Cadence

[daz3210]

There has been discussion before on whether a cadence sensor is worthwhile or not. Well I plunged and bought one, and connected it last night to my Garmin 800.

I now have 1 route recorded with the sensor installed, but what do I do with the data I have?

I went out on my Mountain Bike, because I was exploring a new route, and planned coming back via canal towpath. I guessed therefore that a bit of rough ground would be involved, and thought that the roadie was a no no for that trip.

Initial impression was that I was pedalling at or around 80 revs per minute, which having listened to other comments seems slow. Towards the end of the trip the rate had dropped somewhat, especially going uphill, although I refuse to use the granny ring unless absolutely necessary.

Anyway, the track is here, can some of the more knowledgeable bods on here have a look and see what they think about my pedaling speed. Am I getting paranoid about this?

Track = http://connect.garmin.com/activity/192834106

[anonymous-user]

cant access the data but in general, my opinion is to keep spinning around 90rpm regardless of what gear you are in, thats why bikes have gears. there is no point trying to be a hero and push a bigger gear if it puts your knees under more strain, wastes energy and lowers your speed.

[anonymous-user]

http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/article/technique...

Some good info here.

[daz3210]

pablo said:

cant access the data but in general, my opinion is to keep spinning around 90rpm regardless of what gear you are in, thats why bikes have gears. there is no point trying to be a hero and push a bigger gear if it puts your knees under more strain, wastes energy and lowers your speed.

Thats why I asked for someone to try to take a look.

I feel more comfy at a slightly lower rate, so wondered if I was fine as is, or whether I should really be pushing myself to spin faster.

[jr6yam]

Low(ish) cadence on the flat, but not struggling with too big a gear
High cadence up hills; hurts more but you recover quicker

[daz3210]

jr6yam said:

Low(ish) cadence on the flat, but not struggling with too big a gear
High cadence up hills; hurts more but you recover quicker

Can you give a range for low and high?

[NitroNick]

Higher cadence will increase your aerobic capacity.
Low cadence/high power will increase strength.
On a recovery ride i'll average > 90 rpm, when I'm trying to go as fast as I can I average 75 to 80 rpm.
Lower cadence tires the muscles faster.

[TonyHetherington]

This is for a road bike in fairness, rather than a mountain bike, but this was my ride from Sunday afternoon;

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/192242644

There was an average of 86rpm, which seems about right (ignore the 216rpm max - obviously a mis-read). That means that whenever you look down at your cadence you're doing 90 - 100rpm. It feels ever so slightly fast when you start learning (it felt alien to me when I was going that fast!) but now it feels natural.

Rule of thumb; if you're out of breath, you're pedaling too fast. If your legs a hurting, you're pedalling too slow. If both are happening, spot on

[Cheib]

Working on my cadence transformned my cycling....it took a while but once I was comfortable spinning 80 to 90 rpm it made a huge difference....when you're over 40 everything takes that little bit longer to get used to! I struggle to maintain that going up hill but because I am pedalling more efficiently elsewhere it means I can deal with the hills much better.

[bikemonster]

You need to work out what your ideal cadence is. Trying to match somebody else's cadence on a ride is like trying to match their hair colour.

Once you have worked out what cadence works for you - and you may find that for best results you need to increase your cadence - try and ride to that cadence. For me, it's a crucial number, because usually it's the only number you can manage.

Speed is nice to know, but you're always going as fast as you can. Heart rate is nice to know, but unless you are using a HRM properly in a structured workout, your HR is again just a by-product of how hard you are trying to go.

[jr6yam]

daz3210 said:

jr6yam said:

Low(ish) cadence on the flat, but not struggling with too big a gear
High cadence up hills; hurts more but you recover quicker

Can you give a range for low and high?

80-85 on the flat seems to suit me. Uphill? varies depending on the type of climb
Long drags I tend to grind out, short steep climbs I blast up

Every now and then I'll try and 'max out' while keeping a smooth pedalling action

[Kermit power]

My understanding is that if you're riding off road, you should drop your cadence by around 10rpm compared to riding on the road.

The reason for this was given as keeping back a little in reserve in case you need an extra burst to get over an obstacle.

[daz3210]

Kermit power said:

My understanding is that if you're riding off road, you should drop your cadence by around 10rpm compared to riding on the road.

The reason for this was given as keeping back a little in reserve in case you need an extra burst to get over an obstacle.

Now that happened naturally in a way last night.

I rode to Huddersfield via mainly off road tarmacadam cycle path.

