Cycling UK Forum

I'm 66 in June, so theres not much in it.
4 miles with the dog....is that running?
What exact knee trouble are you getting? Pain at the top/outside edge of the kneecap?
Triple chainset = three chainrings.....the smallest one is the granny gear.....learn to love that chainring, it will save your knees....its the chainring thats missing from a double.
Try to ride your existing triple chainset bike in the middle chainring most of the time.
I don't get on well with a compact double chainset....thats why you need that hour test ride, to find out if you do.

No it's just walking in the fields and hills - I like to let the dog off the lead so pavements no good. The problem with the walking is how time-consuming it is. Pain in knee is what I think of as general pain - sort of non-specific - inside the middle of the knee. Probably some arthritis - who knows. I will try to stick with the middle ring. I'm going on the Welsh Borders trip at Easter and will try not to buy anything new until after then. I figure the old bike might be OK - I had to push it up a hill the other day - got halfway up and couldn't keep going - I suppose that is me and not the bike. The trouble is I feel I should be able to do exactly as I did decades ago - and for the most part I can - I'm desperate not to let my standards slip, thin end of the wedge and all that.
Anyway thanks for all help. I shall go to a couple of bikes shops on the weekend and see how I get on.

Rabbit....Having to push up a hill just indicates a lack of fitness.....lots of us are suffering at this horrible time of year, theres a whole thread here...http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=71777. Don't rush out and buy a new bike....buying a new bike should be a pleasure, to be enjoyed, not rushed. Its your chance to bully the bike shops to let you have as many test rides as you want, not an opportunity for them to bully you into buying something they have been trying to shift for months. Keep trying different bikes....one day you will find one that suits you, and you will know.
Some people recommend having a bike fitting session professionally done, its not something I have ever gone in for myself, I have relied on the opinions of experienced clubmates to tell me if I look "right" on my bike, and I am perpetually tinkering with my riding position anyway. I guess a professional fit could set you up in an "average" riding position, which may be better than you have now. Its worth trying altering the saddle position backwards and forwards, up and down, and the angle to the horizontal, to see how it feels on your knees and body. Its normally a male fault, but whatever you do, don't pedal with your knees stuck out the side, that will make them sore.

A bit of general discomfort in the knees doesn't have to be arthritis, and its most likely something really trivial that will sort itself out with a bit of good management. Walking the dog on grass is much better for your knees than pounding the pavement jogging.
Good management for your knees involves riding low gears and stretching every day the main muscle groups....calves, adductors, hamstrings, quads......but gently! Relax into the stretch, it isn't a competition, and whatever you do, don't bounce to get a deeper stretch, it will come with time. (If you can't find this on t'interweb, get back to me)
Also cycling and walking, your knees are never fully locked straight, this means you are not exercising a muscle calles Vastus Medialis.....this is the only muscle of the quadriceps group which pulls the kneecap inwards, if its weak the other more developed muscles can deviate the knee cap outwards....this is the most common problem with cyclists' knees. So exercise your V.M. with straight-leg isometric exercise....sit on the floor with your back resting against the sofa...one leg at a time, lock the knee straight and lift the leg off the floor....repeat 10 times for each leg. When you get bored, liven it up by writing the alphabet in the air with your toe!

Let us know how you get on!

Some good stuff there.
Indeed walking up a hill may have nothing to do with bike but your fitness psychological attitude.
When I started we had a hill on our route to a fave cafe.. I used to look at and decide I would need to walk it.. and got off and walked.
After 2 such episodes reckoned I would not learn to ride it if I got off everytime, so decided to see how I could get up it... lo and behold rode all of it...
This is not to say this is what you are doing just my experience..... I was seriously unfit at the start of my cycling career, and there were plenty of hills I either walked up or serioulsy lagged behind my cycling companions, but now there are very few hills I would consider beyond my ability.
Knees often feel achy and uncomfy during or after a hard ride.

