Cadence Sensor Benefit

teisetrotter

What benefit, or not, do people get from a cadence sensor. I have no computer at present but I am seriously thinking of getting one.

But cadence seems overkill to me. I have a good idea of pedal speed/power naturally to know when to change gear when it is required. But I suppose I may just be kidding myself and this could benefit my cycling!

danowat

You get a pretty graph to look at after a ride, and some extra numbers during......

mike101

I use mine for cadence recovery sessions on the turbo, low rpm force workouts etc

I found mine useful when starting out to improve my leg speed as I had a tendency to try and mash my way up hills which didn't do my knees any good.

dabber

I seem to have a naturally low cadence and as the popular wisdom is that a higher cadence is better it's something I'm continually working to try and get a bit higher. It's gradually working and I have "Cadence" visible to me when I'm riding.

I know you can count but when I'm blowing hard the last thing I want to think about is counting.

rolf_f

Do a search - a few threads already on this. Cadence sensors are probably the only way you'll increase your cadence if you feel it is too low. Chances are it is too low. Chances are a sensor will help you improve your efficiency - but maybe you aren't that bothered.

I wouldn't bother with cadence unless using a GPS computer though. Then you can set a screen up to display instantaneous cadence and average cadence which, IME, was the only way for me to increase my cadence (seeing instantaneous only on the screen didn't really work - probably because you tend to look at the cadence display when you are pedalling harder and therefore tend to give yourself a flattering reading!)

oldhairylegs

I find cadence really useful for some turbo sessions, but don't pay much attention to it out on the road.

teisetrotter

This seems to lean the way I thought, possible training aid (and yes I am fighting to get my cadence up). But I can do that by mentally driving myself that way. Plus a big ugly black thing on the back stem doesn't do it for me ........ presumably it weighs nothing though.

Base 800 then for a boy who gets lost and is panicked by the Dept of Domestic Governance's strict return deadlines.

In fact for upping average speeds on some routes the two day cold shoulder is a massive training incentive ....... I have absolutely shocked myself at the pace I can get out of my old body on these enforced time trials.

joe.90

It's a good training tool, and i use cadence all the time in training, but for racing its pointless..information overload in my opinion.

I've got a Garmin, just without the cadence sensor on my race bike.

displacedaussie

joe.90 wrote:

It's a good training tool, and i use cadence all the time in training, but for racing its pointless..information overload in my opinion.

I use it when racing to remind myself to change gear. But then, I'm a bit if an idiot. In my first race I completely forgot my bike even had more than one. Now I glance down and see 120 and think "shit, you forgot again!"

I don't look at it when training, but I do review the stats after a ride to make sure I was doing what I'd planned.

antooony

displacedaussie wrote:

I use it when racing to remind myself to change gear. But then, I'm a bit if an idiot. In my first race I completely forgot my bike even had more than one. Now I glance down and see 120 and think "shoot, you forgot again!"

Seriously....the fact that your legs are screaming at you isn't enough of a reminder to chuck it in a higher gear?

I have a cadence sensor, never really look at it when I'm on the bike. What is good though is the nice flat pink line I have saying my cadence is around the 100 mark when I get home and down load the stats. Only time it dips is on the hills.

joe.90

displacedaussie wrote:

joe.90 wrote:

It's a good training tool, and i use cadence all the time in training, but for racing its pointless..information overload in my opinion.

I use it when racing to remind myself to change gear. But then, I'm a bit if an idiot. In my first race I completely forgot my bike even had more than one. Now I glance down and see 120 and think "shoot, you forgot again!"

I don't look at it when training, but I do review the stats after a ride to make sure I was doing what I'd planned.

quality

ben@31

If you're riding for fitness, a cadence sensor can be handy to stop you slacking. By aiming to keep a constant 90 to 100 rpm in a comfortable-ish gear and I keep pushing myself if it falls below this.

Having read a lot on cadence. Spinning 90 to 100 rpm in a comfortable gear is supposed to be the most efficient, you can keep this up all day. If you were to pedal in a higher gear with a lower cadence you're making it harder for yourself and get tired sooner. I suppose if your spinning faster than 100rpm, you are pedalling fast without getting anywhere.

diy

Cadence and HR are the only things I really pay much attention to when riding other than following directions. If you have the option go with a GPS based computer (e.g. Edge 800) with the cadence/bundle. You can always go with the open source maps to save costs. Its also helpful when using the bike on a trainer. If you only have budget for one go for the HR sensor its more useful generally as the Cadence senor is mainly helpful when you are getting to know a new training route or bike/hill/gear combination. If you ride the same router over and over you can live without a cadence sensor.

Combination of cadence and HR (and speed to a lessor extent) can help you work out your optimums for a route.

I personally find it very hard to ride without my computer. Of all the details I check its HR that I pay most attention to.

KonaMike

I use the Cadence sensor to protect my dodgy knee . I have set a target range of 90 to 120 on my computer so that an alarm sounds if I drop too low. Surprising how often I was dropping to 75 when I first started using it !

unixnerd

I have a cadence on all my road bikes and it's helped me slowly raise my rpm over the years to the point where it's not bad now. When I did my first 100 I found the fact that I'd learnt to spin a bit a higher rpm really helped me when I was tired. I'd recommend a computer with cadence function to any cyclist looking to improve their technique.

clelanj

I'm really hoping that I'll get a lot out of my Cadence Sensor as it arrived in the post this morning.

I see myself using it far more on the turbo and less so for rides - same for the heart rate monitor which arrived Christmas Day.

GavH

Another one here who pays little attention to cadence on the road, but takes an interest during turbo sessions. I tend to have quite a low avg cadence (@75 rpm) on any given ride and I find pedalling much beyond @100 rpm dam right awkward and thus unsustainable. Bottom line though: without a cadence sensor, I can't do much to rectify it. Anyone know any good TrainerRoad sessions for increasing cadence?