I hate my new bike
 

I just got a new Cross Check on Sunday. I put 700-28 tires on it, and off I went. After a few adjustments to the seat and post, I thought , this thing really flies. DRATT!!! (BTW: the Crank Brothers 50/50 platform pedals are great).

I forgot that I bought this bike to commute on, to live car light on. NOT to get on the big chain ring and hammer on. I'm just getting back to ridding after an extended layoff, about 15 years.

Needless to say, my knee is now VERY sore. It's the bike's fault. I never wanted to hammer on the FX, I was content to ride around doing about 15 mph and be very happy. The CX wanted to go ALOT faster than that and I am now paying the price. :(

Part of riding a bike and staying helathy is riding smart. Like a dog that bugs the neighbors, it's not the dog's fault, it's the owner! :D

I find that I only get sore knees if I'm trying to use too big a gear. If I'm more content with spinning (70-90 rpm) my knees never bother me. Watch and see what you're doing next time. I can maintain the same speed spinning at a higher rpm as I can using a larger gear and slower rpm. But at the end of the night and the next day when I'm spinning I still have energy to spare.

Downshift and spin faster so your knee hurts less. Throw some clipless pedals on and you can go even faster even when spinning.

Feel free to send that bike that's causing you so much pain. You pay the cost of shipping and I'll take care of...erm..."disposing" of it for you. Especially if it's a 59 cm frame. I won't charge you extra for the "disposal", you just pay the shipping and I'll take care of the rest.

Oh and feel better, it does really sound like a downshift is in order here. And maybe a professional fitting if they didn't do one when you bought the bike?

The funny thing is, that I KNOW o spin the smaller gear. It is all the bike's fault that it wants to go fast!

Thats my story and I'm stickin to it!

Sorry himespau, it's a 60cm. I guess I'll be forced to keep it. :)

My new Pacer is acting the same way... Must be the Surly decals?

Definitely the decals.

Nope, not the decals. I took mine off at the LBS. Maybe the head badge!

I'm glad that I am not the only one with this problem.

If you knees are sore, you are pushing too big a gear or your saddle position / height is off..

HEHE did that last summer. I ended up tearing the miniscus in my right knee. It sucks but it will heal and then you will learn to take it a bit easier and build endurance and then it will be much more fun.


I still a long way to go but i really enjoy riding now. Another thing i found helpfull is to ride with someone else.

I dont know why but taking a 20km ride by myself or a 20km ride with friends feels tottaly different and with friends it just seems SOOOOOOO much easier.

For goodness sake, stop trying to be Lance Armstrong! Spin instead of hammer.

This:

**"Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live." ~Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"

and especially for your affliction....THIS:

**"I came out for exercise, gentle exercise, and to notice the scenery and to botanise. And no sooner do I get on that accursed machine than off I go hammer and tongs; I never look to right or left, never notice a flower, never see a view - get hot, juicy, red - like a grilled chop. Get me on that machine and I have to go. I go scorching along the road, and cursing aloud at myself for doing it." ~H.G. Wells, The Wheels of Chance

See? You are in great company!

Huh? You mean Mr. 110 rpm is Sexy his own special self?

+1...especially if it happens to be a 50 cm frame. I test-rode a Cross-Check this spring and came very close to buying it. It's on my bike bucket list for the future...

but the big ring is only a 48... HTFU

Uh, you should have named somebody else, like Jan Ulrich (heck, almost anybody else would have done.)

Lance's standard cadence on a climb (when most people mash) is still over 100 RPM. :twitchy: As someone else mentioned, he's typically at around 110.

Lance has the name recognition, and every "office racer" in America wants to be him. :-)

Relax, At 50+, and weighing in at about 280, I'll NEVER be Lance, or Jan Ulrich or even Eric Heiden who tried to be a pro rider and could not do it well. Besides there are no climbs here, and if I if I ever get to the point of being able to spin at 110, somebody needs to wake me up. I'll be DREAMING!

I KNOW to spin a lighter gear, and raise my seat. That is NOT the point! It's the new bike, the thrill of getting a new ride.

BTW: Historian, you do know that you are awesome! :)

I think they have shots for your problem. You should check it out. It's suppose to allow you to resist the influence from the bike. Good luck