New to cycling and experiencing sore knees?

Question

I'm a woman in my forties and not hugely fit - though I can walk long distances - and so a week ago I purchased a mountain bike.

I am riding twice a day. Morning 4.5km and evening 1 km and I've noticed my knees are starting to hurt. Is this normal when first starting out? The 4.5km ride takes me 20 minutes.

I adjusted my seat so that my leg is slightly bent when the pedal is down - measured by my heal not toes. Perhaps the seat needs to be a little higher?

Did anyone else experience sore knees when they first started cycling?

Answer 1

You should never experience knee pain from cycling.  Your pain is the direct result of a fit issue.  If you are satisfied that you have correctly set the saddle height, then consider the fore and aft adjustment of your seat.  Most sources recommend that the "notch" of the fore-knee be directly over the pedal axis when the pedals are at "three and nine o'clock."  Below is a resource for learning more about fit.

I started serious cycling at age 59 because of knee pain when walking.  Never experienced knee pain on the bike.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/saddles.html (see "Front-back position.)

Answer 2

You are headed in the right direction when it comes to seat height.  It will take a bit of tweaking to find what works for you.

Pedal cadence is everything when riding a bike.  Many riders riding in big gears at low pedal cadence is the best way to "get in shape".  This is akin to weight training.  It only works for a few miles and your legs feel like they are on fire.  A few miles take very little time, so the net result is very sore legs and very little exercise.

Turning the pedals over around 90 rpm's is much easier on the legs and provides a good workout for the heart and lungs.  The gears on a bicycle are there to allow you to go faster or slower while keeping your pedals spinning over around 90 rpm's.

I would add some form of weight training for your legs.  Strong quads are needed to keep the kneecap in place, thus preventing sore knees.  Add a stretching program for your after ride cool down.

Good Luck and remember, it will get easier.

Answer 3

Knee pain is common when you first start cycling. If you continue cycling for a while (give it a week or so) than you should look at your bike fit.

The rule of thumb is if you have pain in the back of the knee - move your saddle down a half centimeter or so.

If you have pain in the front of your knee - move your saddle up a little bit.

Also try a higher cadence (80-90 rpm), low cadences wreak havoc on your knees.

If that doesn't help go to a reputable bike shop and have them look at your fit. If you use bike shoes the cleats could be misaligned or fore/aft position of your saddle could be to blame. A good bike shop should know what to look for.

If that doesn't help try to find a doctor that is a cyclist or works with cyclists in your area.

Answer 4

Yes, it is very normal, don't worry give yourself a week or 2 and it will be ok, if not see a doctor you might be killing ur knee's, but thats like 1 in a milion chance's... because every1's knee's hurt when they start riding a bike at your age, no offence.

Answer 5

Take it to a bike shop and get fitted. But if your going at it twice a day, could you be over training?? That might be a factor.

Remember, your just starting and a MTB is already a heavy bike. I have road bikes. I never had knee problems and the bike goes fast enough while my cadence is below average. Maybe you should try lower gears and increase the cadence. If you stress on the high gears, you could be straining your body.

Remember, the MTB is a heavy bike. Lower your gears to get high cadences in order to get a good aerobic workout longer than 20 minutes. If you go heavy/high, it will turn anaerobic and you can get tired easily. Or even get injured.

I think your fitting is fine though...