I can't comment on the diagnosis or treatment options, but given your history I'd stop running immediately and limit hiking to whatever you can do without any knee discomfort at all. Many (perhaps most) of us, including myself, simply do not have the knees to continue high-knee-impact sports later in our lives. If you continue on ignoring the warning signs, you're probably looking at early-on knee replacement surgery just to be able to climb stairs without pain.
In general, cycling is great for knees. If your problem is just with the cartilage cushion, then I wouldn't worry that much about cadence, provided you're not experiencing pain.
- Mark
Last edited by markjenn; 07-18-18 at 11:35 AM.