Cycling Knee pain has a number of potential causes.

A thick band of fibrous tissue (iliotibial band) runs on the outside of the leg from the hip to the knee. When cyclists start a training program, they tend to ride a little fast. As a result the band becomes tight and rubs over the bony surfaces of the knee causing knee pain. If you are inclined to push to excessively high gears while cycling, it could lead to discomfort in the calf muscles causing cycling knee pain.

Weak quadriceps (muscles in the legs) can also be responsible for cycling knee pain. We use these muscle groups to straighten our knees when pumping our legs whilst cycling or going upstairs. The short section of the tendon below the kneecap is prone to inflammation. This can be caused by doing a lot of cycling. The position of the knee is determined by your anatomy. Ideally, your knees will be directly over the pedals while cycling. But if you are bow-legged, your knees will tend to be off from the top tube. This puts a strain on your knee and may injure the ligaments and tendons in the knee joint.

You have to adjust the saddle height to suit your anatomy. If the height of the saddle is not at the correct level for your height, you are likely to experience cycling knee pain. You may also experience pain if the crank on your bike is too long.

The height of the seat needs to be adjusted to suit your knee and may ease the pressure. If the seat is too low, stress is placed on the knee below the patella. If the seat is too high, pain may develop behind the knee. This can lead to cycling knee pain.

While riding a bicycle your hips should not rock back and forth. Saddles that are towards the back make the cyclist reach for the pedal thereby stretching the iliotibial band and causing cycling knee pain.

You can reduce the discomfort of cycling knee pain to a great extent by strengthening the quadriceps muscles (which run along the front of the thigh and stabilize the kneecap). Avoid repeated bending of the knees which causes damage to the tissue behind the patella (kneecap). You can also reduce the incidence of cycling knee pain if you widen the stance on the pedal when you next go on a cycling trip.