petersta

Hi there,

I am relatively new to road riding, and one of the biggest challenges I have been adressing is trying to increase my pedalling cadence and spinning rather than hammering away on a ride.

To that end on a group ride this weekend I decided to stay in the small chain ring all the time (it was a gentle "recovery ride" 35 miles avg speed 18.5mph). A couple of hours after riding I started getting a pain behind my right knee. It feels like a muscle pull or a strain, it doesn't feel like a problem with the joint itself.

My question is do you think this was caused by trying to spin consistently at a higher than usual cadence, and if so is it best to rest and build up cadence speed more gently?

Thanks for any replies.

Peter

Montag

My friends and I have been off and on with various knee ailments this year. The most I can tell you is that, in general, pain in the front of the knee can be related to a seat that is too low while pain in the back of the knee can be from a seat that is too high.

There are certainly other things that can affect the knee, but I've found seat height to be the biggest offender. Make sure your knees are just slightly bent at the bottom of your pedal stroke. If your leg is nearly straight, then try lowering your seat just a tad...not too much, though.

Many bike shops offer a complete fitting evaluation (not sure if you had this when you bought your road bike)...it might be a good idea to get an expert opinion. Lord knows I don't know it all...

Good luck..let us know your progress.

Montag

~LongRider~

I had been having some knee discomfort as well. Ive been concentrating on pedaling both on the down stroke and the upstroke. I feel like my upper legs are becoming stronger from this, and my knee pain has reduced greatly from it. If you pull on the upstroke, you really feel it the next day on the fronts of your thighs.

SipperPhoto

I had some pretty uncomfortable knee pain 2 weekends ago.. did a club ride... 47 miles at a 18.3 mph avg. pretty much my fastest, farthest ride... the last couple miles my left knee was hurting a bit... the next day I could barely walk up stairs it hurt so bad... the day after that.. 100% better... it was weird... I did raise my seat about 3mm and after a 35 mile hilly ride on Saturday, no problems... I think I just pushed it too hard, and it wasn;t used to it

Jeff

~LongRider~

Alot of aches and pains go away with improved fitness. My back still gives me grief,,,, it is my weakest point.