Cadence sensors

[samsbike]

Has anyone found measuring their cadence useful and if so, why?

thanks

 

[screenman]

I like information, which is why I sometimes use one.

 

[mattobrien]

Yes. It has helped me to know how quickly I am pedalling and when to change gear. By monitoring it, I have managed to up my cadence by c. 4-5 rpm. I find my average speed increases with a higher cadence.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Yep

 

[ushills]

I monitor mine to stop me knackering my knees, I have a tendency to push in too high a gear and when I drop below 70rpm I know I need to change.

 

[VamP]

I don't bother with it. Cadence matters, but, slow, medium, fast and mega-fast covers all my needs.

 

[Drewk1uk]

I use one to try and keep my cadence up and its working.
It broke recently ( hit the spokes ) and without it I still found I was naturally pedalling at a higher cadence than I used to.

 

[Albert]

It isn't the most useful information to have, but if you have the facility then why not use it? I've read somewhere that fast cadence riding is excellent for general strength training.
I use one on my turbo trainer and was quite pleased when I managed to do an hour at over 100 rpm. On the road I almost never manage to average more than 70rpm.

 

[Rob3rt]

It is one of the least useful things that can be measured IMO. Loads of people jabber on about cadence, based on some stuff they read in magazines and on forums.

Finding a cadence that works for you is all that matters, the actual numbers, not very important. Mashing is NOT universally a bad thing!

 

[ColinJ]

I have a highish cadence most of the time (85-100 rpm) but am not really bothered what it is at any given moment. I change gear when it feels right, which is when I sense the cadence dropping, or when the spinning gets silly.

I do not have a cadence sensor, and do not want one.

What I would like is an accurate 'rate of ascent' reading on my GPS. I discovered a RoA option on my Garmin on my last ride but it does not have a sensible averaging function. I would like it to show an average for (say) the last 15 seconds, but it jumps about all over the place even though my speed and the slope of the road are pretty constant.

 

[HLaB]

I think I concentrated on cadence for a few weeks too many and it'll just go back to a nice to know rather than obsession for me. Tried upping it a bit to the so called 'desired' 90rpm and maintaining it by dropping down in a pack but I ignored it for my TT on Tuesday and rode how I felt; I increased my pb on that 10 mile course, without tri bars by over a minute. IIRC my more natural cadence was 86rpm.
The only benefit I can see is grinding at 50-60rpm isnt ideal but my body would tell me that anyway
The other positive my free hub is less 'clunky' when I pedal a natural cadence

 

[MickeyBlueEyes]

I tracked it for about a year and didn't do anything with the data. Then this year I paid a bit of attention to it, my average has gone up a bit and now I feel my pedal stroke is more fluent and efficient.

 

[Sittingduck]

I always think that I should be averaging a higher cadence than I do... Then I realise that it means Jack Schitt and I should just come to terms with the fact I ain't a spin-monkey