maddy13

Hi Guys,

The front of my knees have been increasingly tender as I've been carting my kiddo across town on my Bike Friday Haul-A-Day. Love the bike. Kid loves the bike. She sits between my bars in a Yepp Mini, and her diaper bag and gear go in the bags.

My gearing is decent, but still the knees are getting worse. I haven't had this issue with regular bikes.

Any advice?

Nightdiver

Is the Yepp causing you to pedal with your legs flared out? Do you have your saddle lower than you would normally have it? Every time I've had knee pain it's been due to a saddle height/position issue.

Side question - Is running a Yepp Mini approved by Bike Friday? I thought for sure that they would recommend against that due to the increased leverage of their long handlepost on that bike.

maddy13

I didn't ask them. The seat works awesome between the low standover and swept back handlebars.

I don't actually hit my knees on the seat. The seat doesn't feel low. I was guessing it was pushing the extra weight uphill without the ability to climb out of the saddle, but that can't be changed, and the seat can. I'll mess with it a bit.

Mainly I was asking if others have run into this.

FBinNY 

I agree with Nightdiver.

Forget about it being a cargo bike. You have no issues riding other bikes, yet do with this one. So think about the SPECIFIC differences. Saddle height, saddle for/aft position with respect to the bottom bracket. Pedal separation (Q-factor), possibly a bent crank or pedal spindle, etc.

Of those, I suspect that the most likely factor is the fore/aft saddle position vs. the BB, so start by dropping a plumb on each bike.

Other more subtle factors may also matter. For example, you might normally stand for those high torque first few stokes starting from a stop, or to top a short hill instead of shifting. If the cargo bike makes that harder, you might not, and those harder pushes while seated may be the issue.

CliffordK

I have a wide Q-Factor on my cargo bike which I find bothersome. At least that is what I think. But that shouldn't be a problem with the Bike Friday.

Balance and standing sounds like an interesting issue. I know when I get my old road bike loaded down, I have to train myself to keep the bike perfectly vertical when doing standing hill climbs, but your child carrier may limit you a bit from even that. Is it a balance issue, flex issue, or size/position issue?

An interesting experiment might be to see how your balance changes if you lengthened the top tube.

maddy13

I have the frame all the way extended back to allow for the seat, and I'm 5'1, so that may be the issue.

I've actually thought about having a dropper post installed to have easier dismounts. It sounds funny, but that may actually be necessary if I need to move the frame in to fit properly.

fietsbob

Maybe because you have to ride bowlegged to clear the baby seat, with your legs?

It will get better when the baby seat is behind you, and you can bring your knees closer together again.