Originally Posted by kjsoukup
Thanks very much to everyone who responded. I did raise my seat and that helped a great deal. I also stretched before I got on the bike.
I appreciate the help
Thanks again
Kris
Stretching before a ride should be light - you can damage muscles by stretching them when cold. It's much better to do heavy stretching after a ride, when they're warm.
The seat-post height suggestion is the best one I've seen so far. Your seat post should be high enough that when your pedal is at the very bottom of the stroke, your leg should be nearly fully extended, just a slight bend to the knee.