sore knee

[Roadrunner]

Since going clipless my left knee has been getting more and more sore when I ride.I have noticed that the left foot does float a little and am going to tighten the left peddle a bit. Should this help? My knee is a bit swollen on the inside of the leg and I don't think I could ride at the moment which sucks. My right knee is a little sore but nothing like the left one.(no float in right peddle).

[DeniseGoldberg]

Are you sure the position of the cleat on your shoe is right? It is possible that the little bit of float you described is contributing to the problem, but it's also possible that has nothing to do with it. While some folks need their feet locked in place, my knees are much happier with totally free float pedals (I use Speedplay Frogs) - but we're all different.

Your knees shouldn't be sore at all... Did you have a fitting when you put the cleats on your shoes? If you didn't, I'd recommend that you do that. Of course at this point it also sounds like your knee needs some rest and possibly some treatment, maybe PT.

Good luck, and keep us posted!
--- Denise

[singletrackmind]

This was posted by someone earlier-
http://www.cptips.com/knee.htm
I've found it very interesting and am currently looking for pedals with more float for my knees. I'm also concentrating on spinning circles instead of mashing to save what I've got left.

I am NOT by any means an expert, nor do I play one on tv, but knee pain with the addition of clipless pedals means a need to adjust things. Cleat position, float, something.

[julbee]

Sorry to hear you are having knee pain.

I have "wrecked" knees from many years of playing basketball, running, etc., along with a "predisposition" for osteoarthritis.

I have to walk with a cane or a crutch much of the time due to knee pain and stiffness.

However, I can bike. I had taken Denise's advice on the speedplay frogs and had coupled that with additional research. I am using the speedplays which have maximum float. My knees are very happy! They are less painful and more functional than they have been in years!

Zinn, in his book on bike maintainence, identifies speedplay frogs as one of the pedals with the most float.

At the same time, many attest to less float as the key to less knee pain!

Another major factor in knee pain is the overall "fit" of the bike! If you haven't had an extensive "fitting," I'd highly recommend it! My "fitting" lasted 1.5 hours and they had even watched to see just how my knees were "tracking." (Sometimes they recommend "shims" if the knees are not tracking well.) My "tracking" greatly improved with the addition of the speedplays... which meant this was likely to be a good choice for me.

I wish you luck in solving your knee problem.
Keep us posted!