New biker

I just started riding my bike for exercise and find that my knees hurt alot afterwards. I'm thinking it may be my overall form. Can anyone instruct me on my seat and handle bar height? I ride a mountain bike. Or any other info would be very helpful. I just bought pedal straps so I'm hoping that will help a little. Thanks!

Mon. Jan 23, 7:17pm

Are you stretching before and after you get on your bike? It really works out your thighs, so stretching might be helpful. (I'm not an avid biker, but I do hear that biking is hard on the knees because of the repetitive motion...)

Monday, January 23, 2006, 9:39 PM

You need to raise your seat. The seat should be at your hip when you stand by your bike.At the bottom of the stroke, your leg should be straight but not locked. Did you buy your bike at a bike shop? if you did not I am sure they can adjust it so that if fits you for only a few dollars.

Monday, January 23, 2006, 9:49 PM

I bike a lot...

Depending on where your knee pain is, it could be your seat height as the above poster said. When your seat is too low the pain tends to be below your knee. The BEST BEST BEST thing to do is to go to a bike shop and get fitted for your bike. The advice about the seat being at your hip is really just a guess, not even an educated one. Some of us are short waisted/long torso, etc. and so this rule of thumb rarely works.

Also, as far as form, ALWAYS make sure that your knee stays in line over your ankle as you peddle. Do not let your knees point out or point in, that can cause a lot of strain on the knee. Also, if you just had cages put on the pedals, really focuse on the bottom of your pedalstroke - the back (think about scraping gum off the bottom of your shoe) and the up. This will work your hamstrings and gluts and hip flexors, not just your quads from the down motion.

Good luck!

Monday, January 23, 2006, 10:11 PM

Many possibilities. Seat height is one, but I think most likely for a new biker is just too sudden an increase in mileage. Using too high a gear too often is another source of stress. Some people's knees are very tolerant but others need to spend some weeks increasing from very low mileage and little strain, to more mileage and still hopefully not much time straining.
Bike shops, and to some extent books, can help you with bike fitting. You might also look for cycling classes in your community adult ed, or recreation department, etc. If you take a class in basic bike maintenance, you can probably get some free and decent advice while you're at it.
Usually being a little low isn't that hard on you, but if you're more than a little low and try to pedal hard, you have some transverse knee stresses that maybe your knees really don't like.
I don't think clips or straps are likely to make your knees any better or worse.

Monday, January 23, 2006, 10:50 PM

Could also be gearing ...

Getting your bike fitted properly and paying attention to riding form make a world of difference in riding comfort. Pretty much every single part of the bike can be adjusted/replaced and a good bike shop will help you adjust your bike so it fits properly.

"Grinding" in too low (hard) a gear can also cause knee pain. Change gears as you go up and down hills so that you can keep the same fast, smooth cadence. The quality of the workout is not determined by how hard you stomp on the pedals. Don't be afraid to use your granny gear!

and, most importantly, have fun out there!

ps - Are you riding on paved surfaces or mountain bike trails?

Monday, January 23, 2006, 10:58 PM

I agree with the poster who says you don't have to ride in the hardest gear. i train with a heart rate monitor and yesterday while cycling my left knee started to hurt. I changed to a lighter gear to lighten the load on my knee, but still kept my heartrate in the same zone. So, although I didn't pedal as hard, my calorie expenditure was still the same as my previous rides on the same route.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006, 5:04 AM

Thanks for all of the help everyone. One more question. Is shifting similsr to in a car or is it oposite? I'm not sure which gears I sould be using and when.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006, 7:25 PM

Shifting...

I'm one of those youngun's who never learned to drive a stick shift, so I'm not sure how car shifting works :)
here's how bike shifting works: start in a gear that's easy to turn, but doesn't push the bike very far per pedal revolution. as you build up speed (or go down hills) shift up into gears that take more effort to turn, but send you farther per pedal stroke (aka go faster). To go up a hill, shift down into a gear that's easier to turn. The prevailing wisdom at the moment is that keeping a smooth, fast cadence is a more efficient and faster way to get from point A to point B than working really hard to push a harder gear more slowly. If you look at tour de france videos, compare lance armstrong's style to that of jan ulrich. That's pretty much it. The chainrings in front get harder as they get bigger, the chainrings in back are the opposite. Confusing at first, but after a handful of rides it will become automatic.

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 1:28 AM

About the "one leg longer than the other" post

I always thought this were true after a bike fitting by a serious pro. Well, guess what? My physical therapist continues to mock me for sharing that bit of news. Turns out that the seeminly one leg longer than the other can have way more do to with muscle/joint issues in the hips. I've been working w/ my PT to build my lower abs and hip flexors to support my hip and lo' and behold, the "longer" leg is beginning to correct itself.

Now, I KNOW my pedal stroke is different on that side, and I'm still trying to figure it all out, but thought this story was worth sharing with you cyclists.

MB

Wednesday, January 25, 2006, 9:23 AM

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