🚀 go-pugleaf

Sorry 'bout your knee, but could you explain how your MTB
was stolen while you were riding it?   Now I don't feel so
bad about losing my frame pump while I was riding my bike!

  "Of all the things             Cheryl       ~~~O
       I've ever lost,                          /\_,
         I miss my mind                     ###-\
             the most!!!"                   (*) / (*)

molinari@ccs.northeastern.edu (Bert Molinari) writes:
>I recently bought a cannondale road bike after my fisher mtb was stolen (while
>i was riding it no less).  Last week i started experiencing arthritic-like
>pain in my knees that i believe is due to cycling.  My fisher had biopace
>chain rings and my cannondale does not.  I 've heard that biopace has been
>the *cause* of knee pain for some but i'm wondering if anyone has ever 
>experienced the reverse effect (i.e. no problems with biopace but problems
>without it).  I also would like to know if anybody can suggest another 
>possible reason for my knee-aches (i.e. change in frame geometries from
>mtb to road bike).  I've been off the bike for about a week now and my
>knees are feeling better but i want back on.
I doub very much that biopace rings have anything to do with it.  If anything
you should have less knee problems on a road bike if everything is set up
correctly.  Having said that there are many things that could be set up wrong/
Are you using clipless pedals?  If so they need to be properly adjusted or
you will very definetly have problems.  Perhaps your seat is too high or low.
I suggest you have your bike shop fit you to your bike or get a good bokk that
tells you how to do so.
-Terry

In article <1992Oct29.171113.24849@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu> molinari@ccs.northeastern.edu (Bert Molinari) writes:

> I recently bought a cannondale road bike after my fisher mtb was stolen (while
> i was riding it no less).  Last week i started experiencing arthritic-like
> pain in my knees that i believe is due to cycling.  My fisher had biopace
> chain rings and my cannondale does not.  
> ...
> I also would like to know if anybody can suggest another 
> possible reason for my knee-aches (i.e. change in frame geometries from
> mtb to road bike).  I've been off the bike for about a week now and my
> knees are feeling better but i want back on.


YES!!  If you ride a lot, a small change in just about any parameter
on the bike can throw your knees off.  Parameters such as seat height,
biopace v. round chainrings, crank arm length, frame goemetry,
fore-aft seat position, shoe cleat orientation, pedals, etc, etc, can
all affect the knees.  Even tiny changes can confuse your knees.  This
is why in the pro-cycling books they suggest only changing your seat
height by a few millimeters at a time.

When you change bikes, you change all the parameters and have to be
very careful.  YOU BASICALLY HAVE TO EASE YOUR KNEES INTO THE CHANGE.
Being that you don't have your old bike, it's hard to "ease" into the
new one.  Just ride EASY for the first few weeks:

    Don't mash your gears.
    Don't spin any faster than you normally do.
    Keep a comfortable moderate cadence.
    Avoid long nasty climbs.
    Keep the rides short.

Basically pretend you are in horrible shape.

Hope this helps.

Alex
--
Alex Tomlinson       email:  alext@pine.ece.utexas.edu

Bert Molinari writes...
> 
>I recently bought a cannondale road bike after my fisher mtb was stolen (while
>i was riding it no less).  Last week i started experiencing arthritic-like
>pain in my knees that i believe is due to cycling.  My fisher had biopace
>chain rings and my cannondale does not.  I 've heard that biopace has been
>the *cause* of knee pain for some but i'm wondering if anyone has ever 
>experienced the reverse effect (i.e. no problems with biopace but problems
>without it).  I also would like to know if anybody can suggest another 
>possible reason for my knee-aches (i.e. change in frame geometries from
>mtb to road bike).  I've been off the bike for about a week now and my
>knees are feeling better but i want back on.
> 

Could be. It really depends on how much riding you've done on the Biopace
chainset and to a lesser extent how much you did on a standard chainset before.
If most of you're riding has been on Biopace and you're clocking up the miles
regularly, then I would say yes.

Riders going to Biopace struggle because the rythym is different to what
they're used to, it feels very unnatural and so their body tries to compensate
for it, causing knee problems. If you're body is the opposite, you're too used
to Biopace, then you're body will again be trying to compensate due to what to
you is an unnatural rythym...

Graham.
********************************************************************************
*DISCLAIMER - These are not necessarily the views held by Mr.Graham Goodman.   *
*	     He's probably just talking through a hole in his head again...    *
*                                                                              *
*  Graham Goodman :-  ggoodman@theraj.enet.dec.com                             *
*                     Digital Equipment Scotland Ltd - Sth.Queensferry         *
*		      Tel 044 31 331 8436                                      *
********************************************************************************

>> ...
>> I also would like to know if anybody can suggest another 
>> possible reason for my knee-aches (i.e. change in frame geometries from
>> mtb to road bike).  I've been off the bike for about a week now and my
>> knees are feeling better but i want back on.
>
>
>YES!!  If you ride a lot, a small change in just about any parameter
>on the bike can throw your knees off.  Parameters such as seat height,
>biopace v. round chainrings, crank arm length, frame goemetry,
>fore-aft seat position, shoe cleat orientation, pedals, etc, etc, can
>all affect the knees.  Even tiny changes can confuse your knees.  This
>is why in the pro-cycling books they suggest only changing your seat
>height by a few millimeters at a time.
>
>When you change bikes, you change all the parameters and have to be
>very careful.  YOU BASICALLY HAVE TO EASE YOUR KNEES INTO THE CHANGE.
>Being that you don't have your old bike, it's hard to "ease" into the
>new one.  Just ride EASY for the first few weeks:
>


  I agree with this completely. I have 3 bikes and alternate ever so
often just to have a change. It always takes me a week or more for
my knees to adjust. They don't really hurt but do do get tender so
I back off and ride easy for a week or so then they are OK again.

-Dale

ddozier@daled.net.com (Dale Dozier) writes:

>>> ...
>>> I also would like to know if anybody can suggest another 
>>> possible reason for my knee-aches (i.e. change in frame geometries from
>>> mtb to road bike).  I've been off the bike for about a week now and my
>>> knees are feeling better but i want back on.
>>
>>
>>YES!!  If you ride a lot, a small change in just about any parameter
>>on the bike can throw your knees off.  Parameters such as seat height,
>>biopace v. round chainrings, crank arm length, frame goemetry,
>>fore-aft seat position, shoe cleat orientation, pedals, etc, etc, can
>>all affect the knees.  Even tiny changes can confuse your knees.  This
>>is why in the pro-cycling books they suggest only changing your seat
>>height by a few millimeters at a time.
>>
>>When you change bikes, you change all the parameters and have to be
>>very careful.  YOU BASICALLY HAVE TO EASE YOUR KNEES INTO THE CHANGE.
>>Being that you don't have your old bike, it's hard to "ease" into the
>>new one.  Just ride EASY for the first few weeks:
>>


>  I agree with this completely. I have 3 bikes and alternate ever so
>often just to have a change. It always takes me a week or more for
>my knees to adjust. They don't really hurt but do do get tender so
>I back off and ride easy for a week or so then they are OK again.

>-Dale

Another reason your kneesmay be hurting is that you are riding using too
large a gear. Try riding using a larger sprocket/ smaller chainring for a
while. You may find that your problem vanishes.

John Reid
-- 

_____________________________________________________________________________

John Reid