I have been riding a bike that is in all honesty meant for someone much smaller than me. I have raised the seat quite high and got it far back enough that my spine is in proper posture while I ride.

I notice (during the day at work) a throbbing pain in my outer quadricep just above the knee. I have been riding much more in the last few days (roughly 2 hours per day) and perhaps it's just part of being in my 30s adapting to this increased demand.

Or is it a symptom of bad leg posture that could lead to something worse down the road?

closed as off-topic by RoboKaren, Criggie, paparazzo, Chris H, Rider_X Jul 20 '17 at 22:23


  • "General health and medical advice is off-topic here; you should contact a qualified medical professional instead." – RoboKaren, Criggie, paparazzo, Chris H, Rider_X

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    We can't give medical advice here as we're not physicians. It could either be bad fit with the bike or because the particular muscles and tendons you're using are not used to the strain. You should see a sports physician though, since again we're not physicians. – RoboKaren Jul 19 '17 at 18:48
  • Thank you. I don't want anyone to feel like I will take their answer as strict medical advice. I'm just wondering if this is simply a typical ache, or something to worry about. I'll keep an eye on it. – roo Jul 19 '17 at 18:52
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    Remember, pain is nature's way of saying "Don't do that!" – Daniel R Hicks Jul 19 '17 at 22:19
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    Borrow a bigger bike for a ride or two, and see if your pain reduces. – Criggie Jul 19 '17 at 22:52
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    If you'r eriding for 2 hours you're not a newbie with initial pains of getting used to riding. By your first admission its too small for you. – Criggie Jul 19 '17 at 23:02

As others have said, and as you said, the frame is probably too small for you which can cause pain and a bad time in general on your ride.

I find I get pain in the Vatsus lateralis (outer quad) either when I am using too much quads all around and need to creep forward on the saddle and pull more with my hamstrings at a higher cadence, or, my posture is poor and my knees are collapsing toward the inside of the bike during the pedalstroke.

If it's a real problem that you can't solve yourself without some third party perspective, I'd recmmend a professional bike fitting. They aren't cheap, usually a couple hundred dollars, and it's takes a few hours of your time. Some places will even have shims and heel cups for your shoes to get a really nice fit.

If you still have pain after a couple weeks riding out from the fitting I'd see a doctor.


I am no doctor, this is just my personal experience

I used and still use a somewhat smaller bike. Of course it is not the best choice for performance, but I never had complaints.

I recently had discomfort at the back of the left knee when riding that bike, like the tendon was fatigued. I noticed that the bottom bracket was weared and the pedals were no longer rotating in a plane.

Changing the bottom bracket took also rid of the discomfort.

Is your bike mechanically ok?
