anyone else expreince knee pain when rididng euc?

[Mike Sacristan]

1 hour ago, Shad0z said:

thats the problem i had, but my arches are almost non existent... so it hurt a lot, now it doesnt hurt, but im left with a cracrkling sound in my knee that can turn into a problem if untreated, and my doctor just told me to loose 5kg... im not that overweight, should be possible, but still, there should be something else i could do? 

You can try some unilateral leg work like pistols (one legged squats) and shrimp squats. Shrimp squats are easier than pistols for me. 

Remember you can always do modifications to offload like wrapping a towel onto a door knob so you can pull yourself upp.

You can also just train the eccentric (negative) part of the exercise to begin with. Give it a shot! Listen to your body.

How tall are you and how much do you weight?

 

[LanghamP]

In my opinion 100% of feet and leg problems on EUCs can be solved by making the pedals wider, longer, and with less inward slant.

Goddamn I hate the teeny tiny pedals most EUCs come with.

I'm just going to go to a hardware store and buy wood, and duct tape that over my pedals.

[novazeus]

3 minutes ago, LanghamP said:

In my opinion 100% of feet and leg problems on EUCs can be solved by making the pedals wider, longer, and with less inward slant.

Goddamn I hate the teeny tiny pedals most EUCs come with.

I'm just going to go to a hardware store and buy wood, and duct tape that over my pedals.

yeah, i hadn’t ridden in awhile because of the heat and humidity but just doing some maintenance rides, it was really obvious the 18s pedals were really short for my 12+ feet.

it’s like doing ladder work.

[Cumulus Libre]

I am not experienced enough to say if they really are too small or slim the pedals, and that standard sizes are ok for everyone,  I don't ride long enough to be sure or not..

And on top of that I have a average footsize 8,5 , so pretty maybe they are made for average shoe sizes and if will be ok for me ...

However isn't that a whole in the market in the case the pedals are too small for certain riders ? meaning , for almost all sports you have different sizes depending on the athlete using it's surfboard, wake, glider, tennisracket, etc.. isn't it worth full looking at making bigger/smaller pedals so they are more custom to the athlete /rider ?

I am pretty sure the bigger EUC companies have had similar discussions with their R&D teams..

 

[Shad0z]

17 hours ago, Mike Sacristan said:

You can try some unilateral leg work like pistols (one legged squats) and shrimp squats. Shrimp squats are easier than pistols for me. 

Remember you can always do modifications to offload like wrapping a towel onto a door knob so you can pull yourself upp.

You can also just train the eccentric (negative) part of the exercise to begin with. Give it a shot! Listen to your body.

How tall are you and how much do you weight?

 

94kg ans 189cm

and also how is the things in the video going to help? Then my knees start to hurt? its just making it worse

Edited August 20, 2018 by Shad0z

[pikachi]

Knee pain has to do with cartilage. There's no muscle on the knee. I know I am 4 years late but lol anyways you got some bad advice. There is 2 muscle on the knee joint but those muscle are more tendon than muscle. It's muscle + tendons and it's on the side of the knee. Anyways, I was hoping that I would see some real advice but I don't see anyone mentioning about ways to ride without hurting the knee. I don't have a EUC to ride yet since my V11 is currently being shipped but I was hoping someone would know something. 

[TantasStarke]

On 2/6/2022 at 4:45 PM, pikachi said:

Knee pain has to do with cartilage. There's no muscle on the knee. I know I am 4 years late but lol anyways you got some bad advice. There is 2 muscle on the knee joint but those muscle are more tendon than muscle. It's muscle + tendons and it's on the side of the knee. Anyways, I was hoping that I would see some real advice but I don't see anyone mentioning about ways to ride without hurting the knee. I don't have a EUC to ride yet since my V11 is currently being shipped but I was hoping someone would know something. 

