My right knee hurts when I ride outside. It does NOT hurt on the trainer. It does not hurt when I run. I’m stumped…
I’ve revisited my bike fit and my fit looks correct, I even got a second opinion from a second bike fit expert. It’s the inside of the knee, and even a small part of the patella itself. The only thing I can figure is that my cleat position has changed?
That said, if the inside of the knee hurts, would you toe in or out more to compensate?
I would look at your cleat position…
Thanks. I have a 70.3 this weekend so I guess I’ll just suck it up and make changes after the race.
I’ve had some friends try ART and their condition got worse, almost debilitating. Make sure its someone with good referrals, etc.
Can you give some more info?
Where exactly does it hurt, is it both knees or just one?
It is over/in the belly of muscle that lies on the inside/top of the knee, that comes across from the outside? i.e. VMO?
Are you using standard rings?
And lastly, what is your turbo? And does it have a big flywheel?
The reason these questions is because the pain could be caused by a change in pedaling mechanics between your riding indoor and outdoor.
Outdoor, where your inertia is high causes you to push down harder and recover, whereas the trainer, particularly if it is low inertia and has no flywheel will cause you to pedal around the stroke.
This will load one muscle less, instead spreading the load.
Get back on the road and your VMO which was half spared on the turbo due to the lack of weight to push against (due to no flywheel). now has to work HARD!
This has happened to me in the past, when I went from rollers (mega low inertia) to outside, pain in the VMO.
interesting. I just changed changed rings from 50/34 to 52/36 and have started getting knee pain outdoors. the rest of my setup is exactly the same and no pain indoors at all.
I’m using mid-compact crankset on a Shiv with 172.5 crank arms
It’s only my right knee, and it is a VERY localized pain. It’s directly on the medial aspect of the Patella and carries over roughly 3cm into the soft tissue on the medial aspect. It’s tender to palpation for up to 48 hrs after a ride. The pain goes completely away with a warm shower for about an hour or so. During the time that it’s painful after a ride it also is painful in the same area mentioned as it transitions through 90 degrees, either during flexion or extension. After the inflammation of the ride goes down(24-48 hours) there is zero pain. I can run, jump, do squats, stairs—anything. Totally pain free. It feels like a tendonitis, but I simply have to believe it’s related to bike fit/cleat position.
I think it could very well be cleat position. It might be a combination of a couple of adjustments. I would suggest finding a pro fitter with some BikeFit training, as we (disclaimer: I am a BikeFit pro) put a lot of emphasis on the foot/pedal interface. FIST-certified fitters go through a day of training with Paul Swift of BikeFit when they go to one of Slowman’s FIST classes, too.