MemRiverman

Newbie rider here. 67 and been riding 50-75 miles a week since mid March (pandemic and gyms closed). My left knee is now bothering me for over a week. Doesn't bother me walking or even riding--maybe a little stiff. I get a sharp pain when I kneel down on it a certain way. Sometimes even when I just bend it all the way back. I can press below the knee cap in the right spot and get a sharp pain. Suggestions? Should I worry about riding and making it worse or is more of a nonsense pain that it is k to do whatever you want as long as you can tolerate the pain.

Barry2 

I’m 57 and came back to cycling in December 2019. Left knee was a big issue. It would force two days rest between Easy going 10 mile rides.
I went for a bike fit. Turns out my left foot turns outwards and my cleats were stopping the foot pointing in the direction it would like.
Among other adjustments, my left cleat got a twist, knee cured. Not cheap, but the best $300 I’ve spent on my bike.
I was so happy (and surprised) I went back a couple weeks after the fit and left a big tip!

YMMV

All the best

Barry

AdkMtnMonster

Could be a little patellar tendonitis or even bursitis. Make sure your saddle is at the proper height and that you’re not trying to push too big of a gear at a slow cadence. Both of this can cause knee pain, as well as lots of other things, as noted above.

The Big Wheel

When peddling how high does your thigh go? Does it go past horizontal when you peddle all the way up?

berner

When I ride behind other cyclists I sometimes notice their legs flopping laterally quite a bit. Unless there is a structural defect, legs should pump straight up and down. I have a troublesome knee that flops to the inside brushing the top tube. I've corrected this with a wedge under the cleat and arch support inside the shoe. That is one possibility. Another is wrong saddle heigth. Check this with you tube videos on bike fit. Also you may be doing to much too soon. Try backing off on the miles for several weeks. Or it could be some combination of the above.

Try to illiminate these possibilities one at a time.

boriska00

Interesting insight about the high gears. I've been riding around with my kids and just selecting the highest gear possible for more effort while going slowly with them. Guess what, I felt some weirdness with my knee and was wondering what's going on!

JayKay3000

I think the modern consensus is to spin rather than grind. Your knees won't thank you for putting too much strain on them in too hard a gear. The pros have moved toward spinning up hills rather than grinding. Grinding out of the saddle may be OK for you if you have the stamina!

Check your seat height in 2 seconds:

>Sit on the seat in your riding position by leaning against something to hold you up while stationary
>Move one of your pedals to its lowest position
>Put your heel on the pedal
>Check your leg is straight
>If there is a bend in your knee with your heel in this position raise your saddle till it's straight. Be careful not to raise it too high as over extension is as bad as too much under extension.

Slightspeed

I have knee issues from a couple of crashes, plus being 70 years old. I used to ride behind riders with legs that were not parallel to the rotational pedal direction. When I saw a picture of myself, I was one of those guys, too. Since then, I've added Kneesaver pedal extenders, which moved my pedals outward from the crank arms, about 1". I also use shoe inserts with wedges that alter the foot angle to help with foot numbness. On the bike I rarely ever notice knee pain, and the numbness is greatly improved. Like somebody said, a bike fit should also help, but these changes worked for me. I have permanent knee damage, so walking really hurts at times, but on the bike its all good now.

Kneesavers with modern SPD pedals. These are about 1", they come in other lengths too.

They also help avoid toe straps rubbing on the pedal arms with toe clips.