I think the only things you could do is strengthen your legs/build more stamina, and use a suspension wheel to lessen the amount you have to use your knees to absorb impacts

[Eno Efil]

I’ve been looking for a thread on knee pain. I’ve heard a few “older” YouTubers especially those riding suspension wheels saying “My knees are too old for this” and being glad they got a suspension wheel. 

Is it really that bad on the knees riding a non suspension wheel on fairly decent city streets (minor cracks, holes and bumps etc) for a light weight “older” guy/gal? Particularity riding one of the newer wheels like the V12?

[TantasStarke]

6 minutes ago, Eno Efil said:

I’ve been looking for a thread on knee pain. I’ve heard a few “older” YouTubers especially those riding suspension wheels saying “My knees are too old for this” and being glad they got a suspension wheel. 

Is it really that bad on the knees riding a non suspension wheel on fairly decent city streets (minor cracks, holes and bumps etc) for a light weight “older” guy/gal? Particularity riding one of the newer wheels like the V12?

If you're fit and have good knees it probably won't be an issue, but larger tires have smoother rides. So a Sherman would feel smoother on the legs than a V12. If you have bad/weak knees look at a larger tire wheel or suspension IMO. A suspension wheel will remove 99-100% of the stress on your knees

[.....]

19 minutes ago, Eno Efil said:

I’ve been looking for a thread on knee pain. I’ve heard a few “older” YouTubers especially those riding suspension wheels saying “My knees are too old for this” and being glad they got a suspension wheel. 

Is it really that bad on the knees riding a non suspension wheel on fairly decent city streets (minor cracks, holes and bumps etc) for a light weight “older” guy/gal? Particularity riding one of the newer wheels like the V12?

I have days when my knees are mad at me when I wake up. Sometimes its my hips as well. Tbh, riding an euc helps limber me up and it doesnt seem to aggravate either. Of course, thats when I am riding in a calm manner down my street. Small cracks and holes and bumps, don't aggravate me when I'm taking it easy. Honestly, walking seems to be a little tougher for impact than riding ANY of my eucs. My mten does wear my feet a little, but nothing too alarming. Riding an euc can be a lazy and relaxing thing, OR it can be exciting and pretty darn physical. I have found that after the initial learning curve and muscle development, riding an euc doesnt need to be that hard on you. It all boils down to how a person rides and IF they fall. Of course, hanging off the side of the euc and pushing speeds while fighting wind, makes it a different ballgame. I guess riding an euc is akin to throwing a frisbee. If you WANT it to make you sweat and you want to run and jump and dive around, you can. If you want to take it easy and simpyl enjoy it in a lazy fashion... no problem.

I rode a suspension euc for a bit. It does offer a bit more plush of a ride, but it also leaves you a little disconnected and high off the ground. Honestly, at lazy speeds, I don't think suspension is gna be what makes the difference between sore or not. Riding one footed is how to kill a knee. RIding hard off road and uphill is how to kill a knee. Lazily gliding down the street on suspension or not, is how to keep a body fluid.

For now, my physical ability is probably more solid than my mental stability. Knowing what I do, I have opted to stay away from suspension euc's until they prove worth the invest, AND I find a need for one. Until that happens, I am protecting my sanity by enjoying wheels that won't require much maintenance and won't make me go off the rails from paying so damn much for something I can't trust or lift into a car. Fwiw, Im 125lbs and 6'3". My sherman is the smoothers wheel of the bunch that I own.

Edited March 17, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[TantasStarke]

4 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I have days when my knees are mad at me when I wake up. Sometimes its my hips as well. Tbh, riding an euc helps limber me up and it doesnt seem to aggravate either. Of course, thats when I am riding in a calm manner down my street. Small cracks and holes and bumps, don't aggravate me when I'm taking it easy. Honestly, walking seems to be a little tougher for impact than riding ANY of my eucs. My mten does wear my feet a little, but nothing too alarming. Riding an euc can be a lazy and relaxing thing, OR it can be exciting and pretty darn physical. I have found that after the initial learning curve and muscle development, riding an euc doesnt need to be that hard on you. It all boils down to how a person rides and IF they fall. Of course, hanging off the side of the euc and pushing speeds while fighting wind, makes it a different ballgame. I guess riding an euc is akin to throwing a frisbee. If you WANT it to make you sweat and you want to run and jump and dive around, you can. If you want to take it easy and simpyl enjoy it in a lazy fashion... no problem.

