A Question About Cadence
Biomech
Posts: 158
I went out on my new (first) road bike yesterday - shaved 15 minutes off the 16 miles I previously done on my mountain bike, the difference was incredible.
Anyway, I heard that you should aim for 80-90 rpm, but this seem's a really fast cycle rate to me. I spent most of the trip doing 65, which was comfortable/cruising. I can't say I found it particularly difficult although I realise a lot of that is down to having a proper bike now.
But my question is am I supposed to:
Maintain the same gear but increase rpm
Drop a gear to achieve a higher rpm
Increase in gear and maintain 65
Increae in gear and aim for 80-90
I went out with my dad who isn't a "cyclist" either and has a hybrid. To achieve 80-90rpm I'd either have left him at the start or dropped gears to the point that I was just cycling air.
TIA
Anyway, I heard that you should aim for 80-90 rpm, but this seem's a really fast cycle rate to me. I spent most of the trip doing 65, which was comfortable/cruising. I can't say I found it particularly difficult although I realise a lot of that is down to having a proper bike now.
But my question is am I supposed to:
Maintain the same gear but increase rpm
Drop a gear to achieve a higher rpm
Increase in gear and maintain 65
Increae in gear and aim for 80-90
I went out with my dad who isn't a "cyclist" either and has a hybrid. To achieve 80-90rpm I'd either have left him at the start or dropped gears to the point that I was just cycling air.
TIA
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Comments
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Wow lots of questions and sure to get you a plethora of differing opinions.
First well done on your ride and the achievement.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to riding that's the start point and you do what's good and works for you.
Personally I find higher rpm easier and suits me, as the terrain changes I move up/down my gears to keep a fairly constant cadence in the 80-90 range.Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.0 -
Speaking personally, my cadence has increased with experience. After a couple of years of cycling i am finding it more comfortable to spin at a higher rate and my body has become more used to it. Takes a while to learn what works best for you and what doesnt, how do do hills, flats etc. on the whole its best not to mash low gears because its not good for your joints ...
I have my cadence average set on my 500 front screen so i can check it throughout my rides0 -
Thanks for the replies.
Yeah I find 65 comfortable. I wouldn't want to say the ride was "easy", but I didn't have any problems at all. On the last 16 (mountain bike on road for charity event) I struggled a lot and it was hard.
I'd like to loose some weight as well, so I guess that factors in to it.
Like I say, I tried 80 (I have a computer stuck on) and found it to be spinning too fast. I read cycle sprinters do 170rpm! That's nearly 3 full cycles per second, I can't even imagine someone's legs going that fast. I've always been under the impression that cyclists have a lower cadence with a hard gear (which way around is it a higher gear is easier or a high gear is harder?), whenever I see them on the road they seem to be travelling fast but pedalling slowly.0 -
Not an expert, but as I have developed, if found the balance shifts progressivley. My process was, roughly,
Try a 5 RPM increase initially, probably in one gear lower. As that becomes more natural, repeat, or once you reach say 75, try pushing a bigger gear, then re repeat the whole process.
I am now, after about 18 months, comfortable at 85 RPM all day, and as Ive got stronger, Ive been able to push higher gears, increasing the speed.
Dont worry about the high RPM thing - I often find i'm pushing 120 on a fast descent, and its only when I look at the computer that I realise its that fast! (A constant cadence display is, IMHO, one of the most important tools for developing technique. Now for the power meter!0 -
It varies by person. Just experiment to see what works for you using the gears to best effect.0
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The rule seems to be that high cadence riding is easier on the legs but harder on the aerobic system - i.e., you will probably be riding at higher heart rates.
So it probably works especially for those who lack muscular endurance in the legs.
I find riding at high cadence raises my heart rate too much and I don't like 'the feel' of it.
But then I don't have a cadence monitor so I'm not entirely sure what cadence I'm doing most of the time.
I certainly think 'spinning' up climbs (in a gear that might feel too easy / not efficient at first) is a good idea on very long hilly rides though.0 -
Thanks.
So when you all ride, do you aim to push / "try" to pedal or do you just cruise?
I'm assuming if you're touring or on a day "trip" you's go easy. But for other times do you aim to be out of breath?
Yesterday I was very slightly out of breath after some steep (very short) hills, but getting back, not out of breath at all and felt fine. At points on the ride, I was free wheeling a lot and still gaining distance on my dad who was heavy breathing the whole way (and has completed 400 miles over the last month, including a bike trip to france and back on his hybrid with a seat the size of a sofa)0 -
Don't try and overthink things. Ride your bike and learn it as you go along. 16 miles is a good distance for a young learner but that, taken at a pace which doesn't drop your not-that-cycling-fit dad, doesn't really merit endless pondering about technique.
