It's really annoying but my rubbish knees appear to be ending my mountain biking hobby. For the last 4/5 years every Spring when I try something even slightly ambitious with longer rides one or both picks up a strain or swells up with fluid then I'm off the bike for upto 6 weeks. I take it easy for a bit then again pick up an injury. I'd love to have a go at something challenging like racing or a week in the Alps but I can't see it happening.

What I'm doing at moment
– always keep knees covered (well nearly always)
– knee strengthening exercises recomended by physio
– try to use low gears.

Has anyone other suggestions?

bell off doing xc adventures and do some DH racing and alpine trips instead. this way pedalling won't be such an issue.

DH racing! I'm too chicken. Its XC stuff I want to do. mmm uplifts and lazy Alpine alpine descents sound nice though.

what pedals are you using ?

I thought i'd have to stop cycling – bought some Crank brothers smarties and my news have been fince since,

Shimano pedals wreck my knees…

Agree with Justa, what pedals and float are you using? Would recommend atac/quartz for the float.
Also what frame material? I have a bad knee and had real problems on alu frames. Now have steel and carbon frames and both are much easier on the knees.

Andy

I use flats. My knees are fine.

get some surgery
mine used to swell/pain
had an arthroscopy 4 years ago, cleaned up some ragged edges on my meniscus, im now like a spring chicken…..sort of
no knee problems now anyway

mmm I'm a bit scared of surgery but presumably an arthroscopy could just be them having a check and not a scrape around. I wonder what the risks are of surgery?

Pedals – yup I use topend SPDs on my carbon hardtail and alu full sus and can't ride fast on flats. I tried Time atac pedals a decade ago; I found the float nice but getting out of them hard. I thought then that I'm more likely to sprain something bailing out on a crash. I haven't tried crank bros pedals, how do they help you Justa?

Nobody's mentioned the most obvious thing yet – does your bike fit you?

Having your seat too low is the quickest route to knee pain I can think of.

I know what you mean about not going fast on flats, but I have really found they give me a lot less problems with my knee… Have tried SPD's (terrible!) and some pretty loose Crank bro's but the flats are best and, importantly keep me riding (if a little slower!)

spd's=give up riding through shagged knees.
flats=keep riding.

I have two bad knees, skiing accident and 'worn out' according to the quacks, ditch the shimano SPD's, I hate flats so use time ATAC's and my knees are no worse than they would be, but with shimano's I couldn't ride . . .

mike – i think they help because they have more float – i.e your feet can move about quite a bit in your pedals – shimano hold your feet more rigidly

someone will probably make that a bit clearer !

I'm really reluctant to try flats so will try the crank bros / other pedals.
Yup bike fits allthough I've had badly fitting bikes in the past because they were " bargains"

thanks for the posts