Old Geezer here. I am 48rys old, 6ft, 230lbs. I am also a reservist and required to pass a physical fitness test twice a year. The running has become increasingly harder to pass over the years. I have not had knee problems to this point but my doctor told me to ride for training to spare my knee's.
I ride a 15 mile very hilly loop. Due to a family tragedy I have only been bale to ride it twice a week. I increasingly have soreness in my knees. I have read several post here about similar knee problems and have considered following some of the remedies i.e. seat hight,cleat position, flatter rides and higher cadence.
The big question I have is riding inherently harder on the knee's than running. My doc say's no my friend's doc say's the opposite. He say's that cycling is the hardest on your knee's due to the extreme extension and rotation.
What is the concensus here? I have bought 2 bikes and don't want to quit riding.
Thanks
Ron

Old Geezer here. I am 48rys old, 6ft, 230lbs. I am also a reservist and required to pass a physical fitness test twice a year. The running has become increasingly harder to pass over the years. I have not had knee problems to this point but my doctor told me to ride for training to spare my knee's.
I ride a 15 mile very hilly loop. Due to a family tragedy I have only been bale to ride it twice a week. I increasingly have soreness in my knees. I have read several post here about similar knee problems and have considered following some of the remedies i.e. seat hight,cleat position, flatter rides and higher cadence.
The big question I have is riding inherently harder on the knee's than running. My doc say's no my friend's doc say's the opposite. He say's that cycling is the hardest on your knee's due to the extreme extension and rotation.
What is the concensus here? I have bought 2 bikes and don't want to quit riding.
Thanks
Ron

My knees (and feet and hips) were killing me when I ran. Only feet hurt on the bike. If you do extend your knees too far (sadlle too high), the knees will hurt. - TF

...cycling is easier on the knees than running...that is, if you have been correctly fitted to the bike (meaning that a professional fitter has checked your frame size, seat position, saddle height, stem length, and cleat position.

If you have not done that, you might try it. Not all bike shops offer this service, but any shop that offers high-end custom frames (Serotta, Seven, Waterford, etc.) should be able to help you out...look for someone who has a Serotta Size Cycle in the shop. Your profile says you're in Georgia. In the Atlanta area, I would first recommend The Bicycle Link in Buckhead and then Free Flite (Marietta). I believe that Mike's Bikes in Columbus is a Serotta dealer so they should be able to take care of you too. Bring your bike and cycling shorts; expect to spend an hour or two in the shop and around $100.

Running does have advantages over cycling: The range of motion is less restricted and it uses more muscle groups so you can get a better cardiovascular work-out faster. It's also weight bearing where cycling is not so it helps bone density (especially important for women of course).

Good Luck!!

Thanks for the reply. I actually live in the Augusta area. We have three bike shops but I dont know if any of them have the Serotta frame machine you mentioned. I will check and if not Buckhead is only 1.5hrs from here. The local shop I bought the bike from helped me with initial and some follow up adjustments but that was with sitting on my bike. It helped with my times and stability but not the knee's. Might just be soreness form muscles not used recently. I may try riding a flatter course until I can get to Buckhead. Thanks again.

Describe your knee pain in some detail regards location, onset, type of pain, etc. Better advice may result. Also, there's no reason to do hills in preparation for a running test. Cyclists have much stronger thighs than runners. You just need to build fitness and lose some weight, and riding on the flats is fine for that and easier on your knees.

The knee pain began after a couple of rides. It would set in the next day. It was mostly above the knee cap and later began to come down the inside of the knee. In time I would feel it during the ride especially during a climb (in the saddle). It is more of a sore pain and not sharp. I get up with it each day now and it has been 4 days since I last rode.
The reason I chose the hilly course is because it is one of the only in this area with good distance and no traffic. This is on a military base and one end of this 15 mile very hilly loop is closed to motor traffic, thus very little to no traffic. Georgia is not a bicycle friendly state and I dont want to get hit by a car or truck. I will continue to look around for a less hilly course. In the meantime I may opt for a different cassette that will gear me down a bit. Both of my bikes are double rings. At this time I dont want to go to a triple. Maybe a 12-26 to replace the 11-23 that I am using. Thanks for the advice.

All signs are pointing to your having over-stressed the knee. Probably starting out too hard and pedalling in gears that are too high. You certainly have no need whatsovever for an 11t cog. You may need to take time off to recover at this point. When you get back on the bike, spin, spin, spin. Also, the pain in the front of the knee suggests a saddle that is too low, though a low cadence can have the same effect.

Good info and certainly points to take under advisement. We have LBC rides in the area several times a week, I think I may join some of them even though they are on local roads. Safety in numbers I suppose. I am going to give my knee's a few more days off or until the soreness is gone. Thanks for the feedback.

11-23 that I am using

Very hilly course plus not very low gear range and extra mileage-- no wonder your knees hurt! In the very least you need to get a 12-27 cassette if you are using Shimano set-up. Sounds like you are trying to muscle up those climbs which puts alot of strain on your knees.

Use lower gearing to spin up the hills. Icing your knees and proper use of Ibuprophen may help too.