Colin thanks for all the useful info, I will certainly try the exercises. I have decided not to get a new bike, as least in the near future. I went on a cycling holiday about 3 years ago with InnTravel (really recommend them, though expensive). Anyway it was in Haute Provence and the beginning of August, no shade and the hills were a bit of a killer but of course we had to get up there or no bed for the night. I can't remember getting off and pushing at all. I guess because I've done nothing this year I am really unfit. I didn't get off the other day until I absolutely had to - I'm pretty tenacious and I do know it's me and not the bike. How can I move the saddle backwards and forwards? I think my bike is pretty good for me but had occurred to me that it could be better (hence the search for new bike). I often stand up when I've got up a bit of speed on the flat and downhill just for a change of position and when I've been riding for sometime I shift myself backwards for a break. I was actually thinking last night whether it was worth finding somewhere to get checked on best fit (that is with the bike I have already). Trek do a fitting service in Milton Keynes - it's not as expensive as the others I've been looking at but I wonder if it's worth it? I'm on my own here so no-one to ride with or offer advice whilst actually on the bike - though I have been in contact with a couple of other women in different counties and we are going on the Welsh Borders trip together.

This is the best photo I found on a quick look. The saddle frame is 2 wires about as thick as a pencil. The wires are held sandwiched between 2 plates, one above the wires, one below. If you slacken off the clamping bolt(s) the saddle can slide forwards and backwards for the straight length of the wires. Most seatposts look like the one below, which has one bolt....



So slacken the bolt(s) and slide the saddle back or forward....but beware, the same bolt(s) control the saddles angle to the horozontal.

On the question of a bike fit....if you are "on your own" and a bike fit is the price of a tank of petrol, why not?

The bike fit at Trek costs £ 120. I must confess I enquired about it but felt unsure about their process. I am surprised they don't give decent test rides.

I realise you are in no hurry to buy but when you are I would recommend that you contact Evans Cycles in London, make sure they have stuff in your size and then spend the day in London test riding. Also you can get to Regents Park quite quickly from Evans as well. It maybe a fun day in early spring.

Colin thanks for the photo and info - I will try that. Not sure what you mean "....if you are on your own and a bike fit is the price of a tank of petrol, why not". I'd have to put a tank of petrol in to get to Milton Keynes and then pay for the fit. I did actually ring Trek up today and had a brief chat with them about it, stressing that I couldn't afford the fit and a new bike and asking if it would be worth the fit for the old bike - anyway the manager/fitter is in tomorrow so I'm going to have a word with him then. If it were under £100 it wouldn't seem so bad ...

Sam are you telling me you can try the bike all day from Evans in London? That would be amazing. You certainly need more than a whizz round the car park. Don't Trek let you have a good go down in Milton Keynes then? MK is pretty flat but Campbell park is a short ride from their shop and there's a couple of steep hills and gravel paths which would make a good short test ride. I will ask them about it tomorrow. Basically the ideal would be to get fitted with Trek on the old bike and then give it a whirl and hope it's £120 better!

531colin wrote: . Most seatposts look like the one below...

-ah, if only....

I have the Titanium version of this seatpost on my road bike, but because I refused on principle to spend over £100 on a new one; mine came used, for a fraction of that, and needed much elbow grease before it looked as it should do.

BTW re the bikefit; if you join a club locally, I'm sure that someone in the club will be able to help you out with getting positioned correctly. However, if you have an underlying medical condition that may affect the bike set-up, a bikefit should better allow for that possibility and in many cases can be allowed for in the setup they recommend.

I've helped many people get comfy on the bike, and often it is obvious stuff or only slightly subtle stuff (like uneven leg lengths) that is the root cause of discomfort. But like many others, I wouldn't have the training to suggest how best to accomodate position to certain injuries etc.; a disproportionate amount of bikefit customers have such issues, and seek them out almost as a last resort. One is is prompted to wonder how many could have avoided these problems had they had good advice sooner.

cheers

It seems Hewitt charge £100 for a bike fit http://www.hewittcycles.co.uk/improve%20the%20fit%20of%20your%20existing%20bike
Then £30/hour to alter your bike to their fit.
Does that mean a bike fit takes 3 hours?
I dunno.....if it was £50, you could take a punt......
Hewitt say they want to set my cleats for me as well as setting me up on my bike.....but how will they know my left heel turns outwards when I'm tired, unless I tell them?....or will my new position be so good I won't get tired ever again?
I don't know....maybe I'm excessively mean, I won't pay for a pair of road STI shifters (over £100), and most people won't entertain a bike that doesn't have them!
There again, I see so many people on the road whose position is obviously miles out, maybe its money well spent?
I've got 4 bikes, and swapping between them is very revealing. The nose of my saddle has to be between 60 and 70mm behind the BB. Further forward than that, I'm pushing myself off the back of the saddle.....further back, I'm too doubled up. If the saddle height is 5mm adrift, I know instantly. Saddle and bars are level....any lower than that I can't use the drops and I get neck ache. I can tolerate about 10mm difference in reach...if the bike is too long, I ride on the tops instead of the hoods. If the saddle is too far forward, and the bike is too long, I'm off the back of the saddle while holding the tops. If the saddle is set right and the reach is a bit short, its OK, but my shoulders are hunched and get a bit achey after a while.....if its much too short, I'm off the back of the saddle.

