Knee pain after starting biking again after 8 years

[Fifteen15]

I landed in the Netherlands a couple of weeks ago. Their main transport are bicycles and public transport, so I pretty much ride everywhere now. It's about a 1 hour 30 minute bike ride from my apartment to the city which I do most days - and I love it. However, the first day I had a sharp pain in the joint of my right knee. When riding with my hand on my knee, I can feel vibrations, almost like the joints are grating together. This pain got progressively worse over 7 or so days until I couldn't bike anymore.

The last time I rode a bicycle was about 8 years ago and I never had this problem. Is it just a case of riding too far too soon having not ridden for so long?

I'm taking the bus/train more now and using a knee compression sleeve which I just bought today. I want to get back on the bike because the weather is perfect, the countryside is amazing, and I forgot how much I love biking.

Any advice (other than moving closer to the city)?
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"Pain is weakness leaving the body, and blood makes the grass grow faster...but I'll wear my gear anyway"

[Wafer_Thin_Ham]

Build up the load you're putting on it slowly over a few weeks.
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[Seb]

Look into Glucosamine Sulphate.

How tight are your hamstrings? Can you touch your toes? Consider stretching more before rides, also experiment by ever so slightly lowering your saddle height by a cm or so.
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2010 Triumph 1050 Sprint ST

[Ste]

Seat height is correct?

Try moving the saddle forwards a bit.

[Fin]

Get a bike that's the right size and make sure it's adjusted properly, also get a road bike, they are so light it would be difficult for them to hurt your knees as they don't need much power to get going.

[Duffman]

Saddle too low? At the bottom stroke your leg should be almost straight but not locked out.
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MT-09 2015 ABS

[weasley]

[Fifteen15]

I ended up getting a road bike. What used to take me 1 hour 30 minutes on a Dutch city bike took me 50 minutes on the road bike. The knee pain has almost completely gone, so I'm guessing the other bike didn't fit me very well. However the knee pain has been replaced with ass pain. The saddle is like sitting on a plank of wood, so I've ordered a new saddle from Amazon for a tenner.

I had an amazing ride yesterday, the first time I had ridden a road bike. I couldn't stop grinning - I was buzzing for hours after I got home too. It reminded me of my first ride on my old SV after passing my test a few years ago.
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"Pain is weakness leaving the body, and blood makes the grass grow faster...but I'll wear my gear anyway"