Originally Posted by
Wattsup
Thanks. I put flats on the trainer today and didn't have the problem. Outdoors I always ride flats on a Shimano XT groupset. I think the wider q-factor helped me there...175mm. On the trainer, the q-factor is 150mm. I think that's part of the problem. I nudged by feet about 15mm off-center on the wide flat pedal today, and I had no knee issue. I'm going to purchase a pedal extenders. and see how it goes.
I can appreciate the idea of doing some off-the-bike training to work other muscles....I think it's generally a good idea, as one can develop muscle imbalances anywhere...even the upper body. Cycling is a pretty artificial activity, unlike walking, i think it promotes imbalances.
I listened to a TrainerRoad podcast a few months ago and they were discussing how some riders are far more sensitive to bike fit than others. Some people can just ride in pretty much any position, while others have to be in a very small window (a few mm off and they have issues). One of the coaches suggested that some of this "sensitivity" may stem from lack of mobility i.e. simply not doing enough off-bike strength and mobility work. So his suggestion was to work on mobility off the bike to become less sensitive to small positional changes on the bike. I think this makes a fair bit of sense. For whatever reason I've always been insensitive to things like Q-factor and saddle height (within reason), but I do make an effort to do off-bike training and other sports. I do think it makes a difference. I never even notice the Q-factor difference between my mtb, road bikes and trainer. But I do set my cleats slightly toe-out because that's how my feet naturally stand. I use Shimano +4 mm extended pedals so my heels don't rub the cranks.