Ouch! Pain in knees

[RinTin]

I have a newby question - I went on my first 50 mile ride last weekend and am now having some pain in back of my knees. It doesn't hurt to walk, but it is painful to go up or down stairs. I am in fairly good physical condition, and have completed a few 30+ mile rides this summer. Any advice? Should I lower my seat? What causes "back of knee" pain? Any advice would be appreciated!!

[Veronica]

What kind of cadence were you doing? If you were doing a lot of mashing (spinning slowly in a high gear) that could cause pain.

V.

[annie]

I've always heard if it hurts in the front of your leg/knee, your saddle is too low. If it hurts in the back of your leg/knee, the saddle is too high. It's a generalization, but at least it's a starting point. Here's a couple of questions to think about: When your foot is at the bottom of your pedal stroke, is your leg so fully extended that your knee is almost locked out? When you pedal at a high cadence, do you notice your hips rocking back and forth at all? If either of those things, your saddle is definitely too high. Even if not, I would try lowering the saddle by a small amount. You don't ever want to make a big change. Maybe go 1/4-1/2 inch, but no more and see if that helps. And as Veronica said, don't mash those pedals. Spin at a higher cadence and use all those nice gears on your bike. Good luck!

annie