cadence

[Bill-H]

ok what do you recomend as a good average cadence to aim for

 

[Rob3rt]

Seriously?

 

[Bill-H]

lol yes this is the begginers section so why not ask
well i am peddling at an average of 75

 

[Andrew_P]

160 should do nicely.





On a serious note, I went form 68 average on a new road bike, made the effort to always be trying to hit 90 I now avg around 86-90 on a hours ride. Much more comfortable.

 

[oliver]

for me it depends massively on the bike i'm on and whether i'm clipped or not - so anything from 75 (unclipped mtb) to about 107 (clipped road bike - when pushing hard) - but to ber honest i just go for aiming for 95-97 when out on most club rides and the like!

 

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

Cadence is a personal thing. Pedal at a cadence that suits you.

The numbers from everyone else are as useful as comparing heart rate.

 

[black'n'yellow]

ok what do you recomend as a good average cadence to aim for

There isn't one. As your fitness improves, your cadence will increase slightly anyway. It is, however, is a very individual thing. As long as you are comfortable with your own cadence, that's all that matters. No need to count it and no need to worry about it.

 

[redste]

might be a silly question, but isthere a simple way to work out the cadence?

 

[PpPete]

IMO it's worth experimenting to find what "really" suits you best.
Many years ago I took the advice of a wiser and much older cyclist with whom I was having difficulty keeping up on the hills... to change down an extra cog or two and up the cadence. It felt really very un-natural at first but I was very surprised to find how much easier it was to keep up.
I don't obsess over the actual numbers but since I learned that lesson I'd guess my average cadence has increased over the years by 15% - 20%

 

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

might be a silly question, but isthere a simple way to work out the cadence?

Purchase a puter that does it for you. Otherwise use a watch/clock, time revolutions per a 10/12/15/20 sec period and multiply accordingly by 6/5/4/3

 

[PpPete]

might be a silly question, but isthere a simple way to work out the cadence?

Er... count the number of times your legs go round in a minute?
or
Speed in mph x 336.2 / gear inches

 

[MrJamie]

My cadence was always pretty low (in the 50s), id really grind the big gears. Since getting a computer with cadence i tried to keep using easier gears which in my head felt slower, but my actual speed was the same, sometimes slightly higher and just the effort felt a bit less strained. Now im normally riding around about 75-80rpm and when i try to go as fast its about 90rpm. It feels better, much smoother rather than doing leg presses. I dont know if it fits the ideal but it seems to suit me Ive seen a lot of people quote much higher cadences, but i seem to spin out at about 110rpm even downhill. All of the above is on flat pedals btw

 

[GrasB]

There isn't one. As your fitness improves, your cadence will increase slightly anyway. It is, however, is a very individual thing. As long as you are comfortable with your own cadence, that's all that matters. No need to count it and no need to worry about it.

^^ This!

There are so many things that influence your ideal cadence it's not even consistent across two rides over the same course on different days. I'd say for someone who's putting a fair amount of effort into their riding then somewhere between 70 & 120rpm should be okay. Someone riding along at a little more than walking pace 25-50 rpm is more appropriate.

 

[marzjennings]

ok what do you recomend as a good average cadence to aim for

Why do you want to know? Are you having knee problems, do you feel slow?

Generally if your legs hurt, downshift and pedal faster and if you lungs/heart ache upshift pedal slower.

 

[black'n'yellow]

and if you lungs/heart ache upshift pedal slower.

if your heart aches, stop riding and call 999...