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#31
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Looking after knee joints (was: Cops attack CM cyclists withMaglites)
And having just got a job 7km down the road intend on using my new bike
as long as my noisy knee joints will let me. Good on you. From my own experience and what I've read, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of knee problems if you: (1) set your saddle at the right height (a good rule of thumb is that with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke and your heel on the pedal [i.e. not the normal riding position], your leg should just be fully extended), unlike the "BMX bandits" you see with their knees around their ears. Most riders in the general public (RITGP) have their saddles too low; only a few have them too high (you can tell because when viewed from behind, their pelvises rock from side to side - get a friend to check you out). (2) use a low gear and pedal faster, rather than pedalling slowly in a higher gear as many RITGP do. It results in the same bike speed and therefore the same amount of energy expended, the difference is that there's less load on your joints (esp. knees), which is better for them even though they are bending and straightening more often. Racers typically pedal at 90rpm upwards, but anything from 70rpm upwards is a good start (you don't need a special speedo with the cadence feature, just count the rotations of one leg for a minute). The other benefit is that the faster you train your legs to spin, the more endurance you will develop and you will soon find yourself able to go faster (i.e. same leg speed but in the next gear up) for the same perceived level of effort. In other words, you get fitter faster. HTH, &roo |
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#32
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Looking after knee joints (was: Cops attack CM cyclists withMaglites)
And having just got a job 7km down the road intend on using my new bike
as long as my noisy knee joints will let me. Good on you. From my own experience and what I've read, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of knee problems if you: (1) set your saddle at the right height (a good rule of thumb is that with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke and your heel on the pedal [i.e. not the normal riding position], your leg should just be fully extended), unlike the "BMX bandits" you see with their knees around their ears. Most riders in the general public (RITGP) have their saddles too low; only a few have them too high (you can tell because when viewed from behind, their pelvises rock from side to side - get a friend to check you out). (2) use a low gear and pedal faster, rather than pedalling slowly in a higher gear as many RITGP do. It results in the same bike speed and therefore the same amount of energy expended, the difference is that there's less load on your joints (esp. knees), which is better for them even though they are bending and straightening more often. Racers typically pedal at 90rpm upwards, but anything from 70rpm upwards is a good start (you don't need a special speedo with the cadence feature, just count the rotations of one leg for a minute). The other benefit is that the faster you train your legs to spin, the more endurance you will develop and you will soon find yourself able to go faster (i.e. same leg speed but in the next gear up) for the same perceived level of effort. In other words, you get fitter faster. HTH, &roo |
#33
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Looking after knee joints (was: Cops attack CM cyclists withMaglites)
Andrew Swan wrote in message
... And having just got a job 7km down the road intend on using my new bike as long as my noisy knee joints will let me. Good on you. From my own experience and what I've read, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of knee problems if you: Thanx, reset the seat straight after buying it, I find the mountain bike a heap better on the back as well, will try the pedal faster theory, though I gave up "lugging" up hills a long time ago, the extra low gears make things easier. Pat Brisbane, Australia http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~mangey/ |
#34
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Looking after knee joints (was: Cops attack CM cyclists withMaglites)
Andrew Swan wrote in message
... And having just got a job 7km down the road intend on using my new bike as long as my noisy knee joints will let me. Good on you. From my own experience and what I've read, you can drastically reduce the likelihood of knee problems if you: Thanx, reset the seat straight after buying it, I find the mountain bike a heap better on the back as well, will try the pedal faster theory, though I gave up "lugging" up hills a long time ago, the extra low gears make things easier. Pat Brisbane, Australia http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~mangey/ |
#35
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Looking after knee joints (was: Cops attack CM cyclists with Maglites)
Good on you. From my own experience and what I've read, you can
drastically reduce the likelihood of knee problems if you: (1) set your saddle at the right height (a good rule of thumb is that with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke and your heel on the pedal [i.e. not the normal riding position], your leg should just be fully extended), unlike the "BMX bandits" you see with their knees around their ears. Most riders in the general public (RITGP) have their saddles too low; only a few have them too high (you can tell because when viewed from behind, their pelvises rock from side to side - get a friend to check you out). (2) use a low gear and pedal faster, rather than pedalling slowly in a higher gear as many RITGP do. It results in the same bike speed and therefore the same amount of energy expended, the difference is that there's less load on your joints (esp. knees), which is better for them even though they are bending and straightening more often. Racers typically pedal at 90rpm upwards, but anything from 70rpm upwards is a good start (you don't need a special speedo with the cadence feature, just count the rotations of one leg for a minute). The other benefit is that the faster you train your legs to spin, the more endurance you will develop and you will soon find yourself able to go faster (i.e. same leg speed but in the next gear up) for the same perceived level of effort. In other words, you get fitter faster. HTH, One more option that woeked well for a woman that had knee trouble and writes cycling touring books for Lonely Planet was clip in pedals and shoes, not cheap but if the above still doesn't cut it it might be worth looking into. Yet to go there myself but from all accounts are very good. |
#36
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Looking after knee joints (was: Cops attack CM cyclists with Maglites)
Good on you. From my own experience and what I've read, you can
drastically reduce the likelihood of knee problems if you: (1) set your saddle at the right height (a good rule of thumb is that with the pedal at the bottom of the stroke and your heel on the pedal [i.e. not the normal riding position], your leg should just be fully extended), unlike the "BMX bandits" you see with their knees around their ears. Most riders in the general public (RITGP) have their saddles too low; only a few have them too high (you can tell because when viewed from behind, their pelvises rock from side to side - get a friend to check you out). (2) use a low gear and pedal faster, rather than pedalling slowly in a higher gear as many RITGP do. It results in the same bike speed and therefore the same amount of energy expended, the difference is that there's less load on your joints (esp. knees), which is better for them even though they are bending and straightening more often. Racers typically pedal at 90rpm upwards, but anything from 70rpm upwards is a good start (you don't need a special speedo with the cadence feature, just count the rotations of one leg for a minute). The other benefit is that the faster you train your legs to spin, the more endurance you will develop and you will soon find yourself able to go faster (i.e. same leg speed but in the next gear up) for the same perceived level of effort. In other words, you get fitter faster. HTH, One more option that woeked well for a woman that had knee trouble and writes cycling touring books for Lonely Planet was clip in pedals and shoes, not cheap but if the above still doesn't cut it it might be worth looking into. Yet to go there myself but from all accounts are very good. |
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