I had a motorcycle accident eighteen years ago and as a result I have developed osteoarthritis in my knees. Exercise is supposed to be good for arthritis and it seems to me that unicycling is giving my knees a thorough workout.
I have been practicing idling on my KH20, which has the saddle set lower than my KH24, and found it quite painful on the knees - anyone else notice this? Anyone got any tips for arthritis?
I went through a period of knee pain when I first started riding. Having the seat up high helps. You should be able to idle with the seat up higher. Idling and riding backwards is harder on me. I suppose that’s because I’m more tense.
After some time the knee pain just went away. Now I lower my seat for off road and I can feel the difference in my knees, but I’m not having the pain I used to. I too have arthritis but mostly in my right elbow. That sucker hurts all the time. Unicycling has really helped my hips and lower back from arthritis. It isn’t perfect but it’s better. Aging sucks.
Thanks mbalmer, I think my creeky knees are a red herring, the knee pain is muscular caused by upping my uncycling in the past couple of weeks - since I discovered I can do distance ten days ago I have completed around 35 miles. I then come home and get on the trials uni to practice a bit of hopping, idling and riding backwards and wonder why my knees are complaining!
This morning I did the hill at the top of the road six times for a bit of interval training and am feeling much better - I think I’ve turned the corner and my muscles are getting used to it. Unicycling just seems to hit the muscle that rounds over the knee.
I also put a brake on my uni for the downhills. That really helped. Now, 2 years later, I can go downhill without using the brake most of the time. It’s there in case I am on something very steep or just want to preserve my energy for the climb coming up. It took awhile for my muscles to develop. So far so good (knock wood).
Excellent advice - I was looking at a steep downhill yesterday and wimped out - made me wonder about fitting a brake.
Crank length and knee pain, etc.
Hello saddlepunk and mbalmer,
I have noticed my knees are affected by the longer cranks on the 24" more so than the shorter cranks on the 20". The 20" cranks are 125s, and the 24" cranks are about an inch longer which puts the total pedal length difference at about 2 inches.
I keep thinking I should put shorter cranks on the 24", but I am reluctant to tamper with the unicycle.
Do you have any comments about whether shorter cranks might be kinder to the knees?
I’ve read quite a bit about crank length, but I still question the wisdom of fooling with the cranks… and I question whether my control would be greatly affected by the shorter cranks on the 24". I certainly don’t need to lose any control just yet.
Thanks for letting me in on the “knee problem” conversation!
I’ve got 150s on the 24, 137s on the 20 and I have just bought a pair of 165s to try on the 24 to see if they help with the hills around here - I’ll give them all a go on the 24 on the road up and down some hills and let you know.
Don’t be affraid to change the setup of you unicycle - it’s unique to you.
Shorter cranks make you bend your leg less which puts less stress on the knee, but on hills you have to push harder which could put more pressure on the knee.
W/ med-short cranks I don’t know which is worse. But w/ long cranks and low seat (ie for Muni) bending your leg more than 90 degrees definitely puts more stress on the knee.
When learning I had issues w/ knee pain. I realized I was because I was putting my knees to the inside, and when I rode w/ them straight, no pain. It took a couple of weeks consciously pulling my knees out before it became automatic for normal riding. On really difficult sections I often find myself putting my knees in, but then they go back to neutral almost immediately.
Longer cranks will make learning hills easier to learn and do. Although many people feel that 165 is too long on a 24, so they may they get little use when you get stronger and learn to climb. You could then use them on a bigger wheel.
I like long cranks on my Muni (170’s) Overall I’d prefer 165’s if they’d fit, but I wouldn’t want anything shorter on that uni.
I tried 165’s on my 24 this morning. It felt very strange, like taking bigger strides - you wouldn’t think there was much difference between 150’s and 165’s, but they are chalk and cheese.
I didn’t notice any effect on my knees, but I was able to climb a hill that I was unable to with the 150’s. For what it’s worth, I think hills are all about technique and fitness (no shit sherlock) - the better my balance gets, the better I am at hills - then the limiting factor is my pounding heart and burning lungs. If you can keep your cadence up then the balance is easy, when the cadence drops you start wobbling and struggling, eventually falling forwards or dropping off the back. The difference the 165’s made was that they allowed me to keep my cadence up for longer than the 150’s.
I find the 165s to be more tiring in the long run. I do like the stability they offer. I used them on my 36" to get used to climbing steeper stuff. Now I am back to the 150s and it’s just as doable and less tiring. I moved the 165s to my geared unicycle because I need as much stability as I can get. It’s a more difficult beast and the 165s really help. I look forward to changing back to the 150s or even using the 137s that are on the 165 cranks. My favorite are the 125s, but I’m not strong enough for 125s on the 36" when climbing. 125s on my 29" can climb everything I ride (road). I now have 150s on the 29 for off road. The first few rides with the 125s on the 29" were really difficult for me. It’s just another welcomed challenge.