[Mattlikestobike]

Hey MTBR,
Every ride ive gone on, ive always pulled my muscle right above the knee and its a agonizing SHARP pain :cryin: .. is there any way to avoid this? im realy holding my friends back, since im like resting for 20-30min, and we try to have a time limit.

thanks

 

[mmik]

lower the gear on your bike, or reposition your seat. make sure your seat isn't too low and you're not pedaling too hard.

 

[Mattlikestobike]

reposition your seat. make sure your seat isn't too low

What would be considered "too low"?

Also, what would be a good way to reposition your seat? (does your knee have to be at a certain angle when the pedal is closer to the ground? + does your knee have to be at a certain angle when the pedal is father from the ground?)

 

[mmik]

Um I don't know the specifics, but your leg shouldn't even be at a 90 degree angle to your body when you're at the top of your pedal. try raising your seat a little bit at a time and see where it feels comfortable.

 

[Mattlikestobike]

Um I don't know the specifics, but your leg shouldn't even be at a 90 degree angle to your body when you're at the top of your pedal. try raising your seat a little bit at a time and see where it feels comfortable.

REALLY??!!???? :eekster:

man i really screwed myself over. my legs are at or close too 90 degrees when im at the top of my pedal

Thanks for your help!

 

[mmik]

It can vary from person to person, not everyone's built the same. but yea that's gonna be a big issue. you might not even need to raise the seat a full inch to get it to the proper place, so raise it in small increments and ride it up and down the street until you can go "oh wait, this feels better!"

 

[Mattlikestobike]

It can vary from person to person, not everyone's built the same. but yea that's gonna be a big issue. you might not even need to raise the seat a full inch to get it to the proper place, so raise it in small increments and ride it up and down the street until you can go "oh wait, this feels better!"

hmm alright. sounds pretty easy to do. ill get it right later on today..

BTW, since i ride in the mtns, and there is a couple downhill with jumps, would you personally have two types of adjustments? like having a "jump style" where the seat is much lower, and then a "riding style" which is the seat that is comfortable to ride (and going to be adjusted)

 

[mmik]

If you have a quick-release/adjuster on your seat there's no problem in dropping the seat if you plan to do some jumps. If you're nit-picky, once you find the place where your seat's best for you, you could mark it on your seatpost so you can put it back easily.

 

[Mattlikestobike]

If you have a quick-release/adjuster on your seat there's no problem in dropping the seat if you plan to do some jumps. If you're nit-picky, once you find the place where your seat's best for you, you could mark it on your seatpost so you can put it back easily.

sweet :thumbsup:

Thank you very much

 

[AndrwSwitch]

Sounds like your bike doesn't fit you, and you already know some people who have an idea what they're doing. Why don't you ask one of your friends about it?

Also, if you don't get better in a day or two after riding, you should see a physical therapist.

The saddle being too low or too high can both cause knee problems. Having it too far back and pushing too high a gear can cause problems as well. So it's pretty hard to say what the problem is without seeing you riding the bike.

 

[mmik]

yea like I said it it could be too high of a gear, but that's easy enough to figure out while riding.

 

[Helicraze]

Initially, I had similar problem during my early days of riding until i surf through websites to set-up properly. Seat height and using proper gear are main issues. However, that is the start in muscle strengthening until we exercise to build good muscles. You may want to try this by visiting:
www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/bike+fit.html

Good Luck !

 

[coffeegeek2112]

Are you sure they are not cramps? Thats exactly where I cramp up. Try leg exercises. Really work them out between rides. Take sodium tablets every hour. That usually helps my leg cramps.

 

[Mattlikestobike]

Sounds like your bike doesn't fit you, and you already know some people who have an idea what they're doing. Why don't you ask one of your friends about it?

Also, if you don't get better in a day or two after riding, you should see a physical therapist.
.

if my bike doesnt fit me, wouldnt my back be hurting?

i get better in a day, but its just alittle annoying to get my muscle pulled.

 

[Mattlikestobike]

Are you sure they are not cramps? Thats exactly where I cramp up. Try leg exercises. Really work them out between rides. Take sodium tablets every hour. That usually helps my leg cramps.

hmm, im not sure. could be cramps though.

What types of leg exercises would you reccomend?

 

[Mattlikestobike]

Initially, I had similar problem during my early days of riding until i surf through websites to set-up properly. Seat height and using proper gear are main issues. However, that is the start in muscle strengthening until we exercise to build good muscles. You may want to try this by visiting:
www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/bike+fit.html

Good Luck !

Thanks for the link! :thumbsup:

 

[coffeegeek2112]

hmm, im not sure. could be cramps though.

What types of leg exercises would you reccomend?[/QUO

I usually do extensions and curls. When I would do the leg excersises two to three times a week, the cramps went away.

 

[Mattlikestobike]

ah thanks!

 

[have2ride2day]

Your knee should be bent at or around 30 degrees when at full extension in the pedal stroke. Don't get your saddle too high either or you will have problems. There is a ton of info on the internet about bike fit.

 

[rockhop]

A sharp pain limited to an area the size of a quarter as opposed to an overall soreness of the entire thigh? It sounds like you've injured a tendon or a ligament from your poor bike set up and riding style. They're very fibrous and don't have the same blood flow when compared to muscles, so they can be slow to heal. Did you see a bruise? This would indicate internal bleeding likely from a tear. In that case you should see a doc asap.

If no bruising rest it and let it heal (this could take weeks). Learn how to properly set up your bike and saddle.