Knee position when riding advice please

[allen-uk]

I was reading an article about using shorter cranks to avoid further trouble with dodgy knees. Might give it a try.

You will of course lose some pedal power, as your legs won't be as straight as they are now, when in the bottom-dead-centre position.

(Mind, with your motor set-up, I don't suppose it'll matter to you that much!)


A.

 

[Old Timer]

Removed my toeclips today and went for a run and the knees were better being able to move my feet around and it bought to light the fact that the pedals are a bit narrow for my foot position. I already had a pair of these on order WELLGO FLAT PLATFORM DOWNHILL MTB BIKE PEDALS SILVER on eBay (end time 10-Sep-10 22:46:49 BST) so they might well make the difference and they have removable pins as suggested.

 

[allen-uk]

Good plan, Dave.

(Just for the record for anyone else reading this, the only reason that removable pins are important is so that they can be REPLACED by sharper versions - flat pedals without any pins would be a bit slippery).

A.

 

[trickletreat]

How are the knees feeling? One tip I picked up from a recumbent site[can't remember which one] is to jump up and down, and note the position of your feet when you land. Do this gently a few times before looking down, and you should get an idea of the natural attitude of your feet, and distance between them. Then you have to replicate the position on the bike. It might be worth looking at forums with recumbent areas as there is a lot of discussion re crank lengths, as the knees are more vulnerable when bracing against a fixed back seat...the other advice is to spin and not grind ,in other words high cadence.

 

[Old Timer]

Those Wellgo pedals arrived( good value in my book) fitted and did a short ride and I must say I`m impressed with having a decent sized platform. The proof will be on a longer run but first impressions look good and the pins grab my trainers a treat

Thanks for the heads up Allen

 

[allen-uk]

One fairly important point I had forgotten, Dave.

If you ARE using the terror pins, then watch out for damage to your soles. For trainers or heavy duty soles, there won't be a problem, but for less tough ones, they can gouge holes into them.


Allen.

 

[Old Timer]

One fairly important point I had forgotten, Dave.

If you ARE using the terror pins, then watch out for damage to your soles. For trainers or heavy duty soles, there won't be a problem, but for less tough ones, they can gouge holes into them.


Allen.

I did a 20 mile run this afternoon, at the end of the run my legs ached a bit but none of the bone on bone pain I`d been getting

The ones I have been using were on my silver bike and were the ali finished ones and I now have 2 pairs of black ones on route for my two other black bikes. Apart from the decent sized platform allowing my feet to take up the correct position the fact that without toeclips my feet are not returning to the identical spot when ever I dismount.

I did have a pair of those pedal extenders on order from the States but managed to cancel the order before they shipped because I reckon the pedals will do the job.

Thanks for posting Allen, you might well have lengthened my riding life

 

[Old Timer]

One fairly important point I had forgotten, Dave.

If you ARE using the terror pins, then watch out for damage to your soles. For trainers or heavy duty soles, there won't be a problem, but for less tough ones, they can gouge holes into them.


Allen.

The pins in those Wellgo pedals are flat topped with just a hint of a sharp burr that work well with my thick soled trainers.

 

[allen-uk]

That's great news, Dave. Cyclistas might look at your pedals and scoff, but if they help your knees (and thus your thighs and hips and back etc.) then I think we can chalk up a success.

I did toy with the idea of Frog cleats (they're the ones that allow your foot to swivel on the pedal) for a while, but given the necessity of getting that plastic leg down as FAST as bleeding possible, I gave up on them, and now get on fine with the big spiked platforms.

Allen.