Poor man's cadence meter

[rij73]

So, I'd been wanting to work on keeping a steady cadence, but didn't necessarily feel like buying a cyclometer with the cadence function. Plus it seemed like keeping an eye on the meter would be a bit of a hassle.

So, I just popped my metronome in my pocket, set it at 80bpm, and had it clicking away during my ride! It was very helpful. It was a nice auditory signal that I could really latch onto. Once I was feeling the rhythm it was easy to keep the steady cadence. I'd go out of sync for a few beats now and then when the slope changed, and that would be my signal to switch gears so I could get back in sync with the metronome. I feel like it increased my awareness of the terrain and kept me from slowing down for every little uphill...

So, my tip for whatever it's worth is to buy a cheap metronome and throw it in your pocket if you are wondering whether you are keeping a steady cadence and what that cadence is!

[Kimmyt]

Wow, great idea! I don't ride with a computer so sometimes wonder about things like cadence.

Thanks!

[rij73]

Yeah, this was really helpful. You can get a cheap metronome for about $10. There are clip-on ones by Seiko for about $25 that I bet would be great for this.

[meridian]

Awesome idea! I've got a computer that doesn't track cadence and have been itching to upgrade. Now to dig out the metronome from the old band days and give that a whirl until I can fork over the dough!

[7rider]

My brother had (has?) a metronome that was big - about the size of a waterbottle - with a weighted arm. You slid the weight up the arm to correspond to the time/beat you wanted and the arm rocked back and forth like ... well, like the dangly things on a grandfather clock (don't know the name of them), only pointed up and not down.
So, I had this image in my head when reading this thread. Hmmmm, I thought, that's not exactly something you could carry in a jersey pocket!
When all else fails, I did what any reasonable modern person would do....
I googled "metronome."
Ahhhhhh, I see, sez the blind man.
Nifty.

[Thorn]

Thanks, Regina...that's exactly what I imagined. The big ol' wooden metronome up on the handle bars next to the cycling computer...oooh, if you bent too far forward