I rode a suspension euc for a bit. It does offer a bit more plush of a ride, but it also leaves you a little disconnected and high off the ground. Honestly, at lazy speeds, I don't think suspension is gna be what makes the difference between sore or not. Riding one footed is how to kill a knee. RIding hard off road and uphill is how to kill a knee. Lazily gliding down the street on suspension or not, is how to keep a body fluid.

I agree with the walking sentiment, I have "bad" knees that impact walking long distances but not riding an EUC. They're not bad in the sense that they're weak but a previous injury makes the constant movement of walking hard. I also agree with the sentiment on suspension, I tried a friend's V11 and I felt like I was genuinely floating and disconnected from the road. Absorbed every single bump for sure, but was boring because I felt disconnected.

[Tawpie]

Disconnected?

Ride a 16X, that'll reconnect you with the road. Just enough WTF-was-that squirrly to force close attention to what's ahead.

But it does ensure speeds remain at safer levels, I've noticed I want to go quite a bit faster on my S18. That's a good thing or not depending on how quickly one heals.

[alcatraz]

Not yet... 

Ankle bone pressing onto the wheel - yes

Soles of my feet - yes

Have you tried to angle your feet outwards to match your natural angle when just standing on the ground?

[Eno Efil]

Thanks TantasStarke, ShanesPlanet, Tawpie and Alcatraz, my older knees are functioning fine (no previous injuries) I was just concerned the wheel may create an injury based off the “older” Tubers comments. Based on your feedback, I guess it won’t be a problem for me (ankle ligaments on the other hand may be a problem).

I was considering the smaller wheels instead of the biger heavier “Sherman” style wheels because I will only be doing shorter distances, inner city riding, trying to avoid pedestrians, bikes, cars, potholes, gutters and obstacles. (I’m not an NYC rider, I am however enjoying the “EUCs can be dangerous” thread while eating my bag of popcorn 😂)

That frisbee analogy @ShanesPlanet is perfect to make me feel at ease about hurting joints. I can punish my knees/muscles/joints as much as I see fit on an ECU if I wish or I can also just cruise and enjoy the ride with no issues. Thanks, that makes perfect sense now. 

Regarding suspension disconnection, I’ve seen a number of videos that mention having a beautiful smooth ride but losing the feel of the road/wheel, thats what put me off suspension at this stage in favour is something like the v12.

Thanks again guys, I appreciate your feedback. 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Eno Efil

[BKW]

Yes! My knees hurt in a way not experienced before riding these things, and I'm an active physical person. I realize a lot of it for me has to do with the pads I have and I noticed when I put the wheel on "medium" more instead of "hard" mode it takes pressure off that sensitive area in my knees when I accelerate. But it's something I am constantly thinking about now because it's a sharp pain around my knee caps. I like the idea of strengthening your knees via exercises, so I'll likely try that if it doesn't get much better. I also think a lot of it is positioning, having your knees locked in, and where you put your pads, etc., that is causing most the problem. It's going to be an experiment for me to work on for some time now but I think i'll eventually figure it out

Edited March 18, 2022 by bkw

[Tawpie]

On the direct topic of knee pain, I'm getting up there in years and had started developing a 'click' in my left knee going upstairs along with a tendency for it to feel like it was about to collapse. No pain, but it has made me grab handrails when using stairs. A year and a half into riding, both have improved to the point where they're not a thing any more... no click, and while I still grab the handrail I haven't experienced the about-to-collapse feeling.

