Originally Posted by
mander
Two rough rules of thumb I use when getting a bike fitted:
Pain behind your kneecap= seat too low
Pain in the back of your knee= seat too high.
Paying a pro to set up your bike can really help. Minor adjustments can make a huge difference. I think a lot of fixed riders are unnecessarily resigned to their knee pain. Fiddling with fit solves a lot of problems, you just have to keep trying things out. I figure if 55 year old randonneurs can do PBP and not have the lower half of their legs fall off, there's no reason why a young person whos just commuting and dicking around shouldn't be able to be completely comfortable on their bike, fixed gear or not.
What about pain to the side of the kneecap?
Sorry to piggyback, but this is timely. I've had knee pain since right before xmas (was riding gears then, too). Never had it in my life until I really started stepping up my cycling. I thought it was cleat position, but I don't even know which way to move it (not to mention the cleats are pretty much rusted in place!).