I've been dealing with pattelofemoral pain syndrome for a couple of months. Lots of PT and time off the bike. I can ride the trainer at home 30-45 minutes in relative comfort, but I'm not by any stretch "cured". I decided that today is the day to get back on the bike. A commute is a the best way the try out riding on the road again, IMO, because I can always get on the subway (work in Brooklyn) if the knee acts-up, plus the plan was to ride the ~10 miles to 14th St and take the subway the rest of the way anyway (I work in Brooklyn and want to avoid bridges aka hills for a while).

The ride was slow as I soft-pedaled the whole way but it sure felt great to ride instead of look at my bikes. I coasted once in a while to check on my knee by flexing the VMO muscle, looking for lateral patella tracking, the source of my problems. I hope that the ride home is equally successful!