Knee pain

Try a bike fit my friend,also have you been well wrapped up for winter rides,many years ago my TT partner got a bad dose of tendenitis in his knees caused by not making sure he was covered up.

Get a bike fit done. I went through months of trying to get my set up done correctly myself, using various methods, websites etc. All resulting in any pain I had just moving from place to place. Got the bike fit done... bingo... no more pain anywhere, feel much more confident when out and feel that my technique has improved vastly since getting the fit.

Might very well be that your intercostal band is too tight. This is the group of muscles and tendons that runs from the outside of your hip down to the outside of your knee. It's really difficult to stretch normally, but if you buy a foam roller you can do exercises that really, really help. It's sorted my knee out quite well.

Exactly the same problem I had late last year - saw a sports physio specialising in cycling who diagnosed I had over trained certain muscles which were pulling my knee cap out of alignment - a bit of rest then lots of one legged squats and my knee is now fine.

One thing to bear in mind also is the use of compression leggings - do you only get it in the colder months - apparently they can pull the knee cap slightly to one side if not put on correctly which is also a common cause for knee pain.

The wives tale used to be if you get knee pain at the side the saddles too high, at the front it's too low . You can check by measuring your knee angle when pedal is at the bottom, or just raise saddle a cm and see if it helps.
Sounds like patella tendinitis/osis (which I get as well) takes ages to clear up as there's very little blood flow there. Keeping a high cadence should help as its high power at low revs that hurts it.

M520s should give plenty of float, just loosen off the spring tension bolt if you need to. Check your cleats are set up right too to ensure that you are pedalling in a nice straight vertical plane.

Bike fit could well be worth a try. You could also look ot the cleat position. Stand normally and look at the angle of your geet. Then compare that to the angle of your feet when clipped in. They should be about the same. Often people clip in at 90% to the bike frame placing unnatural stress on the knee

Before splashing the cash on a bike fit try setting yourself up. I find this youtube video pretty good. Get somebody to help you but I find you can do it on your own.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAl_5e7bIHk

Lots of people swear by bike fits and it seems fashionable to say they are essential. A good bike fit is of course essential but not necessarily going to the length they go to at these £200 assessments. I think they should be a last resort once you've tried setting up the bike yourself.

Take a look at Steve Hogg's website for some useful information on saddle position.

Have you checked that your seat is in the same position relative to your pedals ie set back & height because if it is different that could be the problem.

Check:

Bike fit (seat height, fore and aft), your leg should have a slight bend with the pedal at the lowest point and your knee should be straight over your toes at the horizontal point.

Weight, how much you weigh could factor in.

Cadence, do you push a large gear slowly?

Float, perhaps increasing float on your pedals would allow more freedom for your knees.

Pain management - Ibuprofen will reduce any inflammation in the knee reducing pain for your ride.