pedalling speed
Discussion
I'm a little confused...
Having always been told you need to spin as rapidly as possible (within reason) I was flicking through a magazine at lunch time which says a slower cadence is more efficient for some people. I've always felt happier pedalling relatively slowly and now it seems I may be vindicated.
So, PH cycling experts, what's the science behind it? How fast should we be cranking?
Having always been told you need to spin as rapidly as possible (within reason) I was flicking through a magazine at lunch time which says a slower cadence is more efficient for some people. I've always felt happier pedalling relatively slowly and now it seems I may be vindicated.
So, PH cycling experts, what's the science behind it? How fast should we be cranking?
Depends what your doing: Efficiency denotes a fast cadence is sensible.
In terms of sprinting, you want as big as you can push without making it too hard.
However, there is a school of thought (in the world of MTB'ing), which I remember Tomac saying that if you're riding/climbing/DHing over big rocks, rock etc, push a big gear as this 'holds' your bike to the ground: It works.
Other than that, pootle at a pace that you feel comfy at - don't large it and ruin your knees (like I have).
Also, if you 'hit the wall' (or Bonk) you can get through it by riding a larger gear - by all accounts it helps you cope. Not being a roadie, I can't comment but I understand from when I've done a lot of road work on the MTB that when I feel ok, I spin, if I feel tired or on the edge of bonking, a bigger gear helps.
Confused yet?
In terms of sprinting, you want as big as you can push without making it too hard.
However, there is a school of thought (in the world of MTB'ing), which I remember Tomac saying that if you're riding/climbing/DHing over big rocks, rock etc, push a big gear as this 'holds' your bike to the ground: It works.
Other than that, pootle at a pace that you feel comfy at - don't large it and ruin your knees (like I have).
Also, if you 'hit the wall' (or Bonk) you can get through it by riding a larger gear - by all accounts it helps you cope. Not being a roadie, I can't comment but I understand from when I've done a lot of road work on the MTB that when I feel ok, I spin, if I feel tired or on the edge of bonking, a bigger gear helps.
Confused yet?
first action in these circumstances is aklways to consult the Obi-Wan of the bicycle world..
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html half way down "pushing vs spinning"
and some more of a similar theme
http://sheldonbrown.com/gain.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
as i siad on another thread, Pantani vs Armstrong was also a good example of differing styles, cant remember the year but their last battle on Ventoux is worth hunting down. Pantani would push, Armstrong spin,
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html half way down "pushing vs spinning"
and some more of a similar theme
http://sheldonbrown.com/gain.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html
as i siad on another thread, Pantani vs Armstrong was also a good example of differing styles, cant remember the year but their last battle on Ventoux is worth hunting down. Pantani would push, Armstrong spin,
Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 30th March 14:53
Chris71 said:
neil_bolton said:
Confused yet?
Road, I can't really say much other than Cadence efficiency is king.
MTB wise, there is this equation:
If Rider_Clothing<>Baggy_Clothing Then Cadence => 80rpm
If Rider_Clothing=Baggy_Clothing Then Cadence <= 79rpm + Cool
i'm a pusher (that sounds so wrong!) it might be a psychological thing but if i am pushing a big ring (that soudns worse) then i feel like i am going faster, if i am pedalling too fast i always think that i am just wasting energy.
i think that time out of the saddle is probably the key factor. on road i think pushing works better, you can develop more of a rhythm wheras off road, cross country on trails etc, its probably more realistic to spin out more often as you will be over obstacles and there is less need to build up a rhythm out of the saddle. as soon you hit an obstacle you need a smaller ring to gain the acceleration to get back up to speed, pushing a big cog off road will require thighs of steel and i doubt will be the quickest method.
i think that time out of the saddle is probably the key factor. on road i think pushing works better, you can develop more of a rhythm wheras off road, cross country on trails etc, its probably more realistic to spin out more often as you will be over obstacles and there is less need to build up a rhythm out of the saddle. as soon you hit an obstacle you need a smaller ring to gain the acceleration to get back up to speed, pushing a big cog off road will require thighs of steel and i doubt will be the quickest method.
neil_bolton said:
Chris71 said:
neil_bolton said:
Confused yet?
Road, I can't really say much other than Cadence efficiency is king.
MTB wise, there is this equation:
If Rider_Clothing<>Baggy_Clothing Then Cadence => 80rpm
If Rider_Clothing=Baggy_Clothing Then Cadence <= 79rpm + Cool
I think of it the same way as a car, which will have a certain power band. I try to keep my cadence around the middle of my body's power band.
Pushing big rings is all very well if you want to go fast, but if you're just cruising my opinion is that it's best to find a cadence that enables you to forget about what your legs are doing. My opinion is that pushing big rings just damages your knees in the long run.
