Pedaling teqnique in group

deano802

Some times when riding in group I find it difficult to keep a steady spinning cadence. I tend to be in a bigger gear and take a couple of revs then coast in the group then a couple of revs again of the big gear when need, if i knock it up a gear then I'm outspinnng the gear with no pressure in the pedals, the riders in front or behind are generally pedalling at a steady cadence.

Any experienced advice would be great.

imposter2.0

Welcome to group riding...

sloppyschleckonds

What is your technique when on the front of the group?

deano802

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

What is your technique when on the front of the group?

Well I just try and keep it steady and look back to make sure I'm not going of the front.

I'm 35 and been riding with the group 6 months. More 50 to 60 y/o, i can see my young legs are better on the flats but when it comes to hills and endurace thier experience counts.

trekvet

As they are older perhaps they were taught to spin at a higher cadence; I am, and I was. It could also be a carry over from our single gear days, perhaps progressing to a 3-speed, where of course spinning was necessary. Lance, bless him, was fresh off MTBs, where we have to spin to cope with the ever changing conditions, and then we carry that over to the road bike. Get a gadget to show your cadence then look for 90 level and hills, 100 through the gears, and 120 to get that girl off your wheel.

When I am on the front I just carry on at same speed, they'll soon call out. Safer than looking back.

deano802

TrekVet wrote:

As they are older perhaps they were taught to spin at a higher cadence; I am, and I was. It could also be a carry over from our single gear days, perhaps progressing to a 3-speed, where of course spinning was necessary. Lance, bless him, was fresh off MTBs, where we have to spin to cope with the ever changing conditions, and then we carry that over to the road bike. Get a gadget to show your cadence then look for 90 level and hills, 100 through the gears, and 120 to get that girl off you wheel.

When I am on the front I just carry on at same speed, they'll soon soon call out. Safer than looking back.

The thing is I can spin, but my point is that I out spin that gear, then next gear if I spin it I am going too fast for the great and have to stop spinning. I am not quite ready for the faster group yet, they are beasts.

pblakeney

If you are in a group and not at the front then you should expect it to be easy going as that is the point.
Select a gear that gives a steady but light resistance to suit your cadence and adjust as necessary.
Going the same pace as the group is paramount. Gears and cadence to suit are personal preference options.

svetty

This is much simpler than you are making it. You just need to adjust your gearing at all times to ensure that your cadence is appropriate to your speed. If this means crystal cranking then so be it.

cougie

Pedalling and then having to coast is not conducive to group riding. Just pedal a lower gear slightly faster.

Observe any beginners and they pedal about 60 Rpm.
Look at the pros and it's something like mid 80s.

So who knows best ?

N0bodyOfTheGoat

cougie wrote:

So who knows best ?

Mother.

milemuncher1

Traditional ‘dogma’ dictates that 90 rpm is the best Cadence. As per usual with this type of thing, it shouldn’t be taken as gospel, and applied unthinkingly. I’ve always preferred a much lower cadence / higher gear, than ( pretty much ) everyone else in the groups I’ve ridden with (and I’ve been riding road bikes for the best part of 30 years). I find it less tiring, and with a modern, fully adjustable bike ( more adjustable than some of the ‘olds’ were traditionally used to) it’s possible to set it up, and customise / tailor the riding position, so as to not overstress any important bits of your body ( knees and ankles mainly ). A while back, someone with a group I sometimes ride with, was filming from the back of the group. My Cadence was noticeably far less than everyone else’s, but I was not going any slower than the group. It’s horses for courses, the “thou shalt pedal at 90 rpms OR YOU WILL DIE OF BAD KNEES, PROBABLY” commandment, needs to be taken with a large pinch of salt

cougie

The issue is that the op only has one cadence and has to stop pedalling and coast all the time. That's going to cause problems in a bunch where the last thing you want is someone going back and forth all the time.

flasher

Sounds like you need a closer ratio cassette.

super_davo

Buy / borrow a fixed wheel bike and take it over a rolling route for an hour or so (not in a group). That will massively increase the range of cadence you feel comfortable working at. I too generally average about 90 cadence, but its pretty useful to be able to drop the cadence to 70 or so to match the speed of others up a hill, or spin up to 120+ to close down gaps quickly, plus getting extra speed downhill in top gear.

