I love spinning

Rich158
Rich158 Posts: 2,348
edited February 2009 in Commuting chat
For once in my life I decided to take advice given on a forum and give spinning in the small ring a go. What a difference it's made :shock: I hit 1:14 for my commute this morning, and whilst it did feel a bit odd I persevered and it seemed to work. I did hit the big ring at times on the flat but carried on spinning and it felt great :lol::lol:

On the way home I started out with the intention of having an easy ride, but once warmed up got back into the spinning mode. I can't say the hills felt any easier, but on relatively flat roads I was flying, at times I swear I was hitting 30mph and holding it there :lol: Scalps were flying all over the place. When I got home I checked the computer and a new PB for the route of 1:08, giving me my first 20mph average. And guess what, the legs feel fine :lol::lol::lol:

I feel like this has given a whole new dimension to my cycling and I'm hitting a whole new level. Thanks guys :lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:
pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

Revised FCN - 2
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Comments

  • lost_in_thought
    lost_in_thought Posts: 10,563
    Good on you! Can't say I've had the spinning epiphany yet, but I'm sure it'll come...
    FCN 7/1
    Viner Maxima, Tifosi CK7, Giant Bowery, Old commuter.
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    I'm on a bike with shorter cranks than I'm used to. Subconsciously I think I have to mash to keep my speed up. :?

    A 20mph average is good!
  • Bassjunkieuk
    Bassjunkieuk Posts: 4,232
    lost_in_thought wrote:
    Good on you! Can't say I've had the spinning epiphany yet, but I'm sure it'll come...

    God help us if that happens on the Bowery! I guess you'll know when your spinning fast enough as there will be a sonic boom!

    I'd also have to say this spinning thing is rather catching, I've been using a gear lower then normal and keeping the revs up and the speed does seem to come easier!
    Who's the daddy?
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  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Rich - when you say "spinning", what was your RPM?
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    I averaged 86 RPM, with a max of 118. i try to hit 90-95 on the flat, but can't keep this up on the hills yet. I did have a couple of magic moments where I swear I discovered souplesse - what a fantastic feeling.
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • mrchrispy
    mrchrispy Posts: 310
    i tend to sit above 90 all the time now, took a while to get but it just feels right now. any slower and i feel like im pedling through treacle
  • greg66_tri_v2.0
    greg66_tri_v2.0 Posts: 7,172
    The spin cycle Force is strong with this one

    :D:D:D
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    After getting my computer with a cadence sensor, I realised that I was always spinning above 110rpm. Dropped it to around 90 this morning, and went an average of 2mph faster for my 16 mile commute...
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    Always above 110rpm, that's some serious spinning :shock:

    I've also come to understand the importance of a proper warm up. I've been riding with my boss on his Brompton for the first mile or so this week, and then absolutely caned the rest of the ride. I don't feel any more knackered than i did last week, but I'm 10 mins faster on average over 23 miles, i can only put it down to a proper warm up and spinning :lol:
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • tardington
    tardington Posts: 1,379
    I did read once you should aim to be pedalling 80 times a minute now I think about it...? Is that wrong then?
  • Roastie
    Roastie Posts: 1,968
    I generally dig trying to keep my cadence in the 95-100 range. I stuck a compact chainset on my everyday bike for touring a while back, but have stuck with it because it encourages spinning. I also try not to use my big ring at all. I believe it has done my pedalling a world of good.
    David
    Engineered Bicycles
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Rich158 wrote:
    Always above 110rpm, that's some serious spinning :shock:

    I've also come to understand the importance of a proper warm up. I've been riding with my boss on his Brompton for the first mile or so this week, and then absolutely caned the rest of the ride. I don't feel any more knackered than i did last week, but I'm 10 mins faster on average over 23 miles, i can only put it down to a proper warm up and spinning :lol:


    I wouldn't have said that 90-95 is spinning in the sense that fixers spin. However, you must be pedalling much more efficiently.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    Rich158 wrote:
    Always above 110rpm, that's some serious spinning :shock:
    Yep. It's because I've adapted myself to endurance riding, so I'm more bothered about keeping my legs fresh for as long as possible than putting out lots of power on my endurance rides.

    However, my commute is a perfect time to lay the power down, so dropping the cadence and upping the speed seems like a great idea to me.
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    True, I've had some fixers go past me pedalling at an awsome rate. Anything over about 100rpm feels pretty fast to me, how Shanaze Reed hits 200rpm I'll never know.
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    whyamihere wrote:
    Rich158 wrote:
    Always above 110rpm, that's some serious spinning :shock:
    Yep. It's because I've adapted myself to endurance riding, so I'm more bothered about keeping my legs fresh for as long as possible than putting out lots of power on my endurance rides.

    However, my commute is a perfect time to lay the power down, so dropping the cadence and upping the speed seems like a great idea to me.

    But do your lungs not get knackered from the spinning over long distances?
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • cjcp
    cjcp Posts: 13,345
    Rich158 wrote:
    True, I've had some fixers go past me pedalling at an awsome rate. Anything over about 100rpm feels pretty fast to me, how Shanaze Reed hits 200rpm I'll never know.

    Yeah, it's a couple of years since I used a cadence sensor, but 90rpm seemed to be what my legs liked. Above that seemed a little frantic.
    FCN 2-4.

    "What happens when the hammer goes down, kids?"
    "It stays down, Daddy."
    "Exactly."
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    cjcp wrote:
    whyamihere wrote:
    Rich158 wrote:
    Always above 110rpm, that's some serious spinning :shock:
    Yep. It's because I've adapted myself to endurance riding, so I'm more bothered about keeping my legs fresh for as long as possible than putting out lots of power on my endurance rides.