Returned via a canal bank, which made me a little nervous, since I have recently started using clipless pedals, and I have to admit to falling off once already. So I slowed the pedalling so I could concentrate on not falling off.

[oddman]

Ideal cadence is where you produce max wattage for energy expended. For most non cyclists this feels far too fast but the advantage of cultivating spinning is that you recruit more of the leg muscles across the whole pedal cycle ultimately generating more power. For different individuals (and in different situations), the ideal cadence varies but an average cadence of 63 is low.

You will tend have a lower cadence with mountain biking as you need a bit in reserve for 'blasting' over obstacles and to cushion yourself by keeping some weight on your legs at times (you can't do this at 120rpm). However what you posted was a ride on a mountain bike not mountain bike ride so I would maintain a higher cadence on that ride even riding a mountain bike.

You've maintained quite a high heart rate and a decent speed on the ride. To me it looks like you're reasonably fit but not 'bike fit'.

Not using low gears and grinding out climbs is a recipe for knackering your knees - especially if your bike set up isn't right.

I don't know where I read it but it seems good advice in relation to cycling in general (not racing or hard training) 'If your legs are burning change down, if your lungs are burning change up and if the whole house is on fire slow down'. If I was you I'd try and make a point of using a gear or two lower in every part of the ride whilst keeping speed constant. It will probably feel wrong at first. Roadies practice spinning on the dreaded rollers or trbo trainers and with long winter rides (getting the miles in) it might not come so naturally if you are a mountain biker

[daz3210]

oddman said:

Ideal cadence is where you produce max wattage for energy expended. For most non cyclists this feels far too fast but the advantage of cultivating spinning is that you recruit more of the leg muscles across the whole pedal cycle ultimately generating more power. For different individuals (and in different situations), the ideal cadence varies but an average cadence of 63 is low.

You will tend have a lower cadence with mountain biking as you need a bit in reserve for 'blasting' over obstacles and to cushion yourself by keeping some weight on your legs at times (you can't do this at 120rpm). However what you posted was a ride on a mountain bike not mountain bike ride so I would maintain a higher cadence on that ride even riding a mountain bike.

You've maintained quite a high heart rate and a decent speed on the ride. To me it looks like you're reasonably fit but not 'bike fit'.

Not using low gears and grinding out climbs is a recipe for knackering your knees - especially if your bike set up isn't right.

I don't know where I read it but it seems good advice in relation to cycling in general (not racing or hard training) 'If your legs are burning change down, if your lungs are burning change up and if the whole house is on fire slow down'. If I was you I'd try and make a point of using a gear or two lower in every part of the ride whilst keeping speed constant. It will probably feel wrong at first. Roadies practice spinning on the dreaded rollers or turbo trainers and with long winter rides (getting the miles in) it might not come so naturally if you are a mountain biker

Thanks for that, that makes a good deal of sense.

I also have a road bike, with a similar setup, so I can post up a good comparison later when I have been out on the roadie.

I don't consider myself a mountain biker as such. The mountain bike is an old school, no suspension thing. I use it purely on canal tow paths etc where a pure roadie is just not beefy enough.

[oddman]

daz3210 said:

I also have a road bike, with a similar setup, so I can post up a good comparison later when I have been out on the roadie.

Try heading south - bit more of a challenge

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/191082743

Edited by oddman on Tuesday 26th June 19:54

[daz3210]

oddman said:

daz3210 said:

I also have a road bike, with a similar setup, so I can post up a good comparison later when I have been out on the roadie.

Try heading south - bit more of a challenge

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/191082743

Edited by oddman on Tuesday 26th June 19:54

That is definitely a challenge, but one I don't think I would be up to just yet.

[Hackney]

Off to recruit the wife to watch me pedal.... no cadence monitor and not about to buy one, much as I'd love another gadget.

[Renn Sport]

oddman said:

I don't know where I read it but it seems good advice in relation to cycling in general (not racing or hard training)

'If your legs are burning change down, if your lungs are burning change up and if the whole house is on fire slow down'.

Hi guys - newbie cyclist here and wanted to know more about how to improve. I did this search on cadence.

The simple advice here really makes sense to me. However how can I monitor my cadence?

The winter bike I just bought has a garmin 'thingy' attached to it and some sort of sensor attached to one of the spokes. Is there a device I can get which displays my cadence as I ride?

Is a rev-counter I can get, which is more cost effective then the garmin's £2-300 price tag?

[neenaw]

You can get cheaper Garmins like the Edge 25 or an older Edge 500.
The Edge 25 often comes up at Halfords for about £75 or so.