ATLAviator

Hi. New to Forum. Trying to decide between a Trek FX 3 and Verve 3. I used to be an avid cyclist riding 40-60 miles daily -30 years ago. Tore up both knees. Looking for a commuter to ride 5 miles daily and 10-15 on weekend on hilly road terrain . Most importiant is to minimize degrees of flexion of my knee; the more bent the more pain. While I know I can raise the seat, it is a matter of other fit components also. I think the Verve has a 170mm crankset while the FX is 175mm. Does anyone have any experience riding either with bad knees (pattello-femoral syndrome/kneecap compression) and/or recommendations. Rode both but hard to tell on a short test ride. Like the lightness and nimbleness of FX but wonder if longer crankshaft will irritate knees more. Greatly appreciate any thoughts...

RubeRad

Cranksets can be changed, the dealer might even have a suitable new/takeoff crankset he'd be willing to swap in for free/cheap. It does seem logical to me that in order to minimize knee flex you'd want a smaller crankset.

The two bikes look very similar; same MSRP, so no distinction there. Verve has an adjustable stem and a sprung seatpost, so it seems it is more comfort oriented, and may be more likely to be better for you? (Although neither of those things would affect your knees).

noglider 

When did the knee problem arise? Mine arose after I stopped riding. One doctor's theory was that cycling helped me create sufficient lubrication. I'm back to riding, and my knee pain is tolerable.

It has helped me a lot recently to have a bike mechanic install cleats on my shoes. He has an alignment tool to ensure that my feet point straight forward, because I have a tendency to point them out. The podiatrist told me to move my cleats back, and that has been a strange feeling, but it helps a lot. Another great help is to walk with my toes pointed forward, because I also tend to point them out when walking. I walk more consciously now. But recently, I find I can descend stairs much more easily, so these new things really help.

I have lots of bikes, and one of them has 155mm cranks, just as an experiment. Interestingly, they don't feel weird at all, so I recommend trying short cranks. They require the seat to be raised, but I don't mind.

For what it's worth, my pubic bone height is 32" or 33". My pants inseam is 30", which is to say I'm fairly short-legged. Still, I know a long legged cyclist who also likes very short cranks, so it's not crazy.

McBTC

If you are buying new it's possible the shop can sell you either bike with 165s as swapping cranks on new bikes is pretty easy to do. Going even shorter might be a good idea -- e.g., perhaps 145s would be ideal for you -- but, it's a lot harder for a shop to accommodate you without it costing you more than you probably want to pay. There's some interesting research that supports the finding that going to smaller crank lengths does not adversely effect your riding efficiency. There's also a lot of anecdotal evidence... such as competitive athletes using 95s.

RubeRad

That's very interesting. I have pretty extreme duck feet, I walk and bike with toes pointed way out. My solution is 20mm pedal extenders.

I have never talked to any doctors about it, but I always assumed my issue is genetic/unavoidable (my dad is this way too), and unaddressable.

Do you find that after long-term walking/cycling with straight feet, your body/posture is changing?

If I stand and force my feet straight ahead, then my kneecaps are angled inwards.

One time I went on a hard ride with two friends who were much stronger cyclists than me, this was before I had pedal extenders, and the exertion combined with rotated-forward feet gave me so much pain (IT band) that I had to bail out on the ride halfway through. Fortunately a few days of rest and I was all better, and since I got pedal extenders, it's never happened again. (Then again I pretty much never ride hard for very long)

noglider 

@RubeRad, my legs may not be as twisted as yours, but I still have a lot of alignment problems. I need to see a chiropractor. So no, my posture isn't good yet, as my right hip and right shoulder are high. I'm standing a bit straighter, and I owe that to the weight lifting I started a year and a half ago. You should definitely see a specialist, perhaps a sports doctor who knows cycling.

I believe my turned out walking has caused my bunions. They don't look bad, but they're painful, which is what led to my recent walking and cycling changes. I was pushing my big toe back by rolling over it. I'm 56. How old are you?

RubeRad

47

I've never had bunions/corns or foot problems like that, but the way I walk I definitely lean/wear heavy on the outsides of my soles.

In fact for my cycling shoes, I have an old pair of running shoes that I took a boxcutter to, to remove the inner heel flare to avoid hitting the cranks (even with the pedal extender). Because of the way my feet/ankles roll outwards not inwards, there is no risk of turning my ankle with the missing inner part of the heel

fietsbob

rather narrow group can answer that one... what does your sports therapist say?