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@clubman
I think almost every long term bike rider has back and/or knee problems at some time, but most of us get better in time.
I notice in this case the knee problem started after riding a mountain bike. I know some people can ride these without problems, but I've found they always hurt my right knee, which I guess is caused by the longer BB spindle needed for the triple chainset. On my own bikes I always use the shortest spindle possible since I find this more comfortable. The distance between the pedals used to be referred to as the tread or 'Q' distance and was regarded as critically important - something the modern bike trade seems generally to have forgotten about.
Another common cause of knee problems is bent cranks or pedal spindles. Don't forget that your mind quickly adapts to the 'wavy ' feeling of a newly bent pedal. When you get on another machine which has good cranks/pedals that will feel wrong at first. Graham Webb - amateur world road champion, 1967, (English!) attributed the ruination of his pro career to this problem.
Anyway, good luck with this season's long rides!