only had access to the track on race days?

Gym, Road Riding (with road bike), Rollers, & Kurt Kinetic trainer.

recalling specificity of training, wouldn't it be more beneficial to train with a bike that has similar geo to a racer's track bike?

ninja edit: nvm, i see you put rollers there. carry on.

Not really.

What would you do on the road bike?

Ride it...a lot.

Why would baseball pitchers have to jog?

I was just curious if you would mix the training differently than you do when you have access to the track. Clearly you use the road bike for conditioning now but would you feel compelled to do speed work on the road bike if you were never at the track?

Ahhh...that's a better question.

I wouldn't do actual speed work on the road bike, but I'd train things on the road that contribute to speed work on the track. For example cadence or aerobic power drills.

My road bike is set up more like a "track bike with gears". My crank arm length is as short as my track bike (167.5mm) and the saddle is forward. The riding position is not completely as aggressive as my track bike simply because track bike positioning is only comfortable for a few minutes at a time. There is no way I could ride 2 or 3 hours hunched over with all of that weight on my hands, arms, and shoulders.

I do know guys who do their skill work (standing starts, flying 200s, etc...) on their road bikes. But they admit that it's not 100% the same. I've tried it (with my buddy who did that as his program) and the standing starts felt god-awful. So, you have to make it to the track periodically to train things that you can only train on the track using a track bike.

Thanks, good to know.

If you have an abanonded road, or unused bike path you can bring out your track bike and work on standing starts. At least work on the first two steps.

Yeah, there are a lot of guys who do that.

Yeah, I think Jimmy Watkins does a lot of his kilo training on a road in Bakersfield marked off with a kilometer. I'm not sure if he uses the road or track bike for it-- he doesn't live particularly close to a track and does quite well...

Dear Carleton,

It seems lately that I've been having a lot of problems with muscle cramps. Mostly my calves, but once or twice its been my hamstring. I feel like I'm adequately hydrated (about one bottle of water per hour riding, more if its hotter, less if I'm going slow) and eating a lot of bananas (in case its a potassium deficiency) but I still have this problem. Anything else you suggest trying?

Well you sweat more than just water, so you'll have to replenish with more than just water. Consider some sort of electrolyte drink or tablets for your water. Electrolyte gels are very effective, too.

Dear Carleton,

Have you ever used mustard to get rid of cramps ?

I hate mustard so I wouldn't know if it works.

Mustard and pickles exist solely for sandwich makers to screw with me :|

What about mayo?