seat too high knee problems



hendershot

New Member
Feb 9, 2004
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a little over a month ago I got a new seat and didn't notice that the rails were way different on it and that it raised my seat height by a good half inch. I've been averaging about 140 miles a week at that point and was getting ready for a double metric century that would be really hilly so I was doing lots of climbing. so I did 3 weeks of hard riding, took an easy week and did the century.

75 miles in I start getting pain behind both knees, hamstring tendon on one side and calf tendon on the other side were the worst. during the rest of the ride I figured out that I was over extending and started pointing my toes a lot so I could finish w/o pain.

ever since then I can't ride hard at all, about 5-10 miles in I get tendon pain mainly my right calf behind the knee and it's not too bad but it leads to some knee pain, what feels like the meniscus way inside the knee. actually get the same knee pain in both knees.

I had the exact same problem last year after my first century, but the knee pain got much worse because I kept riding hard, after a couple of months off and a profesional bike fit I was fine, I did my first century this year without a problem and I've doubled my milage on the bike this year compare to my first year.

does anybody know what the best way to recover from this would be? and how long it would take?

This week I've done a couple of 15 mile flat rides and try to take it fairly easy, I get the tendon pain but the knees are fine. not sure if I should just stay off the bike for a little while, I did take one week completely off but that didn't help much.
 
sounds like a case of tendonitis brought on by the unsuitable position.

take some rest off the bike and make sure you return the seat height to that which you normally ride with.

its worth taking very accurate measurements of all your bike dimensions, these things can take many years to perfect, and one never knows when, for example, a bike could be stolen.
 
yea, I have a fit sheet and once I figured out that my seat was too high I grabbed it and checked the measurements and re-adjusted, but by then it was too late.

I am going to try 2 weeks completely off the bike,maybe 3 and then ease back into it. If I would have done that when I first started feeling the pain 3 weeks ago I might be riding by now, so hopefully I can start getting back into riding next month.

thanks.