^ No brakes. Trying to do a decent skid stop but still a bit nervous about ‘humping the stem’. Using legs to reduce spin and able to do lots of little hop skidding things…
Sorry make that 6 weeks after surgery and riding now for 4.
I’m a nurse and have a fairly good idea of what I can and can’t do, should and shouldn’t do.
My rehab was perfect and my surgeon was really happy with the results…me too!
I’m not trying to be a hero. I just knew it’d be fine and it has been.
The surgery was laproscopic but they still have to make a decent hole to harvest a hamstring tendon to use as a new ACL.
I usually ride a 70km round trip two to three times a week.
I had knee problems from playing basketball a lot when I was younger (I’m 34). I haven’t had or required reconstruction but it was pretty bad. At times I would be walking and my knee would sort of give way under me and I’d feel a sharp pain.
I knew that cycling was good for the knees and about 5 months ago I bought myself a fixed gear. It came setup with a 48x16. After a couple of weeks of riding I felt that the gearing was too high. I experimented a bit with gearing and settled for a 42x17 setup. I ride regularly and I use my front brakes when I need to slow down. I never do skid stops. I honestly think that riding the fixed gear strengthened my knees or the muscles around it. I haven’t had any knee issues recently.
To summarise, I recommend a fixed gear with low gearing and usage of front brakes.
I got hit by a car about 3 months back (driver didn’t give way while turning right in front of me and I went over the bonnet). Went to hospital with intense knee pain, doctor said no damage that a few days rest couldn’t fix but it hasn’t quite been the same since. Can anyone recommend a good physio somewhere near Northcote?
+1. dom briscombe at first place for osteo, dr andrew garnham at alphington sports medicine (VIS cycling doctor), and scooter at impact massage for remedial massage (team fly V massage therapist). these men are responsible for my continuing ability to walk (most days).
Very useful topic as I am suffering some knee trouble on one knee as well and currently seeing my physio about it. Possibly caused by riding different bikes regularly with slightly different setups, running too big a gear on my track bike or hitting the hills hard a while back and ‘tweaking’ it out.
Have had the knee strapped (which seemed to help) and rehab includes extensive stretching (that I’m not so diligent at doing).
One tip: its a good idea to double check that your saddle is set to horizontal properly - I discovered my commuter fixie’s saddle sloped downwards by about 1 cm recently when I plunked a level on top of it for the first time - feels way better now that its adjusted.
I have had a few knee problems, that come and go, they are more to do with my build than riding fixed, tall skinny and inflexibile. I have had tendonitis in the left knee, and the patellar tracking issue in the right knee.
Speak to a good physio, don’t try to ride through the pain, and do the stretches/exercises is the best advice I can give. I do my routine of stretches 5-6 days a week.
I also ride a fairly low gear and use my front brake to slow and stop. Hope this helps.
My feeling is that riding a brakeless fixed gear is inherently bad for your knees.
On the other hand, if you use a front brake (or front and rear) in conjunction with your fixie, this will solve the problem. Of course, skidding with a high gear is not going to help your knees either.
yeah, its definitely not enough where im having to reach to the pedal on each rotation, but its just enough so that my legs are extended a bit more. it feels good.