thebankman

Serious question, for anyone who has had knee/joint pain...has riding a significantly lighter bike (say, jumping from 22+lbs to sub-18lbs) decreased the amount of joint pain you experience?

Also, do you think, beyond a placebo effect, a significantly lighter carbon road bike would help decrease joint pain for a rider who often climbs hills?

I currently ride some "heavy" bikes (Tange/OX steel and heavyish aluminum), am putting in higher miles, and just started getting pain right behind my kneecaps. Also, I ride with a large messenger bag and sometimes fill it with over twenty pounds of weight.

Please let me know your thoughts, as I'm currently experimenting with my bike fit across all my bikes and hope to find the source of this pain soon. Thanks!

jeffremer

If you are riding with an extra 20+lbs of weight, going to 4lbs less on the bike is not going to make a difference. The biggest difference you see in lighter bikes will be their percieved responsiveness. Otherwise for your typical rider you could see a bigger difference for a lot less money by losing a couple pounds or hitting the bathroom before your ride.

Are you getting pain when spinning at a high cadence or climbing/mashing at a low cadence? Knee pain while spinning probably means you aren't warm enough to be spinning so fast, knee pain while mashing means too much stress, shift down.

In general, start taking a glucosamine supplement, learn to ice/heat it properly when it flairs up, do some exercises for lateral knee strength and flexibility, and give it the rest it needs.

Little Darwin

I think toying with fit is likely to do more for you than a lighter bike.

Also, I used to get very sore behind my knees when I was pushing too big a gear. I made the difference by picking a gear that felt right, then shifting down 1 or 2...

I am still not a spinner, but I am a masher that does 80-90 rpm.

I still haven't figured out how to get to the point where I naturally pull up on the up stroke.

waterrockets 

No, you're going to be putting out the same power no matter how much the bike weighs. I have pretty bad knees, but they don't hurt any worse when I'm pulling a 5-year-old on a trailer bike, and two younger kids in a trailer, vs. my road bike. I just go a little slower.

thebankman

My daily supplements include glucosamine, chondroitin, and MSM, as well as lots of calcium (for some of my broken bones and some shoulder joint problems).

Recently I took up mountain biking and have been taking increasingly bigger "hits" each time, which may be taxing my knees more. Also, last week I took out one of my bikes and overloaded it with a twelve pack of beer on the rack and a completely full bag on my back. I thought these would have given me pain those day I rode, but a few days later, riding a road bike, unloaded, without a full bag, I started getting knee pain for the first time.

Sprocket Man

Have you tried repositioning your cleats?

jmoody15

On a side note, I like the signature. Might I suggest adding the proper uses of there, their, and they're. This is just as annoying.

thebankman

Cadence is another thing I need to work on....my 12 speed road bike doesn't give a lot of options especially for hill ascents. Hate to say it, but it might be a sign of getting old too...can't abuse my body as much as I used to and not feel it in the morning!

Damn....just when I thought I had a valid excuse to get a new CF road bike.

slowandsteady

I doubt the weight matters much. I ride a 40 lb steel MTB and a 19 lb aluminum/CF road bike and there is no difference in terms of pain. I am also 60 lbs overweight, and that only means I am slower. But it doesn't cause me any pain on the bike. Now running is a different story....

waterrockets 

One battle at a time...

Your right though (sic)

biker7

Your question is the basis for a common misconception when it comes to lighter bikes and effort. There is no effort differential. Why? Because each person only has a certain amount of energy to expend....aggragate and peak. Each of us expend this energy at some quotient underneath our maximum throughout a given ride. It doesn't matter what kind of bike you are on. On a heavier bike with the same aerodynamics and friction to the ground (tires) you will simply be in a shorter gear and resulting lower speed to compensate for the added energy necessary to propel a heavier bike. As to pain, fit is your best avenue.
HTH,
George

uberclkgtr

I don't think the weight of the bike matters. You may want to try using a shorter gear so you spin more freely when you're lugging a 20lb bag on your bike though, and realize it's going to be harder to accelerate on it than your lightweight road bike, especially up hills and such.

Maybe try playing around with your position on that particular bike. I had knee pain for a while on my bike until I figured out a good position (for me it involved moving my seat back a centimeter).

thebankman

BINGO! I figured it out...last weekend I helped my mom test ride bikes and we took out two at a time...and I didn't adjust the saddles after they'd been set for her short stature. It was at low speed for a couple minuts, but it's amazing, it's had a big impact on my knees. Will just have to give the knees some rest and never ever ride a bike that's not fit for me again.

rousseau

The worst in the mainstream media right now (particularly sports broadcasting and writing): "disinterested" used incorrectly to mean "uninterested."