I'm pretty sure I don't have any underlying medical problem Brucey and I used to make my own clothes so pretty sure legs are equal length! I can see from what has been said though that there is a good chance that I could get my bike fettled so it would be better for me. Colin I don't understand some of your terminology let alone be able to fix it. What does BB mean? and ride on the tops instead of the hoods?
I also have another problem, ie transporting the bike - I was going to buy a bar to fit onto my bike so it would hang onto a bike carrier but now I look at the bike there's no room under the saddle to fit it - there's a few inches of rubber stuff which I think must be the suspension - I don't think I can put the bar onto that so I don't know how I will hang it. I wish the bike would go in the car but no chance. If only the Brompton were a much better ride with better gears ....

Re the leg length thing. Few people have identical length legs; 1/4" difference is not unusual and can make a difference on the bike, even if it doesn't alter clothing sizes.

Odd leg lengths can (say) lead to back pain on the bike (the pelvis is at a different angle than when standing/walking) and one leg will extend more than the other. This can lead to knee pain in one leg but not the other.

A very simple test for odd leg lengths is to stand in stockinged feet (~6" apart) on

1) a level floor
2) with a 3/8" thickness paperback under one foot
3) with a 3/8" paperback under the other foot

if 2 and 3 feel equally weird then you legs are very close in length; if 2 feels more comfy than 3 or vice versa, you have odd leg lengths.

cheers

When I had a bike shop, I found I could get a mountain bike (26" wheels) into an OLD mini....I'm damned sure I could get any bike into a NEW mini.
(Oddly enough, I couldn't get a bike of any sort into a BMW 3 series....the back seat folds, but the connection between the boot and the passenger compartment is a bit like a letter box.)
I'm assuming your "bar" is to put a pretend crossbar onto a ladies' frame....in which case, can it fit onto the frame rather than the seatpost?
BB = bottom bracket.....for measurement, the centre of the BB axle.
With drop bars, hoods = brake lever hoods....tops = top of the bar....drops = dropped bit of bar.

littlegreyrabbit wrote:Sam are you telling me you can try the bike all day from Evans in London? That would be amazing. You certainly need more than a whizz round the car park. Don't Trek let you have a good go down in Milton Keynes then? MK is pretty flat but Campbell park is a short ride from their shop and there's a couple of steep hills and gravel paths which would make a good short test ride. I will ask them about it tomorrow. Basically the ideal would be to get fitted with Trek on the old bike and then give it a whirl and hope it's £120 better!

Sorry I think Trek will give you a good demo. I don't think Evans will let you out all day but definitely a couple of hours. The advantage of Evans is the multitude of bikes you can try.

I'm now longing for the days when I had no car. When I was 15 I used to ride from Southampton to Portsmouth to visit my grannie on my mum's old heavy sit-up-and-beg no gears bike. Grannie didn't know I was coming - no-one in the family had a phone - I could have been in a ditch for 3 days before anyone noticed I was missing. I just went out the door, hopped on the bike and away I went - no pump, no money, sandals on my feet - no probs. Now here I am poring over the laptop reviewing bikes, carriers, God knows what all and stressing about things I didn't know existed a couple of weeks ago!
Brucey I will try your paperback test - actually the chances are my legs are different due to humping little kids/toddlers around on right hip for years on end.
I guess the false bar could go on the frame Colin - it would be at quite an angle but might not matter. However I have found this on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiU0jqp8AfA
I've never taken a wheel off and don't know if I can actually lift the bike into the car but I might give it a go - the Mini as you say is no longer a Mini - in fact they are as wide as a lot of other cars. Oh rats - I've got a 2 door car! Not sure if I can lift it and maneouvre it on my own through the boot space - plus it has a carrier and mudguards which the guy on youtube hasn't. Next thing you know I will be looking for a different car!