Do You Road Bike?

[i_am_the_koi]

I am going to film Dave's reaction when I pull up on my Giant and look at him expectantly...

But Hooli said you'd work on it!

 

[Hooli]

 

[UDRider]

Lol.

I am usually all for getting a fit, but unless you are riding a lot and doing long rides honestly it might be an overkill.

Just find a good youtube video/guide and go from there.
An OK start https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/bike-fit/set-up-new-road-bike-370764

 

[Hooli]

I mainly got it because it was included in the initial bike purchase.

I'm other news I had to buy new shorts and a jersey. Next size up, yeah...

 

[wheel_muse]

Knee pain

Koi, I admire you for trying something new. It can be challenging.

Knee pain while bicycling could be due several causes:

Not enough warmup. Give yourself a few miles to warm up muscles and tendons. Go easy in lower gears.

Terrain too steep for your current condition. Take it easy, geadually build up strength and stamina. Find friendly terrain.

Pushing too high a gear. Try to spin 60 to 90 rpm. Use your gears. You wouldn't lug your moto, right?

Poor shoe/cleat alignment. The ball of the foot should be usually be directly over the pedal axle, with the foot roughly parallel to the frame.

Saddle too low or too high.

If you're experiencing knee pain in the front of the knee, typically the saddle is too low. If back of the knee, too high.

If you're getting pain above the knee, my guess is you need to warm up and ride easier gears on relatively flat terrain. You're straining muscle.

Gradually build up time, distance, and difficulty. Don't try to do too much too soon.


Cycling is a great sport/activity/transport. Give yourself credit for venturing out and trying something new. Good on ya!

 

[rcb78]

Don't forget form, the best fit in the world goes to shit if your form is off. I find myself behind people on the road all the time trying to not scream at them to drop the heals and bring their knees in (among many other things).
Pro tip, most road bikes have a geometry such that you can only put a toe down on the ground when seated and the saddle is at the correct height. Try to put down both toes at the same time and you might as well be a ballerina. If you can put a foot flat on the ground without the bike leaned way over, your saddle is probably too low.

 

[Hooli]

Pro tip, most road bikes have a geometry such that you can only put a toe down on the ground when seated and the saddle is at the correct height.

Can confirm.

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

Lol.

I am usually all for getting a fit, but unless you are riding a lot and doing long rides honestly it might be an overkill.

Just find a good youtube video/guide and go from there.
An OK start https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/bike-fit/set-up-new-road-bike-370764

yeah, in the meantime,
I just tinkered with my straight-bar bike and the other week went to Sausalito over the bridge with a buddy and the few pretty (painful) hills. Hey, but it was awesome and I ate icecream in Sausalito. So yeah. 20+ mi without a "professional" bike fit.


Cleaned the chain yesterday and applied lube...
.. wiped the chain today, rode a bit and.. the chain feels like it's "clunky" or about to skip a tooth in a few of the gears. WTF? I actually labored adjusting and "indexing" the gears a few weeks back.

Can confirm.

Fancyyy. I bet it's fast and easy to ride.

My REI didn't offer free "included" bike fit, then my bike was not full-on roadie

 

[i_am_the_koi]

Koi, I admire you for trying something new. It can be challenging.

Knee pain while bicycling could be due several causes:

Not enough warmup. Give yourself a few miles to warm up muscles and tendons. Go easy in lower gears.

Terrain too steep for your current condition. Take it easy, geadually build up strength and stamina. Find friendly terrain.

Pushing too high a gear. Try to spin 60 to 90 rpm. Use your gears. You wouldn't lug your moto, right?

Poor shoe/cleat alignment. The ball of the foot should be usually be directly over the pedal axle, with the foot roughly parallel to the frame.

Saddle too low or too high.

If you're experiencing knee pain in the front of the knee, typically the saddle is too low. If back of the knee, too high.

If you're getting pain above the knee, my guess is you need to warm up and ride easier gears on relatively flat terrain. You're straining muscle.

Gradually build up time, distance, and difficulty. Don't try to do too much too soon.


Cycling is a great sport/activity/transport. Give yourself credit for venturing out and trying something new. Good on ya!

Thanks Man!

Warmup for a few miles? My whole ride is just a few miles


Been doing flat gravel roads so far with some small elevation changes. Learning to change my gearing to keep my cadence constant vs struggling to keep at the same speed.

Foot alignment seems to be fine for me, no cleats yet. Trying to get my form together though as I notice I get lazy after a while and start clipping my heel on the frame or something. Especially with my left foot.

Don't forget form, the best fit in the world goes to shit if your form is off. I find myself behind people on the road all the time trying to not scream at them to drop the heals and bring their knees in (among many other things).
Pro tip, most road bikes have a geometry such that you can only put a toe down on the ground when seated and the saddle is at the correct height. Try to put down both toes at the same time and you might as well be a ballerina. If you can put a foot flat on the ground without the bike leaned way over, your saddle is probably too low.

I try to remember to use my ball vs my toes. This seems to help my form more than anything.

Geometry seems to be right based on your description. I can put my toe down but not my whole foot without leaning like a kickstand.

