I’ve got a friend who says he’s narrowed his Achilles Tendon pain to the bike, not the run. Anybody know what would be causing that?
He could be “ankling”, meaning that he is pedaling toes down. This could be because the seat is too high. Lower the seat and see what happens.
Bilateral or Unilateral?
First guess… Cleat position on shoes is too far forward making him/her ‘ankle’/pointing toes downward with the calf too much (plantar flexing the ankle). Have him/her try moving the cleats back just half of a centimeter (at first) and see how it does.
I’ve experienced this sensation… my seat was too high.
However, I had the benefit of knowing it was from the bike (wasn’t running at the time).
Just on one side.
The classic causes/cures (most were mentioned):
Seat to high
Move cleats back as far as possible
Heel counter of cycling shoe directly irritating
“Ankling” when pedaling
Recent quinolone antibiotic (i.e. Cipro, Levaquin)