As others have said, find out what works for you when it comes to gears and cadence. High cadence in a big gear will be faster than low cadence in a low gear...but if you are going up a 20% climb then low cadence/low gear is often the only option, particularly at the end of a long ride.
When it comes to effort then that can vary too and will depend on the speed, length of ride and terrain. Don't make every ride a sufference...but don't make every ride easy either. Variety, 'tis the spice of life and cycling
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Biomech wrote:Thanks.
So when you all ride, do you aim to push / "try" to pedal or do you just cruise?
I'm assuming if you're touring or on a day "trip" you's go easy. But for other times do you aim to be out of breath?
Yesterday I was very slightly out of breath after some steep (very short) hills, but getting back, not out of breath at all and felt fine. At points on the ride, I was free wheeling a lot and still gaining distance on my dad who was heavy breathing the whole way (and has completed 400 miles over the last month, including a bike trip to france and back on his hybrid with a seat the size of a sofa)
Well yes it depends what sort of ride it is and what you are trying to do or train for. Some people get technical and use hear rate etc then there are training zones you can target; some rides will be harder / faster than others.
I tend to ride on feel mostly and for long 3-5 hour rides I'll try never to be really out of breath, although I might do several stretches up towards threshold (I sort of know where this having used heart rate before).
If I only have an hour or two to go round Richmond park then I might do intervals, or ride it like a time trial, which would be a hard effort all round - a pace that I could not sustain for much longer than an hour.
But in your position as a relative newcomer I would keep it simple and not ride too hard at first because it's easy to fatigue if you're straining at it and that can be quite dispiriting. Think the best think for new riders is lots of fairly steady and enjoyable miles aimed at building muscular endurance and aerobic efficiency.
Then maybe after a year or something start chucking in some more intensive bits like taking the hills really hard and the flats steady or vice-versa.0 -
I think that you find your natural cadence and I wouldn't be too bothered about it.
I've been cycling for over twenty years and I had no idea what my cadence was until I bought a Garmin the other year, it happened to be 85 and for some reason it went upto 90 when I swapped to a compact chainset, has it altered anything knowing that? No.0 -
Most people's natural cadence when they first start riding is around 65. It won't be natural to push faster than a brisk walk or a light run would move your legs. They need training for a faster cadence.
If you can get your average up to mid/high 80s, you will improve your speed and your endurance quickly. This does put more pressure on your cardio vascular system but this is the carburettor and your legs are the engine. You won't improve your leg endurance at a given power too much, until you have improved your oxygen supply to them.
At first use easier gears, then as you get more rides under your belt at a higher cadence you will naturally find you can push the same higher cadence with a faster gear.
Good luck.Boardman Elite SLR 9.2S
Boardman FS Pro0 -
There is a certain amount of energy expenditure required just to spin the pedals even if you weren't producing any propulsion (say you were just sitting on your bike going no-where and just spinning the pedals with no chain on). That energy expenditure goes up as you increase cadence. Initially, beginners typically don't produce much power over long periods regardless so the energy to spin the pedals is a bigger proportion of the total work done and feels like a waste of energy. Therefore it feels natural to reduce the cadence and push a bit harder. However as you get fitter and your legs adapt to producing more power over a sustained period, the effort it makes sense to do so by increasing BOTH the power you apply to the pedal and the cadence.
Power = Force x Speed
You can increase the force you apply, the speed you pedal, or both in order to increase power output.
Unless you're pretty fit from another sport your heart and lungs are likely to be the limiting factor initially. Again this tends to influence you towards slower cadence and higher force. However as your cardio system improves you can typically deliver more power for longer by increasing cadence rather than just increasing pedal force. Most people find a cadence somewhere around 85-95 comfortable for sustained riding.
If you're taking it really easy, a high cadence can feel very unnatural because there's very little pedal resistance so there's no reason to not to just change gears and pedal slower. Your legs will not be under pressure anyway. Last year I used to occassionally ride with much slower friends and I noticed that my average cadence was often in the mid 70s despite me usually preferring to cruise at 92-96rpm. When the work load was low there was just no point in maintaining a high cadence.0 -
Check out any novice bike ride and people will be riding about 60ish rpm.
Check out the pros in the peleton and they'll be north of 80rpm.
So 60 must feel natural for beginners - but most people learn to spin faster with practice. After all - cycling isnt very natural really ?
Other than that - I'd not sweat my exact cadence.0 -
I think the quick version is that as you get faster it's probably a good idea to do so by increasing cadence rather than just pushing harder on the pedals. Starting off, don't worry too much, just don't get into the habit of struggling to push the pedals around. If the pedal pressure feels a bit high but you're still breathing okay then change gears too take the strain off your legs but keep pushing the pace.0
