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These knees are throbbing from cycling

unmatcheddiscipline
unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Any pointers? I'm a novie cycler. Going hard for about a week straight now. Any suggestions/pointers I need to know? Thx in advance :smiley:
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Replies

  • cheshirecatastrophe
    cheshirecatastrophe Posts: 1,395 Member
    edited July 2015
    Adjust your bike saddle. First guess would be it's too low. ETA: You could take it to a bike shop to have a proper fit done if you want, or you could do some Googling on seat height and angle.

    Alternate hard days and easy days. That's the best way to *gain* fitness, as opposed to just beating your body down.
  • unmatcheddiscipline
    unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
    My boyfriend make bikes, so he has it where I have the right fit. I was concerned about that too, but he double checked. I will do that! Great advice on alternating hard/easy days. You're the bomb.com because that's my goal to gain fitness. I'm up there and don't need to beat my body down. Thx!!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Consider adding in some cross training too, like running you need strong hips & glutes. +1 on alternating easy & hard days
  • twofastdogs
    twofastdogs Posts: 37 Member
    Do you have a bike computer that shows your cadence? You may be working in a higher gear than necessary and putting more strain on your knees. If you can pedal with a cadence between 60-80 and be comfortable, that will help you find the right gear.

    Also, biking every day if you're not used to it can be tough on muscles and joints. Be sure to take a rest day every so often and let those knees relax!
  • chefjules94
    chefjules94 Posts: 1 Member
    Agree with @twofastdogs . also if your not spinning perfect circles then one part of your legs ( in this case your knees) could be working harder then the other. Cycling takes time and finesse.
  • GalactusEmpire
    GalactusEmpire Posts: 90 Member
    If your boyfriend makes bikes, couldn't you ask him for advice? I assume someone who knows enough about bikes to build them, knows how they should be ridden. Maybe ask him to ride with you so he can see your posture.

    I actually switched to cycling due to knee pains from running/trekking. I haven't had any knee problems from cycling. It's actually pretty easy on the knees unless maybe you have some previous conditions.
  • unmatcheddiscipline
    unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    Consider adding in some cross training too, like running you need strong hips & glutes. +1 on alternating easy & hard days

    Okay, you're the third or fourth person who suggested to me tonight to add cross training. I really appreciate the advice and will adhere to it. Now I have to look up cross training :blush: Thx!
  • unmatcheddiscipline
    unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
    twofastdogs wrote: »
    Do you have a bike computer that shows your cadence? You may be working in a higher gear than necessary and putting more strain on your knees. If you can pedal with a cadence between 60-80 and be comfortable, that will help you find the right gear.

    Also, biking every day if you're not used to it can be tough on muscles and joints. Be sure to take a rest day every so often and let those knees relax!

    I'm on a fixie, so I have no gears. Yeah I'm falling back from being so hard on myself cycling daily hard. Thx for the advice. :blush:
  • twofastdogs
    twofastdogs Posts: 37 Member
    edited July 2015
    unmatcheddiscipline wrote: »


    I'm on a fixie, so I have no gears. Yeah I'm falling back from being so hard on myself cycling daily hard. Thx for the advice. :blush:

    Sounds like you need to have your boyfriend make you a new road bike. ;)
  • unmatcheddiscipline
    unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
    GalactusEmpire wrote: »
    If your boyfriend makes bikes, couldn't you ask him for advice? I assume someone who knows enough about bikes to build them, knows how they should be ridden. Maybe ask him to ride with you so he can see your posture.

    I actually switched to cycling due to knee pains from running/trekking. I haven't had any knee problems from cycling. It's actually pretty easy on the knees unless maybe you have some previous conditions.

    I do ask, but I want other opinions because he is sort of jerky and I don't feel like hearing his take, because left up to him I should eat like a bird, and train hard. He's super annoying and only been biking for 6 years, and what works for him, doesn't adhere for me. I know I should be able to ask him, but you see why I don't. I do have a previous condition in one knee, but I believe its because I have a lot of fat on me, so I will alternate days as suggested of hard/easy, and take a break once a week from cardio. Thanks :blush:

  • unmatcheddiscipline
    unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
    twofastdogs wrote: »
    unmatcheddiscipline wrote: »


    I'm on a fixie, so I have no gears. Yeah I'm falling back from being so hard on myself cycling daily hard. Thx for the advice. :blush:

    Sounds like you need to have your boyfriend make you a new road bike. ;)

    I like the no gears, thx, but I want to climb those hills without help. I just have to get used to it I guess, and again fall back.

