More cadance questions

[Barb]

I just went clipless last week. So now I am really paying attention to my pedaling. With a timer and me counting, I am comfortable between 83-86 rpm. I don't understand the gear ratio thingy. I'm using 2 gears easier than I normally ride when I spin. I have 9 gears in back. It's all Campy Mirage...can anyone sell me a ticket on the clue bus?

[sarahfixit]

I always like to train at a higher cadence, train for speed and get power as the saying goes. Everybody has an ideal cadence, the 'sweet spot' on thier throttle. Mine is around 75-85(relatively low) but the lighter you can load your legs the longer you can ride without soreness. In races I alway have better luck revving up to a higher cadence on climbs than trying to power out.
The idea of the gears is to do all you can to remain in your ideal rpm range(like a car does as well), thus being the most efficient. Periodically when you train, ramp it up to a gear or two higher than normal, you may be surprised at your improvements. After a while you will be able to sustain those pedal speeds in the higher gears. That means you have more power
Most of all, have fun.

[Dogmama]

I just went clipless last week.

Fantastic. Once you go clipless, you'll never go back.

If you really want to know how you're doing, invest in a cyclometer that has a cadence feature. When I ride, I always dial it into cadence.

High cadence (90-100) works your aerobic capacity and lower cadences work your legs. Beginners often use lower cadences and more seasoned riders will use higher - this is a generalization of course.

Fast twitch vs slow twitch muscles are important too. Some people have muscles that are better for pushing big loads - thus they do better at lower cadences whereas higher cadences toast their legs. And visa versa.

Just be careful that you aren't pushing against heavy gears in the beginning. That will wreck your knees - and knee problems are tough to get over.

[Barb]

I know I am pushing relatively light gears right now when I spin. I guess my question is, am I supposed to eventually work up to keeping the same cadence with a heavier gear. I am not really competitive, I am just trying to occupy my mind and build some skills while I am forced to use my trainer. We just got 8 more inches of snow and it is 19 out right now . If it sticks around, I may be able to go xc skiing this weekend. Man do I need to be outside!

[Dogmama]

Eventually you will push bigger gears in a higher cadence because your leg muscles will get stronger. With your clipless pedals, be sure to spin in a circle, i.e., pull up & back as well as pushing forward & down. If you're on your trainer, try one-legged drills & you'll get the hang of it quickly.

[Barb]

Thanks
I have been doing some one leggers. I can really feel it in the back of my thighs! Right now in addition to uppping my cadance, I am trying to eliminate the dead spot I get at the top of my one legged stroke. I found that it lessens the more I concentrate on lifting my knee through the top as I push. Man who ever knew pedaling a bike could be so technical!!! It's still fun.

[MomOnBike]

OK, so how to learn to spin in circles if you don't have/want an indoor trainer? Ride with one leg on the street? Will that help? Will I crash & burn? Go back to a car?

I'm pulling on the up stroke, but still feel/hear a surge with each "step." This can't be efficient, and I'm all about efficiency.

[SnappyPix]

Up until recently I've been a definite masher - thought that slogging in a high gear was good, lots of effort, lots of huffing and puffing, powering along - must be making me faster and stronger ... right?!

I've been reading the posts on cadence in the forum, and on the web, and decided to make a concerted effort to spin in a lower gear. But it felt all wrong - it's not that I couldn't get the hang of it, it's just that it didn't feel comfortable, my legs are happier pushing and grinding and mashing and slogging! But, being an obstinate beast, I persevered! I went on my usual circuit with my other half - and we're pretty fairly matched, same fitness and ability. I'm just recovering after a nasty cold, but absolutely flew! I was always under the impression that changing down would slow my speed, as there woudn't be as much power coming from the pedals as I pushed them down, but my speedo actually went up as I changed down to a lower gear - most of the effort was coming from my legs, rather than using the upper body to thrust the bike forward. My stroke has also improved as I'm now using the clips fully to pull up as well as pushing down, not just on hills, but on the flat too.
My poor sweetie could be heard wailing from behind as I motored along - and I didn't get any of the usual lower back pain I normally feel - probably caused by twisting the hips when honking in higher gears.
Now a complete convert - I'm not sure what my cadence rate is, as I haven't timed my rpms yet, but want to thank you all for your tips and advice - it's really helped this former masher!

