K
Keith Boone
Guest
I have a history of knee pain, but have my road bike set up perfectly to
avoid knee pain. I had a professional fitting for the bike to begin
with, then added speedplay X2 pedals which have a lot of float.
Finally, the seat position was tweaked endlessly until the ideal postion
for me was reached. I think the seat is a little forward of the
traditional point where the front of the knee is directly over the axle
of the pedal. In any case, I can now ride this bike for hours on end,
day after day without knee pain.
Earlier this week I purchased a new bike which I plan to use for
commuting, off road riding, riding in the rain etc. It's a Trek 7500
FX, which is sold as a flat handle road bike, but I've had it fitted
with wider tires, fenders, and a tall stem for an upright riding
position. I also added Speedplay Frog pedals to get that huge amount of
float. I was measured for the bike, and in theory it should be a
perfect fit. After 3 short rides of around 20 km each I find my knee
pain returning. I'm pretty sure this is because the seat is not in
exactly the same position as on the road bike. The road bike is in the
shop right now, but when it comes back, I'd like to make exact
measurements of the seat postion, and then set up the Trek the same way.
Now the questions (finally):
What exactly do I need to measure, and what's the best way to do it?
Obviously the seat height, but how do I measure the fore and aft
position? Is the plumb line from kneecap to pedal axle the only way to
measure? I'd really love check everything with a tape measure, but I'm
not exactly sure what to check. Does the different frame geometry of
the two bikes play any role? How about the upright riding position on
the Trek compared to the road bike? I'm about to leave for a week long
cycling vacation, and I want to take the new bike, but I'm getting
worried about knee problems. Any advice would be appreciated.
avoid knee pain. I had a professional fitting for the bike to begin
with, then added speedplay X2 pedals which have a lot of float.
Finally, the seat position was tweaked endlessly until the ideal postion
for me was reached. I think the seat is a little forward of the
traditional point where the front of the knee is directly over the axle
of the pedal. In any case, I can now ride this bike for hours on end,
day after day without knee pain.
Earlier this week I purchased a new bike which I plan to use for
commuting, off road riding, riding in the rain etc. It's a Trek 7500
FX, which is sold as a flat handle road bike, but I've had it fitted
with wider tires, fenders, and a tall stem for an upright riding
position. I also added Speedplay Frog pedals to get that huge amount of
float. I was measured for the bike, and in theory it should be a
perfect fit. After 3 short rides of around 20 km each I find my knee
pain returning. I'm pretty sure this is because the seat is not in
exactly the same position as on the road bike. The road bike is in the
shop right now, but when it comes back, I'd like to make exact
measurements of the seat postion, and then set up the Trek the same way.
Now the questions (finally):
What exactly do I need to measure, and what's the best way to do it?
Obviously the seat height, but how do I measure the fore and aft
position? Is the plumb line from kneecap to pedal axle the only way to
measure? I'd really love check everything with a tape measure, but I'm
not exactly sure what to check. Does the different frame geometry of
the two bikes play any role? How about the upright riding position on
the Trek compared to the road bike? I'm about to leave for a week long
cycling vacation, and I want to take the new bike, but I'm getting
worried about knee problems. Any advice would be appreciated.