Originally Posted by Stix Zadinia

..other than stop riding, if possible!

Now that my commute is getting longer and I've been at it for almost a full year, I've started to develop equal pain on both my knees. I've already taken some measures I believe could help the knees: For instance I started out riding in tight jeans (which were very uncomfortable and pressed on my legs, btw), but now I'm using comfy sweats instead; I'm sitting more on the saddle while riding (even though I find it uncomfortable sometimes), I've set up the saddle higher too, and I'm finally starting to realize the benefit of avoiding high gears and a low cadence (I think I was really messing up on that one)..

My bike originally had a Shimano M171 (42/34/24) triple crankset, now I'm using a double crankset on the outer SG B52 ring.. Should I go back to the original crankset or something similar? (I sold the original). This new crank is uncomfortable to use on the lower gears because the chain wasn't changed (lengthened) by the mechanic who changed the crankset, and so it's too short for the bigger ring, but everyone at the shops keeps telling me to just 'wear out everything before thinking of changing anything on the drivetrain'.

Is there any advice or tips to follow? I'm kind of weary now since my commute is probably going to keep getting longer anyway (work-related issue). I'm absolutely in LOVE with riding, but I'm starting to get more worried as the discomfort (slowly, but steadily) keeps on turning to pain.


Thanks much for your advice