  • fbinsc
    fbinsc Posts: 735 Member
    Pain in front of the knee the bike seat is too low, pain behind the knee seat is too high. Use easier gears with higher cadence instead of mashing if you feel like your putting on too much strain.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,437 Member
    Read this article: http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm

    If your knees are giving you trouble ...

    1) Your fit isn't right (see the article).

    2) You are mashing rather than spinning ... which you might be doing since you have a fixed gear. Could be you haven't been set up with the correct gear for the type of cycling you do.

    3) You need to build up your leg strength.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    unmatcheddiscipline wrote: »
    twofastdogs wrote: »
    unmatcheddiscipline wrote: »


    I'm on a fixie, so I have no gears. Yeah I'm falling back from being so hard on myself cycling daily hard. Thx for the advice. :blush:

    Sounds like you need to have your boyfriend make you a new road bike. ;)

    I like the no gears, thx, but I want to climb those hills without help. I just have to get used to it I guess, and again fall back.

    Your problem is, as well as fit, the lack of gearing with f-up your knees.

    Use a range of gears, keep the cadence high (c90 strokes per minute) whilst pedaling in circles rather than mashing the pedals.
  • msf74
    msf74 Posts: 3,498 Member
    unmatcheddiscipline wrote: »
    twofastdogs wrote: »
    unmatcheddiscipline wrote: »


    I'm on a fixie, so I have no gears. Yeah I'm falling back from being so hard on myself cycling daily hard. Thx for the advice. :blush:

    Sounds like you need to have your boyfriend make you a new road bike. ;)

    I like the no gears, thx, but I want to climb those hills without help. I just have to get used to it I guess, and again fall back.

    What's the gear ratio on your fixie at the moment? If you are struggling with hills you may be better off with a lower ratio rather than a middle one for the time being. I would also stagger your approach to hills - find shorter ones with lower gradients and work on getting up those while avoiding bigger ones for the time being until you are stronger.

    Personally I think you are setting yourself up for an injury if you are not careful...

  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    edited July 2015
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »

    Your problem is, as well as fit, the lack of gearing with f-up your knees.

    Use a range of gears, keep the cadence high (c90 strokes per minute) whilst pedaling in circles rather than mashing the pedals.

    I think lots of single speed mountain bikers would disagree would disagree with the comment about the lack of gears messing with your knees...... and some of us are old enough to have spent many years riding single speed coaster bikes before being able to afford a roadie.

  • unmatcheddiscipline
    unmatcheddiscipline Posts: 101 Member
    edited July 2015
    Thank you everybody~~I read all of the advice with my boyfriend. He says I'm on an average, 170 crank arm, 44 chaining with a 15 rear cog.

    I MOST DEF mash lol, I will be cognizant of that. I don't ride with him daily, but thanks for this dialogue because now he is breaking it down for me. He see that I am taking this seriously. All of you are great! :blush:
  • joolieb1
    joolieb1 Posts: 140 Member
    Look on the Internet for a cycle training programme - it will build up with short rides three times a week up to longer ones at the end of maybe 14 weeks. I am building my fitness from non existent rider to 30 miles (48 km). I pushed myself a bit much twice this week (first time on speed, second time distance) and feeling it so resting for a couple of days
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    I think lots of single speed mountain bikers would disagree would disagree with the comment about the lack of gears messing with your knees...... and some of us are old enough to have spent many years riding single speed coaster bikes before being able to afford a roadie.

    A single-speed with a freehub/freewheel is a different beast than a fixie, though, because you can coast with the former. It's the always having to pedal that puts a lot of load on the knees, especially if you have to mash uphill and spin downhill. The latter is particularly difficult if you don't have brakes on your fixie (dumb idea) and have to use your legs to slow you down on steep descents.

    OP: could your boyfriend build you a flip-flop wheel with a fixed cog on one side and a freewheel on the other?

    Squats and lunges will strengthen the muscles around your knees, which will help.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    MeanderingMammal wrote: »

    Your problem is, as well as fit, the lack of gearing with f-up your knees.

    Use a range of gears, keep the cadence high (c90 strokes per minute) whilst pedaling in circles rather than mashing the pedals.

    I think lots of single speed mountain bikers would disagree would disagree with the comment about the lack of gears messing with your knees...... and some of us are old enough to have spent many years riding single speed coaster bikes before being able to afford a roadie.

    Fair point, but she's a novice, who's riding hard every session and wanting to do hill climbing. Little point in willfully screwing herself up. The easiest compromise is to use the available tech.

    Mind you, hipsters on fixies are frequently getting in the way trying to get away from lights in London, so I'm moderately hostile :)

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