# Sore knees riding my hardtail



## PT Ryder (May 20, 2020)

Usually I ride a FS 29in bike. My past couple rides I’ve taken out my old 26in HT on some pretty smooth trails. During the ride I feel fine but as soon as I get off my bike my knees start to feel sore. I also ride a road bike without issue. 

I’ve read a couple threads stating that you ride a HT different from a FS. I don’t think I ride the bikes differently. Thoughts on whether not riding differently may be causing the knee pain?


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Probably has a lot different geo. Road bike is 29 wheels and hardtail.


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## rlee (Aug 22, 2015)

I ride both my HT and dually a lot. I ride them both a little differently It is really noticeable when I spend a bunch of time on one them switch for a big ride.
If you are only riding a couple times a week stay on your dually for anything other than a beer run.
I don't think this is the cause of your knee pain. From experience I would agree that the geo is the culprit. The move to steep seat angles took me a long time for my knees to get used to. I would guess going to a slack angle would cause the same effect.


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

Look at the seat height and fore/aft position.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

My knees were getting sore when riding one of my hardtails, even though they are all set up the same. I finally realized that the seatpost was slipping down on that bike and a 1 cm difference in height was making a world of difference. Installing the seatpost with some grip paste has solved the issue for me. I just have to raise the post a bit when I am riding in my thick-soled winter boots to maintain the same height and knee extension.


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## PT Ryder (May 20, 2020)

Thanks for the thoughts. I’ll have to look up the geo on my old HT to see what the differences may be. Will also try raising the seat although I don’t understand that recommendation.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

My seat height has to be mm perfect. Too low and my left thigh burns, too high, and my right knee burns.... I suspect I have slightly different leg lengths. 

My call, the hardtail seat is too high. 

Of course, also look at spd position, fore/aft seat position, and crank length. 

Pedal thickness also makes a difference particularly. What are the variances between the bikes?


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## 2021Mach6 (Jan 19, 2021)

PT Ryder said:


> Usually I ride a FS 29in bike. My past couple rides I’ve taken out my old 26in HT on some pretty smooth trails. During the ride I feel fine but as soon as I get off my bike my knees start to feel sore. I also ride a road bike without issue.
> 
> I’ve read a couple threads stating that you ride a HT different from a FS. I don’t think I ride the bikes differently. Thoughts on whether not riding differently may be causing the knee pain?


That's normal, as long as it's soreness and not a sharp pain. You're using different parts of your muscles. Could be seat height but I'm sure you already checked that. Keep pedaling, you'll be fine!


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

I swapped seats once and put the new one one about 1/2" difference slid one way in the rails. Was enough to cause knee pain when I never have knee pain after riding.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk


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## LewisQC (Jul 3, 2013)

PT Ryder said:


> Thanks for the thoughts. I’ll have to look up the geo on my old HT to see what the differences may be. Will also try raising the seat although I don’t understand that recommendation.


I think it was just a personal experience to point to you that it's only a positioning problem. When you have pain on one bikes and none with another one, it's just a setup problem. Can be seat height (too high or to low), position/angle of your leg in relation to pedal, etc... Somebody competent in bike fit could solve your problem, or you can just compare your bikes to see if something is different in setup. Being a hardtail or a 26ers has nothing to do with your pain if you ride on mellow trail...


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## thegolffather (Mar 12, 2021)

Shark said:


> Look at the seat height and fore/aft position.
> 
> Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

PT Ryder said:


> Will also try raising the seat although I don’t understand that recommendation.


After years of riding bikes with my saddle at a certain height, last year I decided to reposition all my bikes' saddles down just a little bit.
'Lower COG,' I thought. 'Plus more aerodynamic on the road.'
After a couple months I realized my knees were bothering me. They'd never hurt before.
I raised my saddles back up.
Adios knee pain.
One rider's experience.
=sParty


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## thegolffather (Mar 12, 2021)

My son also pointed this out to me that my saddle was too low and it was too far forward. he set me up and all the pain in my legs and knees are gone...


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

Sparticus said:


> After years of riding bikes with my saddle at a certain height, last year I decided to reposition all my bikes' saddles down just a little bit.
> 'Lower COG,' I thought. 'Plus more aerodynamic on the road.'
> After a couple months I realized my knees were bothering me. They'd never hurt before.
> I raised my saddles back up.
> ...


Spinning in the wrong spot is bad... I'm pretty picky about my saddle to pedal length, I notice if it's off pretty quickly.


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## defdes (Aug 21, 2018)

Sore knees can be from tight hips, and cycling is known for tightening.


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## dysfunction (Aug 15, 2009)

defdes said:


> Sore knees can be from tight hips, and cycling is known for tightening.


Agreed, but he should have the same issue on his road bike and full squish then too.


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## nauc (Sep 9, 2009)

id try and match your hardtail cockpit geo to your fs bike. example, get your seat height right, fore/aft right etc

id also make sure you do something like this 2-3 times a week. the workout takes about 12-15 minutes


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## PT Ryder (May 20, 2020)

OP here: just to provide an update on this issue I was having. I just decided to get a new HT and knee issues went away!


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

PT Ryder said:


> OP here: just to provide an update on this issue I was having. I just decided to get a new HT and knee issues went away!


Knee issues disappeared the moment you made the decision to buy a new hardtail? Awesome! 
Let us know whenever you collect your new bike! 
=sParty


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## PT Ryder (May 20, 2020)

Sparticus said:


> Knee issues disappeared the moment you made the decision to buy a new hardtail? Awesome!
> Let us know whenever you collect your new bike!
> =sParty


LOL. I can see how you read it that way. I’ve had the new HT for about a month now and about 10 rides. No sore knees!


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## Sparticus (Dec 28, 1999)

PT Ryder said:


> LOL. I can see how you read it that way. I’ve had the new HT for about a month now and about 10 rides. No sore knees!
> 
> View attachment 1982433


It's gorgeous!
Have fun!
=sParty


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