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knee pain.. do I need pedal extenders

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  • February 1, 2013 at 1:05 pm #17837
    Sensible

    After getting my new road bike at Christmas I got road shoes and pedals (spd sl) both are Shimano. Previously only had a mountain bike with platform pedals. Went on a 29 mile ride with them for the first time. I have bit of knee pain on the outside of both knees. I think I am a bit duck footed and need to angle the cleat so that my feet point out a bit. The problem is that if I do that my heels will hit the crank arms and I already have the cleats as far over towards the bike as possible to try and give me extra room.

    I am now thinking that I need pedal extenders to bring my pedals out a bit. I have seen some 18 and 20mm one on the net. Does anyone have experience with extenders. Will this have any adverse effect on my bike (Giant TCR Advanced with Ultera compact chaining)

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  • February 1, 2013 at 2:19 pm #714307
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    bashthebox

    There’s a million and one
    There’s a million and one reasons for knee pain, and it’s a – ha – pain to sort it out.

    I’ve got recurring knee pain which is probably due to tight muscles and tendons pulling on my kneecap. I use a foam roller to stretch as much as I can.

    Beyond that, it’s most likely cleat and saddle position/height that will cause it. That and pushing too big a gear.

    February 1, 2013 at 2:15 pm #714305
    0
    TheHatter

    Consider Speedplay pedals –
    Consider Speedplay pedals – probably not what you want to hear when you’ve just got new pedals but they give more movement than most.

    February 1, 2013 at 2:04 pm #714303
    0
    Bobbys boys

    I had knee pain on every
    I had knee pain on every single ride for a couple of months then had some advice from a club mate:

    Stretch your quads. Pull heel to bum by grabbing your foot, keep knees together, pelvis forward and back straight. Hold the stretch for at least 45 seconds to 1 min. Do this hourly to start with and keep it up for a week. After that, a stretch every day should suffice.

    It really worked for me – what have you got to lose – give it a try 😉

    February 1, 2013 at 1:53 pm #714301
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    NormanStanley

    Hi,
    I’ve never heard of pedal
    Hi,

    I’ve never heard of pedal extenders and personally would think long and hard before adding anything to my bike. Having some knee pain is not unusual though it’s more likely due to cleat position though there are other things you can do like have insoles – eSoles do some very good ones that come with 4 different sizes of arch support. As you’re duck footed as you say the height of your arch could play a part too.

    I can see why, logically you would lead to the conclusion of pedal extenders though there are other more adjustable and cheaper things. Getting your cleat position right for one isn’t the easiest thing in the world.

    Anyway, I am a big fan of a bike fitter in Australia called Steve Hogg. The articles on his blog are very informative and he likes sharing what he knows and he knows a lot about our bodies and for me this helped make him credible when I first came across him. I went to a bike fitter called the Bike Whisperer, in Ealing who flew themselves out to Steve for training and got my knee problems solved. I’ve listed some relevant links for you below and the comments are worth reading as he often exchanges answers with people about their own difficulties there.

    Try this article for cleat position:

    POWER TO THE PEDAL – CLEAT POSITION

    This one on knee pain:

    KNEE PAIN

    Bike position including cleat and arch support and more:

    THE ANATOMY OF POSITION

    Craig

    February 1, 2013 at 1:38 pm #714299
    0
    TrekBikesUK

    Hi there.
    It’s unlikely that
    Hi there.

    It’s unlikely that you need to extend the pedals, but you more than likely do need to have your cleat position adjusted. Switching to clipless pedals can sometimes take 3 or 4 rides to sort your cleat position out.

    Ideally, taking your bike in to a shop to have them align your cleats as part of a fitting is the best thing to do.

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