I too think your problem would be resolved quickly by a closer range cassette, so it's up to you whether you want to train your way out of your problem or buy your way out of it.

RodWatts

For me and many others the most annoying thing when riding in a group is the guy in front of you who continually coast/ pedals/ coast etc. You never know what they’ll do next. You have a finger on the brake all the time ‘just in case’
So do try to get your cadence right as said above.
Rod

chippyk

You’re overthinking it. Just ride the bike.

milemuncher1

super_davo wrote:

Buy / borrow a fixed wheel bike and take it over a rolling route for an hour or so (not in a group). That will massively increase the range of cadence you feel comfortable working at. I too generally average about 90 cadence, but its pretty useful to be able to drop the cadence to 70 or so to match the speed of others up a hill, or spin up to 120+ to close down gaps quickly, plus getting extra speed downhill in top gear.

I too think your problem would be resolved quickly by a closer range cassette, so it's up to you whether you want to train your way out of your problem or buy your way out of it.

It’s a miracle, a post I agree with pretty much entirely.

milemuncher1

RodWatts wrote:

For me and many others the most annoying thing when riding in a group is the guy in front of you who continually coast/ pedals/ coast etc. You never know what they’ll do next. You have a finger on the brake all the time ‘just in case’
So do try to get your cadence right as said above.
Rod

You’re describing a ‘squirrel’. The best way to deal with them is to ride offset to them. That way you don’t risk a pile up. Eventually they will get the hang of group riding, and the piano accordion style will mellow.

imposter2.0

Milemuncher1 wrote:

RodWatts wrote:

For me and many others the most annoying thing when riding in a group is the guy in front of you who continually coast/ pedals/ coast etc. You never know what they’ll do next. You have a finger on the brake all the time ‘just in case’
So do try to get your cadence right as said above.
Rod

You’re describing a ‘squirrel’. The best way to deal with them is to ride offset to them. That way you don’t risk a pile up. Eventually they will get the hang of group riding, and the piano accordion style will mellow.

'squirrell' ?? Do they eat nuts while they're riding, or is that another one of your made-up bullsh1t terms?

Nobody ever achieves a consistent pace in a group, doesn't matter if they've been riding 15 minutes or 15 years. The nature of group riding is that there will inevitably be minor pace changes pretty much all the time and you can't just expect to hold your pace/cadence regardless, when there are other riders around you. It's just the way things are - get used to it.

cougie

Granted nobody's perfect but anyone pedalling for a few revs and then coasting would be bollocked in my club and put at the back until they've learned to pedal properly.

deano802

It's all getting a bit heated :?

A lot of people saying you should do this and that without saying how.

I think I am understanding now, I think from starting last year everyone tells you about keeping your cadence up so that's what I have been trying to do. But actually when I a pushing too big a gear then coasting I should go to an easier gear and actually spin at a slower cadence to engage the gear and to not go too fast for the group. As a side note I have been riding with a group 60 miles every Sunday for 6 months, I always keep the right pace and never caused any issues, just noticed my style was different so just trying to learn. Been using 52/36 with 11-32 and maybe I'll change my cassette to a closer range, just worried about the hills

pblakeney

Deano802 wrote:

It's all getting a bit heated :?

A lot of people saying you should do this and that without saying how.

I think I am understanding now, I think from starting last year everyone tells you about keeping your cadence up so that's what I have been trying to do. But actually when I a pushing too big a gear then coasting I should go to an easier gear and actually spin at a slower cadence to engage the gear and to not go too fast for the group. As a side note I have been riding with a group 60 miles every Sunday for 6 months, I always keep the right pace and never caused any issues, just noticed my style was different so just trying to learn. Been using 52/36 with 11-32 and maybe I'll change my cassette to a closer range, just worried about the hills

In summary, you are allowed to change gear as often as you like.
Too fast? Change down a gear. Too slow? Change up a gear. It's not brain science.

deano802

PBlakeney wrote:

Deano802 wrote:

It's all getting a bit heated :?

A lot of people saying you should do this and that without saying how.

