Originally Posted by teetopkram
My questions are: (1) is the overall method of the 25-30 degree knee extension right, and maybe I just lowered the saddle too much too soon, OR (2) is this a debunk method? I will note that in watching riders in recent years, they do seem more compact on the bike, so maybe the trend is in this direction, but clearly my knee has issues with it.
I think the 30 degree method is a lot better than all the old formulas based on leg length. The 30 degree method works best for people with a very smooth pedalling technique. If you're more of an up-and-down pedaller, then a higher saddle position may work better for you.
Note that a lot of knee pain issues are caused by twisting in your pedal stroke. This is usually caused by bad cleat positioning, not bad saddle height. Did your fitter work with your cleats at all? Did the fitter watch you ride and study your pedalling technique. A bad cleat fit is often causes very obvious wobbles in your pedalling motion.