We had a thread on knee pain and it has been known to be a common complaint for fixie/ss riders. I believe i have isolated the cause of my knee pain. I had some pain, switched to my fixed and the pain went away. So i was trying to figure out what was different between my roadbike and my mountain bike, the old mountain bike was causing me the pain when i went back to it.

It was all fit. Even if you have knee pain and cannot eliminate it, if you spend a lot of time working on your fit you can minimize the pain. At least i could. What worked for me was seat height and seat position (for/aft) and Generally i was too far back. The mountain bike saddle had shorter rails than my roadbike which forced me to sit too far back. So I started swapping parts, took the peddles with toe clips and put em on my mountain bike which forced me to get more exact with my position on the bike. Then i tried to duplicate the full, smooth arc that my fixie had, finding the proper height. Then the final thing that worked was too put the road seat on and move my seat forward, almost too far forward. The perfect height with a saddle that was extremely forward removed a ton of pressure on my knees. I was spinning like mad and it was no problem at all. The cadence was circular, pushing down and even a little back. The narrow seat allowed me to have my knees closer together and made them more in line, straight up and down.

OK, I'm sort of self taught on this stuff and this may be super obvious or irrelevant to some or all of you, but it helped me a ton and if it can help someone else ride more and have less knee pain then so be it.

It depends on what causes your knee pain. I have this thing where my thigh bone jabs down into the cartilage under my knee cap. I guess this is somewhat common. I think fixies helped me because they work my thigh muslces more effectively, which inturn stops this process of wearing down that cartilage. This is a wonderful thing. Now if I can figure out a way of teaching five classes a day without standing, the universe will return to a state of balance.

so skitbra, what you're telling us is that you want to find a profession where you are on your back all day? or all fours?

I bet he says both...

Will you quit projecting already!

You know I gave up that profession and that's why I won't take your $$ any more.

You shut up, too. Or you're going to have to buy all my drinks tomorrow. Wait a sec... You're gonna have to do that anyways.

good for you...sometimes it takes a bit of experimentation before knee pain can be resolved..cheers..

Self taught on back and all fours? Does it count if you practice a lot?

Only if you use both hands, a jar of peanut butter and the oil of baby minks.

Here is what my doctor said I have. I don't advise self-diagnosis, so be leary (sorry about the formatting:

Patellofemoral pain syndrome

Patellofemoral pain syndrome is a condition that causes pain in the ******************front of the knee. It frequently occurs in teenagers, manual laborers, and ******************athletes. It sometimes is caused by changes in the cartilage under the kneecap, ******************such as a wearing down, roughening, or softening of the cartilage.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome may be caused by overuse, injury, ******************excess weight, or a kneecap that is not properly aligned (patellar tracking ******************disorder).

Symptoms include:
Pain, especially when sitting with bent knees, *************************squatting, jumping, or climbing stairs.
Occasional knee buckling, *************************where the knee suddenly and unexpectedly gives way and does not support body *************************weight. This might occur because of pain, muscle weakness, or a torn *************************ligament.
A catching, popping, or grinding sensation with walking *************************or knee movement.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome can be relieved by avoiding activities ******************that make symptoms worse.
Avoid sitting or kneeling in the bent-knee *************************position for long periods.
Adjust a bicycle or exercise bike so *************************that the resistance is not too great and the seat is at an appropriate height. *************************The rider should be able to spin the pedals of an exercise bike without *************************shifting weight from side to side, and the legs should not be fully extended at *************************the lowest part of the pedal stroke.
Avoid bent-knee exercises, *************************such as squats, deep knee bends, or 90-degree leg extensions.

Other methods to relieve pain include:
Nonprescription anti-inflammatory medication *************************(NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen or naproxen sodium, to decrease swelling, *************************stiffness, and pain.
Ice and rest.
Physical therapy *************************exercises, such as stretching and straight-leg raises, to strengthen the *************************quadriceps muscle.
Taping or using a brace to stabilize the *************************kneecap.
Surgery.

Thanks Dr. Merton!

Little did we know that Merton was a brain surgeon.