Knee Pain

[tehpr3chr]

Okay, I'll try and be as descriptive as possible to figure out exactly what is causing my issue here.

I got fitted about 2 years ago w/ a Serotta fit in Atlanta, GA. I used the same fit, with all my parts being the same, up until about a month ago, when I decided to switch from Look Keo Carbon pedals to Speedplay Zeros. Ever since then, my knees, mainly the right one, have started to give me issues. When I got the speedplays I called them and found out the difference in stack height, and adjusted my saddle accordingly. I didn't realize it, but I didn't tighten the post good enough and it slid a little over a cm. I rode the bike this way for about 2-3 weeks, finally fixing it when my knees started to give me issues (I sat down and checked everything, and found this measurement to be wrong). After I got all of that right, I rode the bike for a couple more weeks, but the knee pain didn't really go away, but it didn't get better, so I did a good week of recovery to ease off it. That didn't fix it either, so I moved the saddle back a little bit to try and fix the issue that way (maybe 2ish mm). The pain then moved from around my pateller tendon to right above my knee. I'm thinking now that the issue may have to do with my cleat positioning, as my left knee isn't giving me any issues, but my right one is. Any ideas?

 

[alfeng]

Any ideas?

Are you talking about an immediately evident sharp pain or simply muscle 'ache' that develops after a few minutes/miles which you were not troubled with in the past?

You should be able to write to Serotta (they should still have your data from your 'professional' fitting) and ask him/them what he now thinks your saddle's height should be & how it should be positioned with respect to the BB/crank.

While you are waiting for an answer from Serotta, try putting your old pedals/cleats back on your bike/shoes (if you still have them, that is) & set the bike up as Serotta/(whomever) initially indicated it should be for you ... that is, go back to 'ground zero' with your bike fit & go from there.

But, first, put your shoe in the pedal and actually measure the stack with the Speedplay pedals ... and, then measure the stack with Keo pedals ...

What you were told the difference in stack height should be may be different than what it is.

Is the relative position of your foot over the spindle actually the same with both pedal systems?

BTW. So, why did you change pedal systems? Most people seem to change to Speedplays because they want more float OR (less frequently) because they are weight weenies & they want a lighter bike to compare to the bikes of others (well, the pedals may be lighter, but in the past, the combined weight of the pedal + cleat was often more) -- what was your rationale?

If you don't have an indoor trainer, then get one and (prior to eventually going to your doctor!?!) to analyze your pedaling. As I suggested, put your KEO pedals back on the bike & see if you are experiencing the same "knee pain" that you now experience with your Speedplay pedals ...

 

[tehpr3chr]

I don't have the Keos anymore, as the rivets started to come out of them, and Look wouldn't get back with me on if there was a fix, so I just got speedplays. I also had an issue of coming unclipped when sprinting with the Keo's, so I wanted something else. I am a Cat 2 racer, and ride 16-18 hours a week, if that helps with a diagnosis. I think the best thing to do might be to head back to Atlanta to get re-fitted again. It has been 2 years since the last fitting, so I'm sure my riding style and such has changed a little since then anyways.

 

[alfeng]

I don't have the Keos anymore, as the rivets started to come out of them, and Look wouldn't get back with me on if there was a fix, so I just got speedplays. I also had an issue of coming unclipped when sprinting with the Keo's, so I wanted something else. I am a Cat 2 racer, and ride 16-18 hours a week, if that helps with a diagnosis. I think the best thing to do might be to head back to Atlanta to get re-fitted again. It has been 2 years since the last fitting, so I'm sure my riding style and such has changed a little since then anyways.

I have to ask because I don't know -- do Speedplay cleats still use an adapter plate? If so, did you include that in the stack height OR (if you have an older SIDI shoe) does the dedicated SIDI plate effectively lower the stack height?

BTW. When you experienced a problem with the LOOK KEO pedals, I'm a bit surprised you didn't just revert back to the traditional LOOK "Delta" pedals & cleats ... not very chique or light, but the traditional LOOK pedal design is as reliable as I suppose a pedal can be for someone who is racing.

I'm a bit surprised that you couldn't get those KEO pedals replaced under warranty ...

As far as LOOK responding, if you were dealing directly with France, then as-often-as-not the French do-indeed like you to at least make a token effort to communicate with them in French ... but, they will subsequently allow you to communicate in English/whatever.

Now, the North American distributor has ZERO EXCUSE for not replying to you ...

FWIW. I eventually determined that the best use for my indoor trainer was to use it to test different components and/or riding positions on-the-bike. Also, if you don't already have one, I recommend that you buy a metric tape measure BECAUSE the measurable increments are smaller & sometimes you actually do want to nail the measurement on the head.