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Anonymous
Hey /fit/, I've always biked a lot, maybe 6 hours over the weekend, 3 Sunday and 3 Saturday for the last 4 years. Anyways, recently I've switched bikes. This one is small, so I stand up and push down hard. I've noticed that after the last 2 times I've did it, my legs have had a lot of bruises on the inside, and around the inside of my knee it's swollen. (Not the direct center, like on the right side of my left leg and the left side of the right leg) I'm not sure whether this is just because of the gradual bumping of my legs, or if I'm putting too much pressure on my knees. I'm about 170, 6"0. I'm trying hard not to worry about having done irreversible damage to my knees, because I hear about the problem a lot. Am I worrying too much? Should I just change my habits and forget it?
>> Anonymous
bump for answer :<
>> Anonymous
Get a properly sized bike.
>> Anonymous
<asshole mode>
If you having health problems as the result of using a new piece of equipment: STOP USING SAID EQUIPMENT!
>> Anonymous
Mountain biking or road biking?
>> Anonymous
I'm road biking but it's a mountain bike
>> Anonymous
I would suggest then, raising the seat to where your legs almost go completely straight when you're foot is furthest down, and try to not stand up when biking, it's cheating like swinging your body to do curls. You should only stand up when you REALLY have to, and since its road biking you shouldnt need to unless its extremely steep hills and you can no longer go just sitting down.
>> Go get sized RSI guy !HjbWRiSTJ.
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Sizing the bicycle to the person is VERY important. The wrong size bike is supposed to cause joint problems.

Think about the motion your legs make while cycling. It's kind of miracle science could design a perfect circular motion that doesn't usually mess with people's joints. If your ass is in the wrong position it's gonna fuck up, as far as I know.

Go get sized by an bicycle expert. They can just look at you and your bike, and see if it's right.
>> Anonymous
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>>30470
that's a horrible way to size yourself for the bike.

two things about equipment choice:

1. to properly use a bike, you need clipless
pedals. people who don't use them are retards and i see them getting injured all the time. for a mountain bike, get some egg beater pedals. for a road bike, go with time rxs pedals, or look keo pedals.

2. if you're going to bike that far, get a road bike. even if you "follow" this guide, it's difficult to accurately follow it unless you put a camera on a stand and start taking photos of yourself so that you can measure angles and shit (this is how a professional fitting is done by a bike shop or physiotherapist). your bike might be the right height, but it can be too short/long, etc., and if you pay for a professional fitting + buy new pedals + buy a stem, that can cost you $300-$350 right there, which is expensive than a piece of shit MTB.

in any event, here's how to get "fit" to a bike:
>> Anonymous
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>>30845

1. you start with foot placement over the pedal. the balls of your feet should be right over top of the pedal axle. with clipless shoes/pedals, you will be able to adjust this pretty much perfectly. clipping into your pedal will keep your foot EXACTLY where it should be. this is why clipless pedals are so important.

2. next step is your "fore-aft positioning". basically, you want the tip of your knee cap should be right over top of the PEDAL axle (this is the GREY LINE in the picture), when your crank is in the 3pm position. doing so will involve moving your seat (saddle) back and forth. METHOD: get a piece of string and tie a weight to the end of it to make a plumb bob. you hold the top end of the string right against the tip of your knee (knee cap) and you let it dangle downards. move your SEAT/SADDLE forward or backwards so that your knee is correctly positioned above the pedal axle.
>> Anonymous
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>>30846
3. next step are the internal angles. this can be a bit tricky. you can drop your pedal/crank down to the 6pm position. you basically want to set up an internal angle inside the knee of about 150 degrees. IF you have really good (and i mean real fucking good) lower back flexibility, you can raise your seat up further and stretch this angle to about 155 degrees. i would suggest that you do not do so, however. the problem with this is that you will also increase the internal angle between your upper body and your legs, which you want to be around 90 degrees. don't let this angle go above 95 degrees, either. these angles are crucial to minimizing strain on your knees while maximizing power output.

4. the rest of the internal angles have to do with upper body comfort & support of your body weight. you want the angle between your upper body and your arms to be at least 90 degrees. if you're a pro cyclist, you can do an angle of up to 110 or 120 degrees. you are not a pro cyclist, however, so for a couple years, run that internal angle at 90 degrees. you will achieve this angle by GETTING A SHORTER OR LONGER STEM. the stem is the green thing that i've highlighted. it attaches your handlebars to the steering tube (the fork, basically). you can also get stems that are "angled". a combination of changing length & angle will get you the proper internal angle between your upper body and your arms.

(i realize now that the 'step 1' and 'step 2' in the picture may be misleading. change the number '2' to '3', if that helps at all.)
>> Anonymous
>>30847
btw, a change in stem or a change in seat height may not do it for you. especially if the frame is the wrong size for you. if your bike is too short thusly making your seat stick like 9-10 inches out of your frame, the frame is most likely too small for you.
>> Anonymous
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>>30846
here, i edited the picture to make it clearer.
>> Anonymous
here's a radical cure for knee problems:

Go to a good bike shop. Have yourself fitted to a cheap bike with a singlespeed fixed gear drivetrain. Purchase clipless pedals & shoes. Make sure the gearing is pretty.. um... big? Like high RPM gearing, thats what you want.

Try to ride as relaxed as possible, and only do short bits at first. Basically, anything other than solid pedaling technique will produce kneepain. The fixie is a tough teacher, but if you are willing to learn you may do so. You will learn to pedal with correct technique and the pain goes away, instead you get rock solid legs.
Plus from all the spinnning in the tall gear you will not have any excess fat.

One thing I've found that has helped me adapt to fixie pedaling is smoking weed. For some reason when I'm high my body feels different, and I'm able to think myself into different body parts and correct any form of kinetic fail.

your knees will get stronger, and you will kick ass.
>> Anonymous
I have been riding fixed gear for a year.
my advice is go with lower gearing. Spin more. Mashing is bad for the knees. A fast and smooth cadence does better for your body and endurance. I used to ride with 69 gear inches and spin out when going down hills, but now im 75 gear inches. While I can go faster, my left knee feels worse sometimes.

Also I read in bicycling magazine a pedaling technique. Try to already be dropping your heel when ur foot is at 3oclock. This makes your pedal stroke be powered by your quads. I feel this lessens the strain your knee takes. And it you'll have massive thighs and will be able to climb like a mofo.
>> Anonymous
To the OP,
I think those bruises are prob from bumping into the top tube. Because you said they were on the left of right knee and right of left knee. Get a bigger bike. Jeez ur 6ft tall, you should be riding like 60cm frame. If ur stuck with that bike, at least raise the seat and bars. You get more power in each pedal stroke if you can extend your leg comfortably in each pedal. The drawback is that you cannot spin as fast, but since you're on a geared bike that doesn't matter.
>> RSI guy !HjbWRiSTJ.
>>30845
that's the way i heard.
>> Anonymous
cleats are fun and a good idea if you ride long and fast.
You can't accidently lose touch with the pedal and get your foot into your front wheel.
Disadvantage is that correct positioning can be a bit tricky at first (one inch forward or backward is the difference between pain and pleasure).
Another disadvantage: You'll have problems getting out of them at first.
Prepare to drop like a dead beatle with your bike.
>> Anonymous
>>30122
you idiot thats link not zelda