I credit the improvement to exercising my knee on the wheel, but that's a no brainer as I need every possible reason to offset the "you're going to fall off and kill yourself" concern of my loved ones. Whether or not riding has anything at all to do with it is a moot point, the knee and surrounding muscles are stronger! (when you need an excuse, any one will do)

Do try to ride loose. Teach yourself to ride without clenching the wheel. In many ways it's harder to do because it requires more strength in your feet and legs, but IMO the worst thing about riding is the tendency for your legs to get locked into a single position. If you don't flex your knees and move your feet around they will really bark at you. I took a lot of check-out-the-scenery breaks early on, those breaks are further between now but I still stop about once per hour. Don't be ashamed to stop for 5 minutes, drop the wheel and walk around. You're enjoying the out of doors, yeah, that's it!

[.....]

2 hours ago, bkw said:

Yes! My knees hurt in a way not experienced before riding these things, and I'm an active physical person. I realize a lot of it for me has to do with the pads I have and I noticed when I put the wheel on "medium" more instead of "hard" mode it takes pressure off that sensitive area in my knees when I accelerate. But it's something I am constantly thinking about now because it's a sharp pain around my knee caps. I like the idea of strengthening your knees via exercises, so I'll likely try that if it doesn't get much better. I also think a lot of it is positioning, having your knees locked in, and where you put your pads, etc., that is causing most the problem. It's going to be an experiment for me to work on for some time now but I think i'll eventually figure it out

Have you tried riding a few days without pads? I was fortunate enough to not have power pads on my first wheel for the first year. I can say that it did help train me to use my weight rather than leverage. Now that I am using pads, I am forcing myself to NOT lean into them from sheer laziness. Its pretty easy to get used to pads and used to leaning into them, rather than focusing on foot weighting.

@Tawpie nailed it. I've had arthritis and clicking in my knees since in my 20's (20yrs ago). Once I learned to ride looser, it did mitigate the exertion on the legs and knee. Grabbing with the legs and locking into one posisition (against pads especially), may SEEM like an easy and lazy way to ride. About 10 minutes later, it will become obvious that it isnt as it seems. Stay loose, move those feet around, focus on the weigh on your feet, rather than any contact points aside from them.

Fwiw, I tend to think euc riding is harder on your wallet than anything else..

Edited March 18, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[mrelwood]

 

4 hours ago, Eno Efil said:

Regarding suspension disconnection, I’ve seen a number of videos that mention having a beautiful smooth ride but losing the feel of the road/wheel, thats what put me off suspension at this stage in favour is something like the v12.

I have never understood the disconnection comment. Nobody complains about that with cars, motorcycles, or even bicycles. I have stuffed things into my pedals for years before the first suspension EUCs hit the market, in order to be disconnected from the road. There’s not a road anywhere smooth enough that would make me want to connect with it. What you gain with suspension is a better control of the wheel.

 Be it a small bump in a regular road or a series of tall tree roots off-road, suspension always helps in keeping the tire from jumping around. It helps in keeping the tire connected to the ground. It also helps the riders in not having to watch the ground in front of them like a hawk, so they can watch the surrounding traffic instead.

 But of course, that’s just me, my riding style and my environments. The choice is to each their own.

[.....]

31 minutes ago, mrelwood said:

 

I have never understood the disconnection comment. Nobody complains about that with cars, motorcycles, or even bicycles. I have stuffed things into my pedals for years before the first suspension EUCs hit the market, in order to be disconnected from the road. There’s not a road anywhere smooth enough that would make me want to connect with it. What you gain with suspension is a better control of the wheel.

 Be it a small bump in a regular road or a series of tall tree roots off-road, suspension always helps in keeping the tire from jumping around. It helps in keeping the tire connected to the ground. It also helps the riders in not having to watch the ground in front of them like a hawk, so they can watch the surrounding traffic instead.

 But of course, that’s just me, my riding style and my environments. The choice is to each their own.

