Why is my cadence so high ?

[JamesMorgan]

Some of the respondents on this thread seem to be confusing cycling up hills in a low cadence because you have run out of gears, to believing that this is in some way optimal. If your gears aren't suited to your terrain and you have to grind up the hill, then yes you have no choice but to do it. Personally I prefer to fit appropriate gears. Most of my rides rarely encounter gradients more than 10% gradient. I use a 30 (chainring) - 32 (cassette), which at a cadence of 90 gets me up at around 7 mph and uses about 350W. Seems to work for me - I can't see any benefit in pushing the same power output at a lower cadence.

 

[marinyork]

Hmmm I wouldn't say they were that small (just under-used for the last few years).

Maybe I will do a poll of calf sizes...

Someone already did a poll of thighs ages ago. It turned out that I did have very small ones, something people have always said to me in jest.

 

[GrasB]

Having the flexibility to power up the hills is really useful. Around me often swapping chainrings has a bigger negative impact than just getting out of the saddle for a few 100m. So I train to give good low rpm power which results in me not needing to swap chainrings.

 

[Rob3rt]

Someone already did a poll of thighs ages ago. It turned out that I did have very small ones, something people have always said to me in jest.

Maybe someone should re-run this poll, but instead of just thigh size, post your thigh to waist ratio! Says a lot more imo. In most cases the larger riders will have larger legs, and smaller riders smaller legs. But a thigh to waist ratio gives a roughly normalised measure.

I have puny calfs, not sure about my thighs, lol!

 

[jimboalee]

Some of the respondents on this thread seem to be confusing cycling up hills in a low cadence because you have run out of gears, to believing that this is in some way optimal. If your gears aren't suited to your terrain and you have to grind up the hill, then yes you have no choice but to do it. Personally I prefer to fit appropriate gears. Most of my rides rarely encounter gradients more than 10% gradient. I use a 30 (chainring) - 32 (cassette), which at a cadence of 90 gets me up at around 7 mph and uses about 350W. Seems to work for me - I can't see any benefit in pushing the same power output at a lower cadence.

I've got a Peugeot PX10LE with a 52/38 to 13 - 23 six speed screw-on.
I've got a Specialized SWorks with a 53/39 to 12 - 25 nine cassette.

Both go up 14% hills.

If I was to ride either of these bikes on a club run with a 30 tooth ring, I would hear "WTF's that? You F**kin' puff!"

 

[jimboalee]

Maybe someone should re-run this poll, but instead of just thigh size, post your thigh to waist ratio! Says a lot more imo. In most cases the larger riders will have larger legs, and smaller riders smaller legs. But a thigh to waist ratio gives a roughly normalised measure.

I have puny calfs, not sure about my thighs, lol!

This is an old measure system.

If your thigh is >80% of your waist, eg 26" thighs and 32" waist, you are not to be trifled with.

[The thigh measurement is with the tape 10cm below the crotch.]

 

[JamesMorgan]

I've got a Peugeot PX10LE with a 52/38 to 13 - 23 six speed screw-on.
I've got a Specialized SWorks with a 53/39 to 12 - 25 nine cassette.

Both go up 14% hills.

If I was to ride either of these bikes on a club run with a 30 tooth ring, I would hear "WTF's that? You F**kin' puff!"

Precisely - this has nothing to do with efficiency or strength (you could be pushing 350W with either). It is simply fashion or being 'one of the boys'. I also critise my teenage daughter for hobbling out for a night's clubbing with 4 inch heels. Not that she listens either.

 

[jimboalee]

Precisely - this has nothing to do with efficiency or strength (you could be pushing 350W with either). It is simply fashion or being 'one of the boys'. I also critise my teenage daughter for hobbling out for a night's clubbing with 4 inch heels. Not that she listens either.

She tells her friends her Dad is a 'fuddy duddy old fart', or similar words to the same effect.

My Spesh is a roadrace bike. It has the 25 sprocket because I sometimes take it up 14% or steeper.
It SHOULD only have a 23 sprocket in the basement

 

[ColinJ]

I've got a Peugeot PX10LE with a 52/38 to 13 - 23 six speed screw-on.
I've got a Specialized SWorks with a 53/39 to 12 - 25 nine cassette.

Both go up 14% hills.

I agree with what JamesMorgan wrote above - just because you can get up a hill in a certain gear doesn't make that the ideal gear to use.

I've got up 20% hills on my Cannondale which has a 39/29 bottom gear but it hurt my dodgy hips so much that I could hardly walk for a week. Where's the sense in that? My Basso has a 30/28 bottom gear and I can climb 20% hills without doing too much damage to myself.

I can climb a steep hill faster in 30/28 than I could in 39/29, 39/25 (whatever) so why go slower and hurt yourself more when an appropriate gear is available?

If I was to ride either of these bikes on a club run with a 30 tooth ring, I would hear "WTF's that? You F**kin' puff!"

Hmm, and people ask me why I never joined a cycling club (apart from Audax UK)!

 

[Rob3rt]

This is an old measure system.

If your thigh is >80% of your waist, eg 26" thighs and 32" waist, you are not to be trifled with.

[The thigh measurement is with the tape 10cm below the crotch.]

Its a single thigh we are measuring here yes?

Will give this a go tonight for a laugh. Wont be anywhere close to 80% though, I'll let you now how puny I am!

 

[JamesMorgan]

She tells her friends her Dad is a 'fuddy duddy old fart', or similar words to the same effect.

Actually her language is usually more colourful than that! She is probably right though - I am too old to be worried about fashion (and certainly too old to be going to night clubs).

 

[Rob3rt]

This is an old measure system.

If your thigh is >80% of your waist, eg 26" thighs and 32" waist, you are not to be trifled with.

[The thigh measurement is with the tape 10cm below the crotch.]

Did this test, 23.5 inch thigh for 32 waist. 73.4%

 

[amnesia]

25" thigh / 34" waist here... 73.5%

 

[marinyork]

18" thigh, 65%.

 

[Rob3rt]

Maybe we should have a thread for this instead if hijacking this thread. Then tally up after a week or so and see who is a beast and who is puny only for giggles ofc.