should I be concerned

"Jake Bellows" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:Aukra.174859 [email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you switch over

Yes. Take a wrench with you on your next ride and stop periodically to tweak the cleat position
until you feel no lateral or twisting pressure on your knees.

also, it is worth mentioning that you may need to adjust your saddle height as well. Looks lift you
up quite a bit, maybe a few mm. Not so sure about SPD - varies.

"Jake Bellows" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

hello all,

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you switch over,
or could it be a sign that perhaps the cleat is out of position or something else. Once again I am
asking for you to share your wisdom and experience, thanx in advance.

Jack.

No--you shouldn't be experiencing pain. As some others suggested you can try to adjust the cleats
yourself; for myself I went to the local bike shop and had a "pedal fit" done by their "fitter". If
the fitter knows what he's doing it's (IMHO) money worth spent. But then I hate pain. "Jake Bellows"
<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

hello all,

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you switch over,
or could it be a sign that perhaps the cleat is out of position or something else. Once again I am
asking for you to share your wisdom and experience, thanx in advance.

Jack.

Quoted message said:

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you switch over,
or could it be a sign that perhaps the cleat is out of position or something else. Once again I am
asking for you to share your wisdom and experience, thanx in advance.

Jack.

Make sure you don't have too aggressive a position for the cleat. The ball of your foot should be
over the pedal spindle, or in front of it, but *never* behind if you have a knee issue. Generally,
the ball of the foot corresponds to the widest part of the shoe, so you can eyeball it with the shoe
upside down.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

Jake Bellows said:

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you switch over,
or could it be a sign that perhaps the cleat is out of position or something else. Once again I am
asking for you to share your wisdom and experience, thanx in advance. Jack.

Just curious if you normally put the left foot down when you stop. If so, the pain *may* be due to
the twisting motion rather than the pedaling motion. Or as suggested by others, you may need to
raise the saddle slightly.

Art Harris

"j morelstein" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

No--you shouldn't be experiencing pain. As some others suggested you can try to adjust the cleats
yourself; for myself I went to the local bike shop and had a "pedal fit" done by their "fitter".
If the fitter knows what he's doing it's (IMHO) money worth spent. But then I hate pain. "Jake
Bellows" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

hello all,

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you switch
over, or could it be a sign that perhaps the cleat is out of position or something else. Once
again I am asking for you to share your wisdom and experience, thanx in advance.

Jack.

"Pedal Fitters" That's a good one. Funnier that "bike fitters" and "wheel builders." Some things we
can do for ourselves surely. Are we still allowed to cut our own fingernails?

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Michael Pearlman said:

"Pedal Fitters" That's a good one. Funnier that "bike fitters" and "wheel builders." Some things
we can do for ourselves surely. Are we still allowed to cut our own fingernails?

Well, there are nail salons....

Ever had a fit-kit session? Tells you what a bike should feel like when dialed in. Once you know,
you can pretty much tweak the bike to your liking. The thing with a professional (knowledgeable) fit
is that it saves weeks (or even years) of pain. And it gives you a chance for your riding position
to be critiqued by a professional.

Sure, now I can pretty much tweak the bike myself. But 10 years ago, when I went clipless, I had
lots of knee pain. Riding with a screwdriver in your pocket, and stopping every few miles to tweak
your clear is no fun. Spend the $$ and save the time.

-Dondo

Ken said:

"Jake Bellows" <[email hidden]> wrote in news:Aukra.174859
[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Just went clipless on Friday, and you all gave me some sage advice (as usual). I love the
difference, but have been noticing some pain in my left knee, is this normal when you
switch over

Yes. Take a wrench with you on your next ride and stop periodically to tweak the cleat position
until you feel no lateral or twisting pressure on your knees.

This is not as easy as it sounds, because while you're on the bike you need to look at the underside
of the pedal to see the relationship of the pedal & the cleat.

(Sounds like Schroedinger's cat).

Phil

Etaoin Shrdlu <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes. Take a wrench with you on your next ride and stop periodically to tweak the cleat position
until you feel no lateral or twisting pressure on your knees.

This is not as easy as it sounds, because while you're on the bike you need to look at the
underside of the pedal to see the relationship of the pedal & the cleat.

You think too much. The bottom of your shoe is the opposite of the top of your shoe. That's all you
need to know.

Ken said:

Etaoin Shrdlu <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Yes. Take a wrench with you on your next ride and stop periodically to tweak the cleat position
until you feel no lateral or twisting pressure on your knees.

This is not as easy as it sounds, because while you're on the bike you need to look at the
underside of the pedal to see the relationship of the pedal & the cleat.

You think too much. The bottom of your shoe is the opposite of the top of your shoe. That's all
you need to know.

Besides if you just remove your feet from your shoes instead, you can look at the shoe and cleat
position from below. Mark out where you want to move the cleat and do it. This is of course lots
easier on the trainer.

--
Perre

You have to be smarter than a robot to reply.

Just my 2p's worth: I read somewhere that the cleat toe-in/out should be in line with your natural
toe-in/out. Whether your natural toe-in/out is optimal when cycling is another argument, but to
determine it, it said to sit on the edge of a table so that your legs dangle freely, then look down
at each foot to see how each points in or out. Adjust the cleat toe-in/out accordingly. A refinement
to this may be to sit so you knees are bent at the same angle your knees are at when you're applying
maximum force to the pedals, then check each foot's toe-in/out.

Also, check that your seat points straight down the top tube. For example, if it points
slightly left, maybe it's forcing your left thigh out then in on the downstroke, thereby
over-stressing the knee.

If the saddle's straight, watch your knees when you pedal - maybe your knees bow out/in on the
downstroke anyway. Ymay reduce stress (therefore pain) if your knees bend in one plane only (i.e. go
up and down in a straight line - not necessarily perfectly vertically).

Harry