Reply #232: Quite often, knee pain on a bike can be caused by improper saddle height. [View All]

[Spike from MN]

The rule of thumb is that if the pain is in the front of the knee, raise the saddle. If it's in the back, lower it.

The most common fit issue I see with casual riders is that they have the seat too low which puts a lot of strain on the knee. Proper bike fit can be crucial to avoiding injury and should be done by a competent person that knows how to fit a bike. The "stand over the frame to see if you have enough clearance" that a lot of shops do is woefully inadequate. Proper bike fitting is a lot more involved. Most good bike shops can do it but it's important to make sure the person knows what s/he is doing. (Trust me, just because a shop has the "Fit Kit" system doesn't mean they know how to use it.) There's tons of info on the web regarding proper bike fit for those that want to look into it to try to get an idea as to whether or not their setup is correct.

Not saying this will solve your problem JD. Just putting the info out there in case it can help anyone.