Forums/

Beginner Cycling

Ira V P.
Ira V P. Sendmail

Biker newbie asks-----

posted over 2 years ago | Report

is it normal for knee muscles to hurt while riding a bike?? how do i overcome this?? not really a veteran biker....

Respond

8 posts

scroll to bottom
  • David N.
    David N. Sendmail

    No, that's not normal. Could be caused by a number of things.

    Seat too low? If your knee is coming up so high that the top of your leg breaks parallel, your seat may be too low. The best solution is to schedule a bike fitting at your local bike shop.

    Riding in a big gear at a low cadence? You should be riding a cadence of about 90. If you just started riding, this will probably feel pretty awkward. You can find some drills on the net that will help.

    Riding too far too soon?

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Jules C.
    Jules C. Sendmail

    What David said :

    1- get a bike fit (it's worth the investment)
    2- your seat might be too low
    3- you might be pedaling in too big of a gear

    I got into cycling because it was a non-impact exercise. At the end of a long ride, I can rest assured that my knees won't hurt. Sore/pain in your knees is not normal.

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Jim
    Jim Sendmail

    personnally when I first started riding on the roaqds after switching from my trainer I found myself pushing to big a gear until I was ready for it. Keep the cadence up around 90 rpm and you will experience less problems....good luck

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Greg S.
    Greg S. Sendmail

    Since you're a newbie its most important to work on your form rather than performance. You should be riding in such a way that you are not using accessory muscles to help with pedaling. If you are, your hips will rock side-to-side, "tick-tock" as you ride. So riding at a higher cadence will help you as less effort will be required therefore you'll only be using your legs. By all means get a proper bike fit! On bicycles small changes can make huge differences!

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Peter S.
    Peter S. Sendmail

    Once you get the bike setup properly, not only should the pain in your knees go away, but you'll also feel like riding the bike is that much easier.

    A friend of my brother's only came to realize why my brother and I like riding so much after he rode a spare we had with the seat at the right height and everything setup right.

    Rough guide to seat height (very rough, there are lots of takes on how to set things up):

    1. Sit square on the saddle (lean against a wall for balance). One pedal at the bottom position, the other up. Hang your legs (not on the pedals). Your heal should hang where it just scrapes the top of the bottom pedal.

    2. Seat adjustment forward/back: Cranks horizontal. One pedal forward, one pedal back. Feet on pedals. Front of knee in the forward position should be directly over that pedal spindle.

    That's at least a start. Professional fitting is recommended (although I've never done it).

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Ira V P.
    Ira V P. Sendmail

    thank you guys, i will follow your advise and get my bike fitted asap....and thank you for the gear advise too, yes i was using the big gears too much....thank you again...

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Stephanie Y.
    Stephanie Y. Sendmail

    Also, make sure your knees are pointed forward. Sometimes we tend to push our knees out to the side or in too far which causes undue strain on your knee. I had a spin instructor once tell us to look down and if you can see your heels, your knees are not in the right place. It's something you should check often until it becomes natural.

    Good luck!!

    posted over 2 years ago

  • Travis P.PRO
    Travis P. Sendmail

    i would also highly recommend a good bike fitting, and make sure your seat post is at the right hieght and your saddle angled correctly. and since your new to this, you probably dont know much about cadence (im assuming?) alot of newer riders tend to hop on in a big gear and just blast away, which is normal reaction since most people are used to bmx style bikes from when they were young, getting a cadence computer is such a great investment, riding in the proper cadence makes a HUGE difference, its insane.

    from personal experince, when i was younger i raced bmx, and i could ride forever without getting tired......well when i made the switch to mountain biking i set up my bike like a bmx bike, which was BAD. luckily i had a guy explain to me proper saddle height and cadence, cause i couldnt understand why this guy could just blow past me, and never seem like he was tired, and he never stopped pedaling. finally when i got to the top of a hill, feeling like i was gonna die, and he was hardly breathing heavy, he let my ride his bike, and mess with the cadence.....it was a huge diffrence, since riding in the proper cadence basically maximizes your energy putout, and you get more from doing less.

    posted almost 2 years ago

Similar Discussions in Cycling - Beginner Cycling