Horses for courses. I HATED a suspension bicycle, as I grew up on standard bmx. It makes me feel like im floating and you loose a little bit of the control. Same thing when I tried riding a skateboard with suspension = no bueno.  Benefits and drawback to both.  Eventually I will find a suspension euc that does well, I'm sure. I'm simply waiting on one that isnt too many compromises.  Careful with trusting suspension enuogh to become complacent about road irregularities. I must be getting desperate, as I've found myslelf looking at Gotway too.

Edited March 18, 2022 by ShanesPlanet

[Tawpie]

17 minutes ago, ShanesPlanet said:

I've found myslelf looking at Gotway too.

you mean, looking at Gotway -again-, right? I mean, you already have twice as may Gotways in your stable as any other brand…

I do like my suspension wheel BTW, I never thought that I could live without the 16X but of late that's become a distinct possibility. (won't happen though, you can never really part with your first love)

[TantasStarke]

1 hour ago, mrelwood said:

 

I have never understood the disconnection comment. Nobody complains about that with cars, motorcycles, or even bicycles. I have stuffed things into my pedals for years before the first suspension EUCs hit the market, in order to be disconnected from the road. There’s not a road anywhere smooth enough that would make me want to connect with it. What you gain with suspension is a better control of the wheel.

 Be it a small bump in a regular road or a series of tall tree roots off-road, suspension always helps in keeping the tire from jumping around. It helps in keeping the tire connected to the ground. It also helps the riders in not having to watch the ground in front of them like a hawk, so they can watch the surrounding traffic instead.

 But of course, that’s just me, my riding style and my environments. The choice is to each their own.

The only suspension wheel I tried was the V11 with it's floating pedal suspension, which may have made it feel more disconnected to me. Haven't tried a s18, s20, hero, or ex yet so I can't compare but I wasn't a fan of it. It definitely ate up bumps but I enjoy feeling the bumps and slight irregularities in the road. I'll have to see how one of the other suspension EUC's feels for more but suspension probably just isn't for me, as much as my feet wish it was

[mrelwood]

 

3 hours ago, Tawpie said:

you can never really part with your first love)

Ha! Yes, I still long for how effortless the Lhotz was to underlean! 

Maybe it’s easier for us who have started a bit earlier? 

3 hours ago, TantasStarke said:

The only suspension wheel I tried was the V11

The V11 suspension can be tuned in various different ways, and it still remains different than the others. I definitely wouldn’t cross off all suspension wheels based on a quick try if any single one of them. Just like I wouldn’t cross off all EUCs if the S2 doesn’t feel very good.

But we are only entering the second generation of EUC suspensions, and the suspension in general is here to stay. Keep testing everything you can until something sticks.

 Also, do keep your mind open. Riding any suspension is going to feel strange at first, yet it can be the bestest thing in the universe once you get familiar with it.

[Scottie]

10 hours ago, Tawpie said:

I never thought that I could live without the 16X but of late that's become a distinct possibility.

 

10 hours ago, Tawpie said:

(won't happen though, you can never really part with your first love)

 

 

Edited March 19, 2022 by Scottie

[sibongile_motaung]

Yes Always, But I think it was due to accident I met 2 years ago end up with broken knees and 2 continuous surgery

[BKW]

On 3/18/2022 at 2:48 PM, ShanesPlanet said:

Have you tried riding a few days without pads? I was fortunate enough to not have power pads on my first wheel for the first year. I can say that it did help train me to use my weight rather than leverage. Now that I am using pads, I am forcing myself to NOT lean into them from sheer laziness. Its pretty easy to get used to pads and used to leaning into them, rather than focusing on foot weighting.

Yeah, I'm going to go without pads for a while because the pain on the medial side of my knees is like a sharp knife carving away. Was thinking EUCs could ruin my knees. Didn't go out for a while and went without pads to the local store today. Didn't feel any pain. Although, I did notice I didn't feel as confident on the EUC without the pads now. Don't really care at this point. The 16X looks a lot smaller without them btw. Thinking about making my own toe pads without the shin portion. Curious to see if that will hurt my knees or not.