Pushing big rings is all very well if you want to go fast, but if you're just cruising my opinion is that it's best to find a cadence that enables you to forget about what your legs are doing. My opinion is that pushing big rings just damages your knees in the long run.
I've always preferred a lower cadence and higher gear because i believe my legs are stronger than they are faster. I try to increase the rate when climbing a hill though. Is there a rule depending on the size of the cyclists leg muscles? Is there more chance of suffering from glactic acid when the cadence is too high?
[quote=Parrot of Doom]I think of it the same way as a car, which will have a certain power band. I try to keep my cadence around the middle of my body's power band.quote]
I think you got it about right there.
You should never stray too far from your ideal cadence.Riding big gears comes with time and conditioning, when you train at a certain cadence in a particular gear your body will stop developing strength after a while, if you want to develope greater strength thats when you go up the gears, much like a weight lifter puts on weight. Eventually after many years you'll be able to do 30mph in the big ring for extended periods.
You can use high cadence for cardio or low cadence for power training but this should be restricted to intervals, which will minimise the risk of damage.
I think you got it about right there.
You should never stray too far from your ideal cadence.Riding big gears comes with time and conditioning, when you train at a certain cadence in a particular gear your body will stop developing strength after a while, if you want to develope greater strength thats when you go up the gears, much like a weight lifter puts on weight. Eventually after many years you'll be able to do 30mph in the big ring for extended periods.
You can use high cadence for cardio or low cadence for power training but this should be restricted to intervals, which will minimise the risk of damage.
M400 NBL said:
I've always preferred a lower cadence and higher gear because i believe my legs are stronger than they are faster. I try to increase the rate when climbing a hill though. Is there a rule depending on the size of the cyclists leg muscles? Is there more chance of suffering from glactic acid when the cadence is too high?
i dont think lactic acid is an issue, as you are pushing the cogs your legs are still turning albeit slower than they could be. i think you would have to be down in the 50rpm area before it became an issue or on a very long climb...i think we must be V8s! everyone else around here appears to be either a Honda Type R or a V10!...
pablo said:
M400 NBL said:
I've always preferred a lower cadence and higher gear because i believe my legs are stronger than they are faster. I try to increase the rate when climbing a hill though. Is there a rule depending on the size of the cyclists leg muscles? Is there more chance of suffering from glactic acid when the cadence is too high?
i dont think lactic acid is an issue, as you are pushing the cogs your legs are still turning albeit slower than they could be. i think you would have to be down in the 50rpm area before it became an issue or on a very long climb...i think we must be V8s! everyone else around here appears to be either a Honda Type R or a V10!...
As an aside, I downloaded Nokia sports tracker to my N95 yesterday. Very handy for analysing long rides...or for simply logging maximum and average speeds.Edited by M400 NBL on Tuesday 31st March 23:10
I guess it depends on what level your riding/racing.
But on the whole I'd say just do what comes naturally and don't worry about it too much.
You can make yourself more efficient, but its a very long process. If your not used to pedalling at 100rpm+ then your muscles wont like it and you wont be efficient when trying it. Opposite is true as well.
But on the whole I'd say just do what comes naturally and don't worry about it too much.
You can make yourself more efficient, but its a very long process. If your not used to pedalling at 100rpm+ then your muscles wont like it and you wont be efficient when trying it. Opposite is true as well.
M400 NBL said:
pablo said:
M400 NBL said:
I've always preferred a lower cadence and higher gear because i believe my legs are stronger than they are faster. I try to increase the rate when climbing a hill though. Is there a rule depending on the size of the cyclists leg muscles? Is there more chance of suffering from glactic acid when the cadence is too high?
i dont think lactic acid is an issue, as you are pushing the cogs your legs are still turning albeit slower than they could be. i think you would have to be down in the 50rpm area before it became an issue or on a very long climb...i think we must be V8s! everyone else around here appears to be either a Honda Type R or a V10!...
As an aside, I downloaded Nokia sports tracker to my N95 yesterday. Very handy for analysing long rides...or for simply logging maximum and average speeds.
Edited by M400 NBL on Tuesday 31st March 23:10
Parsnip said:
I was always taught that higher cadence hurts your CV system more and lower cadence melts your muscles?
I tend to switch between the two - spinning on climbs and mashing on the flats.
I tend to heave if it's a short climb or flat and only spin on sustained gradietns. That or give up and walk. Most of my riding is off road, so there's a big emphasis on gaining momentum when it's easier to do so and simply maintaining it up the hills.I tend to switch between the two - spinning on climbs and mashing on the flats.
I ride fixed so I had to choose a gear that lets me do the majority of riding in my power band, I tend to try to get around 100rpm so my gearing allows me to do about 21/22mph at that speed, I was taught that between 90-110rpm is best, but of course whatever works for you is best, presuming you have a geared bike get out and do the same speed but at different gear ratios and see which suits you best.
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff