My good triking matey has been grounded with knee problems due to excessive use of the knees.
I'm searching for cures and so far have only come up with Special Brew and daytime tv.
Beware the grinding up hills.

Any panaceas out there?

I'm told electrification is the answer. Shocking really.

P.S. Where I live as Yorkshire's Cultural Attaché to County Durham, 'Nee trouble!' means everything is fine!

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2011 03:30PM by Geoff.

in the meantime, something useful from Japan;
[www.youtube.com]

Oddly my knees are a bit hurty just now, possibly from riding various bikes over the SPEZI weekend which were too short for me/saddle too low.

One thing to check is for bent cranks and/or bent pedal spindle - that almost did serious damage to mine many years ago, before a friend got on my bike and instantly noticed a bent pedal. Not the easiest things to check unfortunately, barring substituting known good replacements, though various DIY methods could be thought up no doubt...

Sadly my trouble is plain wear and tear, walking is a trial whereas riding either of my trikes is normally much easier. I had a bad flair up the weekend before Bike Right and with 20/20 hindsight, which my Doctor specialises in, I should have given Bike Right a miss. As it is I'm now missing a good weekend with good friends, even though one of them is a self confessed Lancastrian! Sorry Frank your shame is public. ;-)

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.

If the problem is trike-inflicted than reduce the gearing...
1) Use lower gears and spin more.
2) Use shorter cranks forcing lower gearing/faster spin = less load per stroke.
3) Work up to longer/harder rides :)
If the problem was inflicted by other activities, well, don't be so daft! <grin>
Rob
wrhpv.com

No it's not trike inflicted. Although Robs comments could apply if I wasn't experienced and aware of other causes!

It's genetic and life style related. (I played Prop Forward as a yoof and took a lot of injuries. My Paternal Grandfather had chronic Arthritis for years, so much so he was called up as F fitness in 1917 and sent home as too unfit to serve!)

When a flair up isn't the issue I can walk for an hour or so, or ride for up to 5 hours, without a problem. More than that and it's something I'll pay for in the next few days.

All that's wrong is a flair up of an old, wear and tear, issue which I should have respected and called off my Easter treat at Bike Right. Then I would have been good for this weekend.

Unrelated I spent a couple of hours on Tuesday repairing a fence for my Father-in-Law. Lots of digging, power drilling and powered screwing of long screws into the fence and now, my hands are giving me gyp. It's a matter of doing what I can and no more, unless I'm willing to pay the price in inflamed joints and pain later.

After that it's serious pain killers plus serious anti-inflammatories. To calm things down. I'll be OK in a week or so.

It's a bugger being old. But far better than being dead!

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2011 08:08PM by Geoff.

Did you catch the Nottingham University research - showing people 'augmented reality' views of their hands stretched relieved their athritis pain drug-free...
Dunno if it works for knees...
Rob

Kneed to try it. Meanwhile I'll limp and groan.

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.

Speaking of electrification, I'm in shock! read on...

I recently started commuting to work courtesy of a Bionx electric assist, 30 miles each way through the Peak District. It shrinks the gruelling Peak District hills into rolling hills. I was skeptical and a bit of a purist but now I'm a convert. The potential for electric assist is quite staggering and shrinking my daunting commute to routinely manageable is just one application. You've only got one set of knees, how long do you want to keep cycling? Electric assist will extend the life of your knees, kick in when you're tired, help you keep up with the fitter and more able and so on.

I got lucky with the Bionx as I got a very good deal, without hindsight it seems dauntingly expensive but it's an electric assist system for cyclists that actually encourages cycling. It's quiet too and has some very clever electrickery.

Oddball

'I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.'

Yes two friends recently fitted 8Fun motors and batteries to their trikes. Very impressive, both in range and climbing assistance.
As I'm normally OK to ride, and these episodes come and go, I'm fairly sure my electric days are some way ahead. BUT It's a good solution for those who want to ride, and pedal most of the time.

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.

The Late Ron Beams told me that once he got to 95 he felt he deserved electric assist on his Trice. And he got the VAT back from his local tax office as a Class 1 Disability Aid. By staring at them.
Rob
wrhpv.com

For anyone who is interested in figures:

Bionx high torque on a Recumbent Trike with Windwrap fairing and 2 small Ortlieb panniers full of stuff. It's heavy, the Bionx adds a bit more than a stone and I'm no lightweight!

