Quote Originally Posted by pooks View Post
...and the guy said that there was only one thing to adjust that would affect his knee -- the seat stem height. (We don't have clips or clipless -- just flat pedals.)

Could that be right? If it is, then I guess the only thing to do is just fiddle with the seat height and see if we can get it more comfortable.

The guy did talk about how the leg should be extended when the pedal is on its lowest point of the revolution, etc. I'm just wondering if the height of the seat truly is the only thing that would impact the stress on my husband's knee.
From what I've read/been told, seat fore/aft position and foot position on the pedal have a lot of effect on both knee comfort and power transfer on the pedal stroke. The ball of your foot should ideally be over the pedal spindle and the bottom of your knee-cap should also be over the pedal spindle (and over the ball of your foot). Seat height is probably the first thing most people think of, but your DH might want to consider having the fore/aft position checked against where he usually puts his foot on the pedal.


One suggestion about fittings that I didn't think to make in my original post is that it's probably a good idea to ride the bike for a while before going for a serious fitting. That way, you've got an idea of specific issues to address. And I would imagine it's a good idea to get re-fit every couple of years to continue adapting your bike to your body.