 

[DannoXYZ]

Don't forget form, the best fit in the world goes to shit if your form is off. I find myself behind people on the road all the time trying to not scream at them to drop the heals and bring their knees in (among many other things).
Pro tip, most road bikes have a geometry such that you can only put a toe down on the ground when seated and the saddle is at the correct height. Try to put down both toes at the same time and you might as well be a ballerina. If you can put a foot flat on the ground without the bike leaned way over, your saddle is probably too low.

Figure-8 knee movement just causes me to feel knives and broken-glass in my knees!!!

Best advice on form I've ever gotten was from Lemond's book, "Scrape mud off bottom of shoes at bottom of pedal-stroke"! Most people are still pushing down at bottom and trying to stretch crankarms.

 

[rcb78]

I think it's obvious that people with physical limitations are an exception and should consult with a kinesiologist specializing in their sport, and I also think it's fair to say that this isn't the case with the majority of riders. Joint injuries can be the culmination of years of abuse, catching fit and form issues early will often prevent injury years later. For that matter, the issue you describe can also be the culmination of poor form over the years. Your body will adapt to most of what you do to it, for better or worse. If you've always ridden one way then I wouldn't be surprised that making any change, good or bad causes pain.
Also, I'm not talking about just keeping knees in, but when you knees follow this path \ / it's often a sign of saddle that's too low. Your knees will track out across the top of the pedal stroke due to their up/down movement being limited by lack of extension.
I think my point still stands. I've seen plenty of people that have had professional 3D fits that simply don't adhere to the advice, often because it's uncomfortable to make changes.

 

[Tally Whacker]

Also, I'm not talking about just keeping knees in, but when you knees follow this path \ / it's often a sign of saddle that's too low. Your knees will track out across the top of the pedal stroke due to their up/down movement being limited by lack of extension.

The old rule of thumb was that if your knees point outwards at the top of the pedal stroke, your saddle is too low.

If your hips rock when pedaling, your saddle is too high.

Using the 'hips rocking' as a guide is actually a good way to sort out ideal saddle height. Keep moving the saddle higher bit by tiny bit until your hips rock, then back it down a touch.
The only way to do this is with a friend that can follow you while riding and evaluate, or do the evaluation on a stationary wind trainer- you can't see it yourself.

Another truly important fit issue is with clipless pedal cleats. If you're running flat pedals, just remember to keep the balls of your feet directly over the pedal spindles while you ride and everything is fine. With clipless, though, there are three (or two, if you ride Speedplays) considerations. Forward/back placement, side to side placement, and angle.

 

[DannoXYZ]

It's been 20-yrs since I've raced and many of my teammates and I reminisce about good-ol-days around BBQs nowadays. Many of them are limping, on crutches or in wheelchairs now due to knee-injuries from cycling. Be extremely careful! If you feel any soreness or pain, don't ignore it!!!.

 

[Hooli]

Well that sucks. Went over the bike only to discover that the rear wheel needs truing. The only nearest place that gets good repair review is in Livermore. I was going to head over tomorrow and have them fix it, but really wanted to do a little ride tomorrow.

So I think I'll just f'ing send it and ride the damn thing as is for at least a couple of rides before I get it done.

[youtube]S_lR3efbDl0[/youtube]

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

It's been 20-yrs since I've raced and many of my teammates and I reminisce about good-ol-days around BBQs nowadays. Many of them are limping, on crutches or in wheelchairs now due to knee-injuries from cycling. Be extremely careful! If you feel any soreness or pain, don't ignore it!!!.

What the actual what the what
I've actually already posted earlier by feeling all sorts of pain sides and front in the knees , when I played with the saddle...

 

[UDRider]

Well that sucks. Went over the bike only to discover that the rear wheel needs truing. The only nearest place that gets good repair review is in Livermore. I was going to head over tomorrow and have them fix it, but really wanted to do a little ride tomorrow.

So I think I'll just f'ing send it and ride the damn thing as is for at least a couple of rides before I get it done.

[youtube]S_lR3efbDl0[/youtube]

That sucks there are no descent shops in Tracy.

 

[Hooli]

That sucks there are no descent shops in Tracy.

I got it sorted in five minutes at My Buddy's Bike Shop (yes that's the name lol!) in Libmo. I stopped by Saturday, thinking that I'd have to leave it for a couple of days since they were absolutely slammed. Guy took it back to a tech, who straightened it out and the total charge was $10 instead of the $40 or so I was quoted over the phone. Popped it back in the bike when I got home and it spins true.

Top people at that shop who get props from me.

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

disassembled my rear hub (9, I think 11-32) and took off the cassette . Managed to bust a thumb with blood, before putting on leather gloves and whipping the cassette out. then reassembled it.. insanely managed to put the last cog crooked, and tightened the locknut. ... so, had to unscrew it once more. amazingly the same cog then went down properly symmetrical??

Seems to work now. There was play in the hub.

 

[rcb78]

Common, it means you misaligned the notches on the last cog on the first try and then got it right the second time. It's easy to sometimes spin that last one a bit while tightening the lock ring and not notice until you see it's crooked.

 

[AbsolutEnduser]

Wow.. didn't know it was common. (It was the second "Taking off the cassette" for me.. totally forgot when I Did the first one.)

here is the condition of it after cleaing with rag and some spray yesterday. For my city/comumute bike this is pretty good... and it is 11-28 BTW (or maybe 12-28?)

And another screenshot at max-zoom. I did notice a few 1/2mm knicks on some teeth. Probably not too bad, nor would I be too happy to change it.

..