[bounceswoosh]

Up until recently I've been a definite masher - thought that slogging in a high gear was good, lots of effort, lots of huffing and puffing, powering along - must be making me faster and stronger ... right?!

I've been reading the posts on cadence in the forum, and on the web, and decided to make a concerted effort to spin in a lower gear. But it felt all wrong - it's not that I couldn't get the hang of it, it's just that it didn't feel comfortable, my legs are happier pushing and grinding and mashing and slogging! But, being an obstinate beast, I persevered! I went on my usual circuit with my other half - and we're pretty fairly matched, same fitness and ability. I'm just recovering after a nasty cold, but absolutely flew! I was always under the impression that changing down would slow my speed, as there woudn't be as much power coming from the pedals as I pushed them down, but my speedo actually went up as I changed down to a lower gear - most of the effort was coming from my legs, rather than using the upper body to thrust the bike forward. My stroke has also improved as I'm now using the clips fully to pull up as well as pushing down, not just on hills, but on the flat too.
My poor sweetie could be heard wailing from behind as I motored along - and I didn't get any of the usual lower back pain I normally feel - probably caused by twisting the hips when honking in higher gears.
Now a complete convert - I'm not sure what my cadence rate is, as I haven't timed my rpms yet, but want to thank you all for your tips and advice - it's really helped this former masher!

Thanks for this report, SnappyPix .... I'm also an inveterate masher, and I know I'm supposed to move my feet faster in a lower gear, but as you said, it feels so awkward and wrong. I guess I'll just have to work through it.

[SnappyPix]

Monique

Bite the bullet and give it a go, it feels wrong - wrong, wrong, wrong (I felt like a little kid, trying to get the hang of gears, when they spin in the wrong gear way too fast! I'm sure it didn't look like that, but that's how it felt!). I found that gentle tweaking, going one, or sometimes, two lower than I normally would didn't make my speed drop (it increased, as I was able to accelerate/surge more rapidly when I wanted to). I'm still on a learning curve though, so probably not the best to give advice at this early stage, but I'm sure your body will probably thank you for it in the end!

[bounceswoosh]

Monique

Bite the bullet and give it a go, it feels wrong - wrong, wrong, wrong (I felt like a little kid, trying to get the hang of gears, when they spin in the wrong gear way too fast! I'm sure it didn't look like that, but that's how it felt!). I found that gentle tweaking, going one, or sometimes, two lower than I normally would didn't make my speed drop (it increased, as I was able to accelerate/surge more rapidly when I wanted to). I'm still on a learning curve though, so probably not the best to give advice at this early stage, but I'm sure your body will probably thank you for it in the end!

I'll have to try it. I haven't really been riding, but will start when the time changes and it might actually be light after I leave work.

Are you a roadie? I think part of the difficulty is that I play in the dirt, and the varying traction, obstacles, etc. make it hard to practice spinning consistently. (I don't have a roadbike and I really don't want one, to be honest, even though I know it would improve my mountain biking.)

[sarahfixit]

I have a roadie but I still like running the MTB on roads. In the winter I like the extra resistance to warm up with, and it allows pursuing rabbit trails as they come up

[miss claire]

the way i learned to spin was to build up a fixed wheel road bike.I found an old track frame and used some old gear i had lying around bought what i did not.The best thing about using an old track frame is a lot of them have holes to bolt brakes on to them.I use a 42x17 gear on mine which allows me to spin on the flat and push a bigger gear than i used to on the hills so you get the best of both worlds.I understand that some people do not want to buy another bike or spend time geting used to riding a fixed wheel,trust me it is a lot different to riding with a freewheel,but i would recommend doing if you want too get the best from your riding

[petals]

Help!! I mash, but love a nice comfortable spin! I'm trying to increase speed on the trainer by reducing gears. My legs are happier. Now I'm trying to understand the circle and scraping gum off of my shoe?

[slinkedog]

Petals... keep your foot as flat as possible during the entire pedal stroke... at the bottom of your stroke, it's kind of like a sensation of scraping your foot backward. You'll be engaging your hamstrings to pull your leg up the back of the stroke instead of just pushing down on the front of the stroke. At the top of the stroke, some people have suggested thinking of moving your foot straight acroos the top instead of making a round motion at the top. I'm still trying to get the feel of that one, but it does seem to help.

Hope this helps a little!