Increasing cadence

[roadrash]

it will never cease to baffle me when someone tries something different, be it altering cadence or whatever , and find it better for them and go on to tell everyone else who isn't doing the same that they are wrong, everyone is different , there is no carved in stone right or wrong way.

 

[Fab Foodie]

it will never cease to baffle me when someone tries something different, be it altering cadence or whatever , and find it better for them and go on to tell everyone else who isn't doing the same that they are wrong, everyone is different , there is no carved in stone right or wrong way.

Indeed. Experimentation is better than dogma....

 

[crazyjoe101]

I changed from 80 avg to 90 avg to try things out and after a few weeks to adjust I personally experienced less cramping in my calves and fewer knee issues. Anecdotally at least, it seems easier to maintain a hard effort at around 90-100, I find it uncomfortable to try and accelerate or make strenuous efforts much below 80 although climbing is different.

 

[Milkfloat]

Indeed. Experimentation is better than dogma....

I don’t know, even with the Sky connection, I have always fancied a Dogma.

 

[CXRAndy]

I don't believe solely working on cadence is of any benefit whatsoever. As your fitness/power increases your cadence will naturally increase as a by-product of becoming a more powerful cyclist. Having a higher cadence doesn't really mean anything on it's own.

Usually before any workout on the turbo I have a 15min warmup which finishes on 120rpm which at the resistance I'm pedaling equates to about 330w. The 120rmp is the last 2min of the warmup which usually see's me at about 95% of HR max. In general riding at around 85rpm I can make this power way way easier at probably around 80% HR max. My point being. I can (like anyone) spin at 120 or whatever but no way is that my most efficient way of making a deisred output. There's no point forcing a perticular cadence as it's meaningless. Concentrate on making more power and the rest will look after itself.

I make the most power at 75rpm, but this is no good , when riding long distance or racing. I tend to ride nearer to a 100rpm, keeping legs fresh, whilst putting more demand on my heart lungs(increased heart rate) . Heart/Lungs recover much faster than tired legs . Nearer the end of a long ride/race I can let the cadence drop and use the stored glycogen in my legs for power.

That is the reason to spin at a higher cadence. You may lose a tiny portion of power but will have much more leg strength later on.

 

[CXRAndy]

Frankly I’d find that impossible*
Again, where is the proof that high cadence is any kind of universal panacea for bike riding?

I’m not convinced that low cadence is particulary bad for knees either....

*I rode 2 years with a club constantly being told to spin and I simply didn’t improve until going back to my natural cadence. I have tried...

For endurance or longer races, then using a higher cadence is the optimal way . I use a wide range of gear setups for my main two bikes. My TT bike has a 56t crank and I usually use 13,12,11t @75rpm for 10-25mile TT s. On my touring bike I have a triple crank with 48/36/26t either with a 11-32 Cass or 11-40 for mountain climbs. The lowest crank allows me to climb any gradient whilst maintaining a high cadence. This in invaluable when making the last big hill after 8+hours in the saddle doing mountain passes.

If you start out at 70ish rpm your legs will be shot near the end of the day and there is nowhere to go with cadence if you start at 70rpm .

 

[Heltor Chasca]

From the coaching notes on TrainerRoad, I understand a lot of getting your increased cadence is down to neurological learning. The body basically learns to pedal at a higher frequency.

I note from yesterday’s 200+km ride, my average cadence (including coasting, stopping etc) was 85rpm and my max was 120rpm. Interesting to me only I suspect.

All of this said, a friend who is a vastly superior cyclist to the average Joe like myself, grinds so slowly it almost looks painful. But he squeezes out an annual hill climbing championship every year and does really well in his age category, so it isn’t wrong. It’s just different to mine.

 

[CXRAndy]

There have and will always be both ends of the spectrum, Jan Ullrich-grinder, Lance Armstrong-spin. It really depends on whether your joints can handle the strain. Alot can't especially as we get older. The only plus to low cadence it runs the hr at a lower level

 

[raleighnut]

There have and will always be both ends of the spectrum, Jan Ullrich-grinder, Lance Armstrong-spin. It really depends on whether your joints can handle the strain. Alot can't especially as we get older. The only plus to low cadence it runs the hr at a lower level

Yep the trick is finding the balance, I think it comes with experience.

 

[mustang1]

As a side track public announcement, I would like to warn everyone that "cadence" has become a buzzword in business circles. The other day I heard "we need to increase the cadence with this". FFS.

 

[DaveReading]

I had the impression that a high cadence was less tiring/better on the knees.

There was a thread on here a year or two back about whether, all other things being equal, grinding in a high gear was worse for the knees than spinning in a higher gear.

I think we all agreed to differ.

 

[maxfox44]

I sort of wish I'd never have asked, looking at the obvious can of worms I've opened.

Anyway, in the last couple of weeks I have increased my cad by about 10. I've determined this by seeing what speed I naturally go at when I'm not concentrating on revs. Seems to have improved my overall time on my usual commute too.

 

[maxfox44]

I still intend to buy a cadence sensor one day. Just because I don't have the slightest clue what my cadence is. I'm sure I'll get some interesting data out of it. Useful ... probably not. Interesting ... certainly!

That is why I bought one, I had no idea and before anyone says, count your knees going up and down.....

 

[CXRAndy]

If you do buy a cadence sensor, buy the version where you put a magnet on the crank arm and sensor on the stay. The non magnetic versions whilst being neater in package are susceptible to road vibrations and can give odd readings. I had this on my TT bike, I couldn't tell with accuracy what my cadence was, so went back to the older design-now I have reliable numbers without the cadence jumping all over the place

 

[Heltor Chasca]

If you do buy a cadence sensor, buy the version where you put a magnet on the crank arm and sensor on the stay. The non magnetic versions whilst being neater in package are susceptible to road vibrations and can give odd readings. I had this on my TT bike, I couldn't tell with accuracy what my cadence was, so went back to the older design-now I have reliable numbers without the cadence jumping all over the place

Or another option: One that you can clip to your shoe.