    However, my commute is a perfect time to lay the power down, so dropping the cadence and upping the speed seems like a great idea to me.

    But do your lungs not get knackered from the spinning over long distances?
    Not really. Asthma has helped me with this, I know how to control my breathing a lot better than most people will do.

    The only real limit to how far I can go seems to be how much food/drink I carry. Fortunately, I tend to do cloverleaf kind of rides - 30 mile loops in different directions, which means I can stop at my house for food and water every couple of hours.
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    i'm trying to spin more, my knees are rough so don't like lower revs though thats what i like doing.... about sub 20 some silly gear... but i'm trying to love the smaller rings!
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    90-95 works for me. trying to spin faster has helped my technique enormously, I'm sure I'm a hell of a lot smoother now, and my legs definately feel fresher for longer :lol:

    I do seem to lack a bit of power on the steeper hills but I guess it's a case of slowing down slightly, spinning up and over the hill, and going up a gear every couple of weeks or so as I get stronger.
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • biondino
    biondino Posts: 5,990
    90-95 is my preferred zone too - anything in the upper 90s has me looking to change up. I tried spinning the other day (when already knackered) and above 110 for any length of time was tiring and uncomfortable.
    My Focus / My Bob Jackson
    Blog (incl. bikes)
  • Rich158
    Rich158 Posts: 2,348
    I'm finding that getting over 100 has got easier as the week has gone on, on my commute this morning I was averaging over 100rpm on the flats and topped out at 125. I'm pretty sure my technique has improved, but I'm now getting more conscious of foot position in the pedal stroke. A heal down action as I come over the top of the rotation seems to deliver more power, but has a tendency to push me further back in the saddle.............

    Oh god, I think it's about time to head over to the road section if I'm debating the finer points of pedalling technique. Now where was that thread about being a geek :oops:
    pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................

    Revised FCN - 2
  • Littigator
    Littigator Posts: 1,262
    Since switching my fixed gearing to a lower GI (82-71) I've found my spinning technique has started to improve quite nicely. I've not done too much on the road bike recently due to crappy weather but I'm looking forward to trying out the results soon.

    100rpm now feels quite comfortable and short efforts up to 140 are now manageable without me bouncing around on the saddle too wildly.

    It's worth sticking with it
    Roadie FCN: 3

    Fixed FCN: 6
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    I've just bought my first set of rollers, with a view to improving my technique, after the kids have gone to bed!

    No.1 try was a brief play a couple of nights ago and I will admit it was a bit scary. Need to learn to look ahead and relax!!

    Can anyone recommend a good computer with a cadence function? I've not used one before and would like to experiment. Either that or I could use my wife's metronome (she's a cellist), but I'm not sure it goes up to 120+ bpm!
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    Cateye Strada Cadence of course!
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    don_don wrote:
    I've just bought my first set of rollers, with a view to improving my technique, after the kids have gone to bed!

    No.1 try was a brief play a couple of nights ago and I will admit it was a bit scary. Need to learn to look ahead and relax!!

    Can anyone recommend a good computer with a cadence function? I've not used one before and would like to experiment. Either that or I could use my wife's metronome (she's a cellist), but I'm not sure it goes up to 120+ bpm!
    Excellent. Enjoy. I love mine, much better than the turbo :)
    I use a polar cs200cad, works fine. Lit, DDD and others have been talking about the Cateye Strada cadence
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • greg66_tri_v2.0
    greg66_tri_v2.0 Posts: 7,172
    Ok rollerboys.

    I have toyed with the idea of getting some in the past. And then of using them.

    But a significant downside is the prospect of coming off them, hitting the spare room floor at 40+kmh, and ramming flat into the wall a la Tom in Tom & Jerry.

    Easily avoided, or not?
    Swim. Bike. Run. Yeah. That's what I used to do.

    Bike 1
    Bike 2-A
  • don_don
    don_don Posts: 1,007
    Thankyou both, I'll have a look at the Cateye :)
  • whyamihere
    whyamihere Posts: 7,714
    Greg66 wrote:
    Ok rollerboys.

    I have toyed with the idea of getting some in the past. And then of using them.

    But a significant downside is the prospect of coming off them, hitting the spare room floor at 40+kmh, and ramming flat into the wall a la Tom in Tom & Jerry.

    Easily avoided, or not?
    Doesn't happen. If you fall off the side, then as long as you don't keep pedalling you'll just flop over sideways in a pathetic manner and escape with nothing worse than a bruised ego.
  • jonginge
    jonginge Posts: 5,945
    Greg66 wrote:
    Ok rollerboys.

    I have toyed with the idea of getting some in the past. And then of using them.

    But a significant downside is the prospect of coming off them, hitting the spare room floor at 40+kmh, and ramming flat into the wall a la Tom in Tom & Jerry.

    Easily avoided, or not?
    Not come off mine yet and I've spun them up to ~150rpm. No out of the saddle sprints, though ;) Mine are set up so the axle of the front roller is about an inch ahead of my wheel's axle.
    I'll admit I still put them between a door frame. Mine also have parabolic drums so it's very hard to ride off the edges.
    FCN 2-4 "Shut up legs", Jens Voigt
    Planet-x Scott
    Rides
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    I hated rollers. Have a pair at home that I never ever use. I prefer the Turbo as I can switch off, rollers leave me worrying about falling off so I cannot concentrate on a film or something.

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