I think I am understanding now, I think from starting last year everyone tells you about keeping your cadence up so that's what I have been trying to do. But actually when I a pushing too big a gear then coasting I should go to an easier gear and actually spin at a slower cadence to engage the gear and to not go too fast for the group. As a side note I have been riding with a group 60 miles every Sunday for 6 months, I always keep the right pace and never caused any issues, just noticed my style was different so just trying to learn. Been using 52/36 with 11-32 and maybe I'll change my cassette to a closer range, just worried about the hills

In summary, you are allowed to change gear as often as you like.
Too fast? Change down a gear. Too slow? Change up a gear. It's not brain science.

Yes I get that but when I try to change down a gear to go slower I am spinning out the gear so I suppose I have to slow down my cadence to engage it. As a beginner everyone is saying keep that cadence up, which I think is a bit misleading.

imposter2.0

Cadence is a red herring regardless. Just find a cadence you like - pedal it when you need to, soft-pedal it when you need to. As mentioned above - not brain science.

lettingthedaysgoby

cougie wrote:

Granted nobody's perfect but anyone pedalling for a few revs and then coasting would be bollocked in my club and put at the back until they've learned to pedal properly.

Sounds like a lovely, welcoming bunch.

pblakeney

Deano802 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Deano802 wrote:

It's all getting a bit heated :?

A lot of people saying you should do this and that without saying how.

I think I am understanding now, I think from starting last year everyone tells you about keeping your cadence up so that's what I have been trying to do. But actually when I a pushing too big a gear then coasting I should go to an easier gear and actually spin at a slower cadence to engage the gear and to not go too fast for the group. As a side note I have been riding with a group 60 miles every Sunday for 6 months, I always keep the right pace and never caused any issues, just noticed my style was different so just trying to learn. Been using 52/36 with 11-32 and maybe I'll change my cassette to a closer range, just worried about the hills

In summary, you are allowed to change gear as often as you like.
Too fast? Change down a gear. Too slow? Change up a gear. It's not brain science.

Yes I get that but when I try to change down a gear to go slower I am spinning out the gear so I suppose I have to slow down my cadence to engage it. As a beginner everyone is saying keep that cadence up, which I think is a bit misleading.

Two things on this.
1. A closer ratio cassette.
2. Cadence. There should still be a gear within a 10 rpm range. What are we talking about, in numbers?

veryslowtwitch

Hi, instead of coasting and stopping pedaling completely I suggest you consider pedalling gently without applying pressure. This means that you can pick up power immediately to keep in touch but more importantly it looks much better to the rider behind. It can be disconcerting if the rider ahead suddenly stops pedalling on the flat; it can look like imminent braking so I prefer to keep a gently tickover as a courtesy to the following rider even if I'm not doing any work. As soon as the gap opens 10cm then it just needs a tiny bit of pressure to close it.

milemuncher1

Deano802 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Deano802 wrote:

It's all getting a bit heated :?

A lot of people saying you should do this and that without saying how.

I think I am understanding now, I think from starting last year everyone tells you about keeping your cadence up so that's what I have been trying to do. But actually when I a pushing too big a gear then coasting I should go to an easier gear and actually spin at a slower cadence to engage the gear and to not go too fast for the group. As a side note I have been riding with a group 60 miles every Sunday for 6 months, I always keep the right pace and never caused any issues, just noticed my style was different so just trying to learn. Been using 52/36 with 11-32 and maybe I'll change my cassette to a closer range, just worried about the hills

In summary, you are allowed to change gear as often as you like.
Too fast? Change down a gear. Too slow? Change up a gear. It's not brain science.

Yes I get that but when I try to change down a gear to go slower I am spinning out the gear so I suppose I have to slow down my cadence to engage it. As a beginner everyone is saying keep that cadence up, which I think is a bit misleading.

Correct.

deano802

veryslowtwitch wrote:

Hi, instead of coasting and stopping pedaling completely I suggest you consider pedalling gently without applying pressure. This means that you can pick up power immediately to keep in touch but more importantly it looks much better to the rider behind. It can be disconcerting if the rider ahead suddenly stops pedalling on the flat; it can look like imminent braking so I prefer to keep a gently tickover as a courtesy to the following rider even if I'm not doing any work. As soon as the gap opens 10cm then it just needs a tiny bit of pressure to close it.

Thanks, good advice

Frank Wilson

One of the reasons I prefer to ride on my own.

imposter2.0

veryslowtwitch wrote:

Hi, instead of coasting and stopping pedaling completely I suggest you consider pedalling gently without applying pressure.

AKA soft pedalling, mentioned earlier...