Why do so many people not change gear?
Discussion
HIgher cadence was one of the only decent things that Lance Armstrong brought to cycling. As you have experienced, it means your CV working harder and your legs less hard. The theory being that your legs will stop working sooner than your CV! It is certainly something worth working at.
For guide, in my race at the weekend I averaged 88 rpm (and bear in mind that includes all the zero cadence when going downhill) with a max of 143rpm.
For guide, in my race at the weekend I averaged 88 rpm (and bear in mind that includes all the zero cadence when going downhill) with a max of 143rpm.
Cadence is an interesting thing for me - I like to push higher gears at lower revs, personally. I find if I go to a lower gear I just tend to slow down, whereas if I push a higher gear my speed will increase. Quite often after a ride average cadence will be in the 70s... I don't see the need or point to spin fast if you can push a bigger gear - just seems like unnecessary work.
robbyd said:
Cadence is an interesting thing for me - I like to push higher gears at lower revs, personally. I find if I go to a lower gear I just tend to slow down, whereas if I push a higher gear my speed will increase. Quite often after a ride average cadence will be in the 70s... I don't see the need or point to spin fast if you can push a bigger gear - just seems like unnecessary work.
It's more effecient, so if you're plannning on racing or want to get quicker over long distances it's a good thing to work on. Otherwise stick to what you're used to. One of the great things riding fixed does is smooth your pedal stroke to a point where you can maintain very high cadences for quite long periods of time.
mchammer89 said:
One of the great things riding fixed does is smooth your pedal stroke to a point where you can maintain very high cadences for quite long periods of time.
Spinning/RPM classes are great for that too. I did a few at the gym to get my legs used to the idea of cycling again before starting to commute again. When I started, I thought they were insane to suggest riding at peaks of 140-150rpm, but within a few weeks, it wasn't a problem. As a result of this, maintaining 100 rpm on the commute - gearing up hills permitting - is easy, as the technique is just the same.
mchammer89 said:
It's more effecient, so if you're plannning on racing or want to get quicker over long distances it's a good thing to work on. Otherwise stick to what you're used to. One of the great things riding fixed does is smooth your pedal stroke to a point where you can maintain very high cadences for quite long periods of time.
I ride a lot of single speed (freewheel) on a 48-17 which is a reasonably tall gear over hills, so when I get on the geared bike I tend to ride it the same way - thinking 'why do I need all these gears?' - well, the answer is, I don't. Conversely, if I've been riding my geared bike for weeks and then go back to single speed, I think 'How the **** did I ride this thing'!robbyd said:
Cadence is an interesting thing for me - I like to push higher gears at lower revs, personally. I find if I go to a lower gear I just tend to slow down, whereas if I push a higher gear my speed will increase. Quite often after a ride average cadence will be in the 70s... I don't see the need or point to spin fast if you can push a bigger gear - just seems like unnecessary work.
I'm the polar opposite.Just out of interest, have you been riding for long?
I'd much rather spin than slog, but my muscle memory is pretty good after god knows how many years of riding, and a friend who has recently started is constantly in too hard a gear...I think that spinning the cranks as a technique needs to be learned, really.
I hope this doesn't sound patronising!
robbyd said:
I ride a lot of single speed (freewheel) on a 48-17 which is a reasonably tall gear over hills, so when I get on the geared bike I tend to ride it the same way - thinking 'why do I need all these gears?' - well, the answer is, I don't. Conversely, if I've been riding my geared bike for weeks and then go back to single speed, I think 'How the **** did I ride this thing'!
Similarly i've spent the last 3 years solely riding fixed/ss bikes and recently bought a geared road bike, like you I very, very rarely change gear on it. Bought it in preparation for the Rad Am Ring next year so I imagine I will be changing through the gears quite a bit then 
shalmaneser said:
I'm the polar opposite.
Just out of interest, have you been riding for long?
I'd much rather spin than slog, but my muscle memory is pretty good after god knows how many years of riding, and a friend who has recently started is constantly in too hard a gear...I think that spinning the cranks as a technique needs to be learned, really.
I hope this doesn't sound patronising!
+1Just out of interest, have you been riding for long?
I'd much rather spin than slog, but my muscle memory is pretty good after god knows how many years of riding, and a friend who has recently started is constantly in too hard a gear...I think that spinning the cranks as a technique needs to be learned, really.
