All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Well, Received some news for my 1.5 month post op visit to the surgeon. only another 4-5 months till I can get back on the bike. However I've got extensive cartilage damage that is beyond repairable via biopsy procedure so I am "heavily advised to avoid any prolonged pressure on the joint" aka: Pedaling up a climb. Said it'll only be speeding up how fast I've gotta get the knee replaced. Timer right now is about 10 years out based on what the doc knows. He's now done 2 knee surgeries for me and 2 shoulder repairs for my dad. All of his work has done well, but the 3 other repairs on the knee by a different doctor stem the long term issues :/

So in other words...
Looks like I'm going to become a bike park/shuttle guy unless there's a miracle that happens when I hop back on and try to go for a pedal.
He suggested road biking instead, but I'm into the super chunk techy hard uphill, hard downhill. Not a fan of XC style trails or road biking at all.

And I'm going to miss all of Northstar bike park this season

Anyone want to buy a 2019 Trance 2 with a freshly rebuilt rear shock?

 

Congrats man! You're going to love riding it, Evil sure nailed the suspension feel of their bikes. The 11.6 on that platform is just perfect. Once you get used to it and dial it in, the whole "two-wheeled skateboard" thing makes sense. Enjoy!
What size did you end up with?

 

That enduro came with two cane creeks as well. Though supposedly one of them is due for a rebuild. Guess its time to order parts to get these built and sold

 

Sorry to hear that - definitely a bummer for sure. Have you considered an e-bike? In the big picture, they are made for people in your situation to help alleviate the intensity of pedaling uphill.

 

I never liked techy uphill so much till i got a ebike. Might be perfect for him

 

Hmmm so more like traversing sections..."XC sections" with some tech. Rolling terrain with short punchy climbs and descents where you are more active on the bike, pedaling and pumping to maintain momentum, up and down off the saddle. Sections of trail where you are maybe pedaling at 10-12 mph or so. So not seated granny grinding up a long climb. Hard to imagine or describe exactly without being familiar with someone else's terrain. Based on my experience with the Following I suspect it will be good.

 

evil v3 insurgent, 27.5 gx eagle, zeb smashpot, push 11-1, magura mt7, bikeyoke/deity,oneup cockpit

 

Some days you just have to stop and look.

 

nooooooo!!!! That's sad news! I mean...is there harm in doing a tough climb ONCE in a while? That's sad news dude.

 

Size large, which I think is perfect. I'm loving the suspension with the 11.6! I started dialing in the fork on my ride last night and got it feeling pretty good. I'm guessing the 11.6 will need less work but I'll have to turn some of those dials too.

Got it! We do have plenty of that around here. My climb last night was definitely a steep climb but it had plenty of technical bits that required getting out of the saddle and working the bike over roots and rocks. It did great with that stuff due to the light weight and firm pedaling platform. I think it's going to be fantastic balance between the following and wreckoning for me. I'll report back when I get on a more proper ride like that though

 

< *Looking for the "severely dislike" button*

I know its touchy, but could an E-bike be a solution? I rode with a guy that had a heart condition that put similar climbing limitations on him, and pedal assist kept him below the risk threshold his doc established for him.

 

My advice is to get a second opinion from a doctor who understands your goals and passions, and who has a little more of a newer philosophy on adapting to activity. Too many doctors are still in the old school mindset of "don't do something that bothers it." without considering the person's desires. I know he recommended road biking, but it seems weird that pedaling up a climb on an MTB would put significantly different stress on your knee cartilage compared to pedaling up a climb on a road bike. Techiness would play a role though. Plus downhilling, whether lift/park, or shuttle is going to put a lot of impact stress on your joint, and would overall be more stressful that XC or road biking. So I'm seeing some things that don't add up with what your doctor is telling you. I would HIGHLY recommend seeing a sports physical therapist. They're going to be the best equipped to help you out in this situation. Honestly, following the surgeon's advice here, at face value, and without any second opinions, would be doing yourself a disservice.

FWIW i'm a physical therapist assistant, and I've been working orthopedics for a long time. though I am still just a guy on the internet, so consult someone for more individual advice.

