First SS bike: knee question
 

I love the simplicity of SS bikes but never had one yet.

Been oggling a Redline Monocog or Raleigh XXIX for a while now, and I was going to pull the trigger, but then I realized that I have had knee problems for a while now. Patellar maltracking in both knees, and it's bad to the point of pain in the right. Usually affects me going up stairs but not on the bike (I keep a good cadence).

Is a SS bike a bad idea for a guy like me with questionable knee health?

If mashing hurts your knees, riding a SS offroad probably won't help a lot. Unless you are rocking a 1:1 ratio, you will be mashing every time you go uphill. Gears aren't a terrible idea all the time.

A fixed gear bike for training might be good for teaching you spinning. http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed-knees.html

if your going to ride fixed then i would suggest a smaller ratio otherwise it may make your knees worse