I hope this doesn't sound patronising!
I've never really figured out why but pretty much everyone who starts cycling is always pushing a huge gear. Like you said, it needs to be learned.
Kermit power said:
Spinning/RPM classes are great for that too.
I did a few at the gym to get my legs used to the idea of cycling again before starting to commute again. When I started, I thought they were insane to suggest riding at peaks of 140-150rpm, but within a few weeks, it wasn't a problem. As a result of this, maintaining 100 rpm on the commute - gearing up hills permitting - is easy, as the technique is just the same.
I've been enjoying getting back into cycling, and as I do more want to make sure my technique is as good as it can be to help me improve.I did a few at the gym to get my legs used to the idea of cycling again before starting to commute again. When I started, I thought they were insane to suggest riding at peaks of 140-150rpm, but within a few weeks, it wasn't a problem. As a result of this, maintaining 100 rpm on the commute - gearing up hills permitting - is easy, as the technique is just the same.
What are these spinning/RPM classes all about? Is it something any gym will do?
TonyHetherington said:
I've been enjoying getting back into cycling, and as I do more want to make sure my technique is as good as it can be to help me improve.
What are these spinning/RPM classes all about? Is it something any gym will do?
Spin classes use bikes which are similar to standard exercise bikes but like fixed you can't suddenly stop pedalling. The pedals are directly connected to the flywheel which, like riding fixed, means you have to pedal at high cadences quite a bit. This in turn smooths your pedalling stroke and making you a faster and more effecient cyclist. Most gyms should run them.What are these spinning/RPM classes all about? Is it something any gym will do?
mchammer89 said:
Spin classes use bikes which are similar to standard exercise bikes but like fixed you can't suddenly stop pedalling. The pedals are directly connected to the flywheel which, like riding fixed, means you have to pedal at high cadences quite a bit. This in turn smooths your pedalling stroke and making you a faster and more effecient cyclist. Most gyms should run them.
Exactly. They generally live in a corner of the gym or a separate studio, and will appear on timetables under something like Spin, RPM or Keiser (one of the biggest manufacturers of the bikes).The classes are usually 45-60 minutes of high intensity. It essentially combines a geared bike with a fixed wheel. The instructor will call out the cadence you should be aiming for, and whether seated or standing, then you just vary the gearing to let you match the cadence, hence why it's useful for getting into higher cadence riding.
TonyHetherington said:
Nice one - I've found "group cycle" at my local gym, going to give them a call and find out more.
I'm pretty sure that's what they call it at David Lloyd Hampton. I didn't bother trying it for ages, as I go there sometimes on the way to one of our other offices, and assumed that meant everyone turned up on their own bikes and went out cycling on local roads as a group! Biggest gain to my cycling has been to increase cadence. Now it just feels odd to be below 90 or so and 95 is my personal sweetspot. When I started I was 65-70 pulling big gears far too early, average speed suffered as a result.
Might not work for everyone but it definately has for me.
Might not work for everyone but it definately has for me.
I'm finding two really odd things as a result of having upped my cadence over the last week.
Firstly, my ride in used to be around 5-6 minutes faster than my ride home, whereas now they're taking the same time, or the ride home is marginally faster.
Secondly, my legs have been feeling more tired off the bike (I really didn't feel like riding this morning, having accumulated 105 miles so far this week), but once I'm actually on the bike, I don't feel as tired as I was previously by this point in the week.
Firstly, my ride in used to be around 5-6 minutes faster than my ride home, whereas now they're taking the same time, or the ride home is marginally faster.
Secondly, my legs have been feeling more tired off the bike (I really didn't feel like riding this morning, having accumulated 105 miles so far this week), but once I'm actually on the bike, I don't feel as tired as I was previously by this point in the week.
TonyHetherington said:
Just to make sure I understand right - you're all advocating a lower gear but pedalling faster to maintain the same speed?
Correct.There's an article here which does a decent job of explaining why.
Basically, it's all to do with slow and fast twitch muscle fibres. The former are designed for endurance and burn fat, which we all have plenty of, whereas the latter are designed for explosive short bursts and burn glycogen, which we have a limited supply of.
High cadence uses slow twitch fibres, whereas low cadence uses fast twitch. You'll use the same amount of total energy, as you can't escape the laws of physics, but the difference comes in how long you can sustain the energy spend, and how long it takes you to recover afterwards.
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