From: marquis@netcom.com (Roger Marquis)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.racing
Subject: KNEES (repost) was: Re: WHY THIS KNEE INJURY??
Date: 27 Jan 93 05:17:35 GMT
Organization: Netcom



     As the season gets going and average weekly training
distances start to climb a few of us will have some trouble with
our knees. Usually knee problem are caused by one of four things:
     * Riding too hard, too soon.  Don't get impatient.  It's
going to be a long season and there's plenty of time to get in
the proper progression of efforts. Successful cycling is a matter
of listening to your body.  When you see riders burning out,
hurting themselves and just not progressing past a certain point
you can be fairly certain that it is because they are not paying
enough attention to what their body is telling them.
     * Too many miles.  The human body is not a machine.  If you
feel compelled to ride hard and long and you also feel impatient
with your progress remember good rides are far more productive
when accompanied by quality relaxation.  Take a close look the
next time you see a dog or cat stretched out in a nap and you'll
know what I mean.  Keep this in mind whenever you feel like
increasing your average weekly mileage by more than forty miles
over two or three weeks.
     * Taking extended time off the bike can also cause problems
when training begins again. Joints take considerably longer to
develop than do muscles even though they will atrophy almost as
quickly as muscle tissue without constant training.
     * Low, low rpms.  Save those big ring climbs and big gear
sprints for later in the season. This is the time of year to
develop fast twitch muscle fibers.  Don't spin all the time but
do make an effort during sprint work and climbing. Besides, big
gears are inappropriate for speed work. If you consistently catch
yourself pushing a bit larger gear than you should try using
shorter cranks. Long cranks may be the way to go for time-trials,
stage races, hilly criteriums and road races but short cranks are
as good or better for most of the local events.
     * Improper position on the bike. Unfortunately most bicycle
salespeople in this country have no idea how to properly set
saddle height. The most common error being to set it too low. 
This is very conducive to developing knee problems because of the
excessive bend at the knee when the pedal is at, and just past,
top dead center. 

     The following method of setting saddle height is not the
only method around but it is the most popular among coaches and
riders both here and in Europe.

                   =====SEAT ADJUSTMENT======

     1) Adjust saddle level or very slightly nose up, no more
than 2mm at the nose.
     2)  Put on the shoes you normally ride in. Have wrench ready
(usually a 5mm Allen).
     3) Mount the bike and sit comfortably, leaning against a
wall. L Hold the brake on with one hand (or mount the bike on a
turbo trainer if you have one).
     4)  Place your HEELS on the pedals and pedal backwards at 30+
rpm without rocking your pelvis (very important).
     5)  Adjust seat height so the gap between your heel and the
pedal is about:
        A) ZERO TO FIVE MM. for recreational riders (-50
     mi/wk.),
        B) FIVE TO EIGHT MM. for experienced riders (50+
     mi./wk.),
        C) FIVE TO TWELVE MM. for racing  cyclists (200+ mi./wk.),
NOTE: Be careful to take into account the difference in your
shoe's sole thickness between the cleat and heel.
Don't forget to grease the seat post and clamp bolt.
    6) Ride. It may take a couple of rides to get used to the
feel and possibly stretch the hamstrings and Achilles slightly.

CLEATS

     1) Grease the cleat bolts and lightly tighten.
     2) Sitting on the bike, put your feet in the pedals and
adjust until:
     2A) The ball of your foot is directly above or, more
commonly, slightly behind the pedal axle and:
     2B) There is approximately 1 cm. (1/2in.) between your ankle
and the crank arm.
     3)  Tighten the cleat bolts 80% and go out for a ride.  If
another position feels more comfortable rotate your foot into
that position.
     4) Carefully remove your shoes from the pedals and tighten
the bolts fully.  If you cannot get out of the pedals without
shifting the cleats leave your shoes on the bike and draw an
outline around the cleat.

                          =============

If after all this you're still having knee problems:
     * See a professional. Only a Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
(DPM) or an Orthopedic specialist can accurately measure limb
lengths for differences and unusual kinesthetic problems. If you
do have leg length differences of over 6-8mm you can correct it
by putting spacers under one cleat. If one leg is shorter by more
than a centimeter or so you might experiment with a shorter crank
arm on that side.
     * Orthotics can be helpful in some conditions such as arch or
pronation / intonation irregularities.
     * Use shorter cranks. This helps keep knee stress down and
pedal speed up.  I'm 6 ft. 1/2 in. and I ride 170mm cranks for
most of the season.
     * Try the Fit-Kit R.A.D. cleat alignment device and/or a
rotating type cleat/pedal like the Time pedal (for a good review
of the Time pedal system see the Feb. 10 Velo-News).
     * Cut way back on mileage and intensity (This is a last
resort for obvious reasons). Sometimes a prolonged rest is the
only way to regain full functionality and is usually required
only if you try to "train through" any pain that isn't caused by
lactic acid.

(C) 1989, Roger Marquis