 

I’m merely a physical therapist’s spouse, but this sounds like good advice. Plus, I think road biking with sustained cadence and less whole-body movement, is harder on my body, especially knees and shoulders, than mountain biking.

 

Had a good one last night, 6 of us out there on a 12 miler 2000 ft of elevation gain

Up Las Llajas down Chumash.

@the_fablab_ @chadness @Devon English Dave, Sean, and yours truly.




@Devon taking soil samples







@chadness



https://www.instagram.com/reel/CgCufO3podk/?ig_rid=084c778e-c7fe-491c-8aed-70fa336a2d77

Good times

 

Sweet ride and pict - I see you run a 2x, nice ,same on my hard tail as well. There are some shifting advantages with a 2x

 

Nice to see fellow coin collectors out on the trails!

"Hey look, a penny!"

 

Haven't yet, Depends how bad it is once I start trying again in a couple months. I've got a decent tolerance for knee pain by now.

Definitely not but sounds like I'm not supposed to be riding 40 miles of pure tech per week based on what this guy said

May have to consider in the future, but I'd certainly have to change the type of riding I do. Would also be touch for me to be poppy or throw around those since they weigh so much and I'm only 150 pounds right now lol

I'll definitely be seeking advice from a sports oriented therapist in Reno during the time period I'm trying things out. Talking through what I'm feeling when kind of thing. Here in Dallas doubt many people understand technical mountain biking and snowboarding.

I agree there is more impact on DH riding vs pedaling but what he's told me is the way my kneecap travels through the groove when bending/straightening the knee, causes the rub on the cartilage that will wear it down. Impact he said is more of a pain tolerance thing, where as constantly bending through that motion will cause the grinding, which I agree doesn't clarify the road biking thing.




And as far as the Ebike thing goes: I'll consider it if after 5-6 months of trying to ride how I normally would results in lots of pain or no improvement. I've never considered it before, but I may not have the luxury to ignore them anymore. I also have done 0 research on the areas I'd be riding as far as if they allow them or not. And financially It'd take some figuring out.

Anyone know people Mountain biking on a knee replacement?

 

Haha... just a bunch of hacks out there trying to keep it rubber side down..

 

I finally got the motorcycle back together and it works great. I've been suffering a lot of anxiety and it was for naught.

I had so much fun riding it that I forgot to take photos in the field.

 

The guy that runs Ballwin Cycles in West County (St. Louis area) has an artificial leg and mountain bikes. He's also the best wheel builder in the area.

I don't know anyone with a knee replacement that bikes, but I honestly think that riding and even pedaling a full suspension mountain bike is less hard on a knee than most activities you might do. I damaged cartilage in my knee in HS football, and later in life tried running and ended up with my first bout of patellofemoral pain syndrome, caused by the patella rubbing through to nerve endings. I may have an alignment issue due to a later spiral fracture of my femur that contributes as well. It's just painful, though, nothing structurally wrong. When we moved to STL and moved from a 2 story apartment to a 2 story house with a basement, it happened again due to going up and down stairs so much.

But I have never had it happen from biking. I don't believe that riding or pedaling a full-suspension mountain bike through chunk puts near the strain on a knee that even walking/hiking does (assuming proper seat height and bike fit). I've had doctors that don't mountain bike recommend that I refrain, but I don't think they know that the "impact" is significantly muted by the bike. Think about what your muscles and knee cap do when you run (or even walk) -- each step, your quad muscles contract quickly and jerk the knee cap across that groove. Those same types of "jolt" impacts don't happen much on a bike, the movement is much more fluid, and impacts are dampened by tires and suspension. Smooth movement is good, keeps things lubed up and working.

Anyway, I'm not a doctor or physical therapist, but I am in to quality of life (your doctor should be as well). I don't particularly like jogging, so I'm fine with that not being a good option for me. But I love mountain biking, and it makes be feel physically better -- and never messes with my knee. Your situation may be quite a bit different, but don't give up on what makes you happy and feel good, and I wish you the best recovery!