Conference noted::bicycle

    I've had this problem several times before. Have you been running a lot
    this winter?  If you have been, and your running shoes are worn out,
    they may have screwed up your knee so that it's used to their
    (mis-)alignment.  When you get back on the "correctly" aligned bicycle,
    your knee complains. 
    
    The remedy is to stop doing whatever screwed up your knee in the
    first place, and take it easy.  
    
    MATT

    	I haven't been running or anything else. I am out of shape and
    was in shape last year when I had my cleats aligned. Does the position
    of the cleat change?                                                      
                                                                 
    Tom

    I've also had the same problem with a mag-trainer.  I usually ride
    a 52-16 spinning about 105-115 with the trainer on the highest level.
    I believe that my problem is that my calf muscles aren't used to
    the strain of the higher cadence (I only spin about 95-105 on the
    road right now without any knee problems); I think this is the problem
    because I also notice the muscles on the front of my calfs start
    to cramp, and my knee pain is at the tendons where these muscles
    attach to the knee.  Whatever my problem is, it goes away after
    riding easy for about 2-5 minutes, so i'm not to worried about it.
    
    Paul Dunn
    

    	I have no pain at all on the knee when in motion. It hurts	
    when I sit for a while then move it, also it hurts to press on the
    exact spot it hurts. My quess is that I strained a tendon, over doing
    it by pushing too hard to start.
    
     I just don't want an alignment problem grinding my knee apart.
    
    Tom

< Note 535.4 by XCELR8::DELORIEA >

>     I just don't want an alignment problem grinding my knee apart.
    
Tom,

   Have you checked to make sure the cleat hasn't moved for some reason?  It 
can happen.  Also, is the temperature in the room you're riding in much colder 
than you're accustomed to?  I ride my trainer in the basement and its a lot
colder (there's no heat in the basement).  When I first started riding down 
there, my knee bothered me a bit, so I put an electric heater down there and
turn it on a while before I go down to work out.  My knee hasn't bothered me 
(I have no idea if there's a relationship here), but my electric bill has 
gotten worse (definite relationship here!).

Good luck,

Kevin

	I went to talk to a doctor about my knee and as soon as I told
    him about the position of the pain he knew what the problem was.
    It seems that after a certain age if you don't keep on an exercise
    program, your muscles will start to degenerate. So not exercising
    for a year then trying to do what I could do, made a little muscle
    strain to do a big muscles job and got a tear in it. He said to
    take it easy for awhile then to do leg lifts or leg extensions.
    This will build that muscle up so it won't strain.
    
    	So the good news is that my knee is fine. It's just the weak
    muscles around the knee that need TLC.
       
    	Tom 

    Interesting.  I have been following this because I also picked up
    a mag trainer several weeks ago & one morning woke up with a
    "bum knee".  After limping around work all day, I went home & got
    on the trainer & spun for 30 minutes on the lowest setting.  It
    felt great afterwards and hasn't bothered me since!
    
    BTW, what was that certain age after which the muscles are suppose
    to degenerate?  I had my old family doctor tell me when I reached 40
    that it was time to start slowing down so I could live longer. 
    Since then, I've found another Doctor whose advice for a better
    old age is (a four letter word): MOVE
    

    RE .7	what was that certain age which muscles are suppose
    to degenerate?
    	
    	I asked the same question. I'm only 25, but according to the
    Doc the older you get the faster you loose tone. I wish I didn't
    push so hard to start then I would have only gotten sore, not injuries 
    Now if I ride it gets worse even on the lowest setting. I'll have
    to see what happens after I rest it and start again with touring
    shoes. Maybe its a combination of both out of shape and cleat
    alignment. 
    		
    	I'll let you know what happens
    	
    	Tom

    	Well I said I would let you know what happened, here it is...
    After doing leg extentions and preses for a couple of months my
    knee didn't hurt while on the MAG-trainer, but as soon as I got
    out on the street, back came the knee pain. Still thinking it might
    be cleat position I loosened the cleat and rode around, but the
    knee still hurt. I tightened the cleat where it felt good and brought
    it to the bike shop where I had myself FIT_KITed, only to find it
    was the same exact spot they where first fitted. I told the owner
    my problem and he asked if I had been using the large chain ring.
    I told him Yes. He told me to ride on the small ring for a while
    to see if the pain goes away. Well thats all it was I was trying
    to ride too hard and pushing(90-95rpm) instead of spinning. I have
    been commuting to work the last couple weeks (20miles a day) on the
    small chain ring with no pain at all. A plus out of this is my cadence
    has increased to 104-110 and I spin circles instead of squares.
                                            
      Tom