Hello everyone. Basically, I'm having knee trouble from my bike, but I don't really know why. It's kind of an odd situation, here's some background:

I have an old Dawes Galaxy, which I got two years ago. It came with a very short seat-post, I guess about 4 inches of available length, maybe 5 if you disregarded the minimum line. I used, and still use, a Brooks B17 saddle.

For the first year or so, I rode about 50 miles a week, just around town mostly but always very hard and fast, plus several 100+ mile rides. I never had any knee trouble at all, no matter how hard I pushed it. Then, and I can't quite remember when, the saddle and seat-post started never quite staying as I wanted them, and it didn't feel right at all. Still, I could get it right sometimes, for a length of time.

Then I suppose about 9 months ago, it came to be that the bike didn't feel right at all, and my knees were aching every day. Even a few slow miles in a day will ensure my knees feel bad afterwards - though normally they feel ok while I'm on the bike. In fact that's the only relief, really - cycling and pushing at the pedals. It's not a serious pain, in fact it's barely a pain at all, but it's not normal and shouldn't be there. It feels like a tightness, a glowing and diffuse kind of feeling, and perhaps more at the front and top areas of each knee.

I kept trying to raise my saddle, and when I could scrape a bit of extra height it felt GREAT, and my strength on the pedals was increased dramatically.
I bought a new seat-post with a lot more length, and have it set quite high now, far higher than I ever did with my old seat-post.

The problem was still there, though. Over time I started feeling like I was a long way back from the handlebars, and that I was reaching forward a long way with my feet to the pedals.
The saddle was right back on its rails, so I moved it all the way forwards and this felt a lot better, but still like I was too far back and straining to reach to the pedals in their forward-most position.

Now, as I raise the seat-post, due to the angle of the seat-tube of course the saddle moves even further backwards. So I can not get extra saddle height without compromising its forward position, and vice versa.


So, I feel that I need more saddle height, yet also a more forward saddle position. But the strange thing is that until fairly recently none of this was a problem. I have certainly not grown or changed in proportions. I wear the same kinds of shoes I always used to. The rest of the bike is the same as it was, no change in crank lengths or pedals, for example.
As far as I know my "riding style" and posture hasn't changed somehow, either.

Does anyone have any ideas? No matter how easy I take it on the bike, my knees are tight and uncomfortable, and I can't seem to find what adjustments will work or why the old set up ceased to be a good fit.

Thanks a lot