Battery is a 36V 10Ah Li Manganese, going to work is normally against prevailing wind with around 3400ft of climbing. I have to manage the battery and use the regeneration mode so I have the power where I most need it which is on the climbs.

I recharge at work (charger is transported to and fro). Coming home is 2600ft of climbing and I can be more cavalier with the battery and rarely use regen mode.

I never use assist on the flat or on small grades.

I can climb at least twice my normal trike climbing speed.

The regeneration makes for a great drag brake.

The assist is great for getting away fast at junctions or out of other tricky situations, a bit like having a superpower or a turbo.

My average speed over the journey has increased by 50% Compare this to my gains when I last put in some serious training for a holiday. I lost over a stone and my reward was an average speed increase of about 7%.

I'm presently cycling to work twice a week, I'll be increasing that to 3 times next week with the goal of my trike being my default mode of transport. I don't drive and my alternatives are hitching a ride with a colleague or a work's minibus.

I started commuting by electric assist in March, previously I was riding between 100 and 200 miles per month on my recumbents - all leisure. In March I did 300 miles followed by 520 in April and it will be more in May.

Putting the miles in commuting is building my fitness for my leisure rides on my unassisted recumbents. That's what I call a win-win with a grin-grin!

Oddball

'I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.'

I'm with you there Oddball, my situation is similar.

The extra uphill speed at reduced effort is what makes my long commute cycleable at all for me. Without assist my knees, legs and hope would all desert me long before I got to work, nevermind got back.

Up the hills assist keeps me moving enough that I'm not so tempted to pedal hard. Without assist I can feel episodes of bad judgement in my knees.

John Tetz's thoughts at [www.recumbents.com] encouraged me to come in on the low side for power in my homebrew assist. He uses a very light, small electric assist that gives just enough power to make the difference needed. I looked at the gradients on my route and some online calculators and found the minimum power I needed. It doesn't pull like a truck the way some other setups do, but it keeps me moving and helps my knees stay happy.

To me - for the knees and more, a gentle assist is the panacea.

That's interesting stuff Skyrocket, do you have details of your homebrew solution? I notice that John Tetz remarks on how noisy his system is, I do like the idea of a retrofit mid-drive system pulling the chain.

I followed a few links and ended up on a blog where a guy had put a Bionx on his WAW Velomobile, he made a good case for calling his assist an 'uphill assist' rather than an electric assist.

Oddball

'I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.'

Well today I've managed my flattest 16 miles (Only 600ft of climbing.) very gently and with only a minor ache so far! After resting it most of last week and taking the magic orange pills, as well as some serious pain killers, I'm walking OK and only limping a bit up stairs.

Like I said these flair ups do settle down, with time and treatment. Getting older is a pain at times. Literally!

"I thought of that while riding my bike." --Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity

2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail.
1951 Engine in need of partial rebuild.

Fair amount of left knee pain in last couple of years, helped by kneesavers on left side pedal and spinning lower gears. It's worse on my 'bent so tending to stick to the road bike.
Steve

Just to echo what Rob says about shorter cranks and add that Rotor Q rings had a similar effect to shorter cranks at in improving my knee comfort.

I tried 150mm cranks with round rings which had an equivalent effect (subjective of course) as Q rings with 170mm cranks.

Oddball

'I'm drinking wine and eating cheese, and catching some rays, you know.'

Oddball - I'll put some more info on my assist setup in the ebikes forum.
Roy

I'd had intermittent knee pain for several years, but after a hilly bike ride last Easter things got worse to the point where I had to cycle my daily commute one-legged for several months! Anti-inflammatory tablets, cod liver oil, glucosamine, and lots of rest didn't seem to do much good.

One 10-minute telephone appointment with an NHS physio worked wonders though (or at least, doing the exercises she gave me did). Apparently the backs of my knees were weak from too much cycling and not enough walking, so a couple of daily physio exercises to strengthen the non-cycling muscles were all that was kneeded (sorry...) - and this despite having previously been told I had cartilage damage.

My Easter ride this year (first serious bike ride since recovery) was hillier and more strenuous than the last one, but this year I had barely a twinge of knee pain.

So I can highly recommend seeing a physio early instead of just soldiering on.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 22/06/2011 01:45PM by jakevoelcker.