Got my butt handed to me on a platter tonight!

[alison_in_oh]

The hardest thing to overcome (for me) is: you don't have to have a higher gear to get more speed.

Abso-freakin'-lutely! I had this epiphany this spring, too, and WHOO what a rush to go faster with less effort! Love it.

[Dogmama]

Say what you will, but I LUV my cadence monitor. I have my cyclometer on cadence constantly. I don't have to count - just look at the monitor. It's especially helpful going up hills - tells me when to shift! I like to run a cadence no lower than 85 and no higher than 100.

[shewhobikes]

I sense another breakthrough coming... I have not spent much time yet addressing cadence, just trying to get the bike dialed in, then went clipless, then new handlebars/shifters. So...
Corsair, thanks for the "knee to handlebar, scrape mud off shoe" thought. I will try that.
And everybody, what I'm hearing is, get in the gear that allows you to "go in circles" not just pull up and push down. Is that it?

[CorsairMac]

I sense another breakthrough coming... I have not spent much time yet addressing cadence, just trying to get the bike dialed in, then went clipless, then new handlebars/shifters. So...
Corsair, thanks for the "knee to handlebar, scrape mud off shoe" thought. I will try that.
And everybody, what I'm hearing is, get in the gear that allows you to "go in circles" not just pull up and push down. Is that it?

it's a no-resistance spin. I don't know how else to describe it, but as soon as I felt some push-pull in my legs I looked at my cadence counter and I had dropped into the lower-mid 70s. My first inclination was to push harder to get the cadence back up, but instead I dropped a gear and the push-pull feeling went away, my cadence went back up and my speed either stayed the same or went up! Hard to believe I know.

and yuppers Dogmama, I'm now following cadence instead of time.

[nuthatch]

GREAT insight, Corsair! I've never had the whole thing explained quite that well. I've not been putting the two things together - I'm either concentrating on cadence or concentrating on pedal technique. You make it sound like "the sweet spot"!!! And, boy, can I use any ammo available against the evil headwinds - they are really wearing down my spirit and my legs these past few days.

Shew, it sounds like a cadence counter might be worth the investment!

[CorsairMac]

GREAT insight, Corsair! I've never had the whole thing explained quite that well. I've not been putting the two things together - I'm either concentrating on cadence or concentrating on pedal technique. You make it sound like "the sweet spot"!!! And, boy, can I use any ammo available against the evil headwinds - they are really wearing down my spirit and my legs these past few days.

Shew, it sounds like a cadence counter might be worth the investment!

wait til you find it with a tailwind!......coz that 15+mph headwind became a tailwind when I turned to come back to work and I was riding at speeds over 22 mph without pushing. I just kept spinning and the speed just kept climbing. At one point I felt a slight bit of panic when I realized if I crashed at 22+ mph I could probably get hurt, so I just pedalled harder to see if I could hit 25!! (which I didn't - today!)

[nuthatch]

At one point I felt a slight bit of panic when I realized if I crashed at 22+ mph I could probably get hurt, so I just pedalled harder to see if I could hit 25!! (which I didn't - today!)

You little daredevil, you!

[spazzdog]

Soooo, Corsair?

You do have your USCF license don't you?

And you are planning to do a little racing, yes?

spazz, just wondering

[MomOnBike]

At one point I felt a slight bit of panic when I realized if I crashed at 22+ mph I could probably get hurt, so I just pedalled harder to see if I could hit 25!!

Actually, that's when I try for 30.

I've got a rather high guts/brains ratio.

[KSH]

Yea, I get what you are talking about when you say "spinning " now.

Here is my issue with it... and it's something that someone mentioned... you feel like your legs are going NUTS but you are going NOWHERE (? spelling).

Unfortunately, I power through hills and all that.

Which has equally hurt knees.

So, yea... I am going to have to spin my legs like crazy... get nowhere fast... in the lowest gear I have.. and see how it goes!

Thanks for all the descriptions! I get it ... even if I don't want to!

[shewhobikes]

Nuthatch and Corsair, let's meet in, um, Arkansas? Where's the bermuda triangle where NM, ILL and AL gurls can converge and practice the magic spin thing?

Really, this is very helpful. I have a few group ride tomorrow at 6 p.m. and weather should be loverly. Now that I've got the clipless pedals almost dialed in, I'm going to recall this thread and see if I can focus on spinning comfortably in whatever situation I meet. This will be interesting, because while I know the folks, I've never been this route before, so, YES, there's always something fun and new to learn! Will post what happens. Even if I fall over at a stop sign. Cheerio,
Shew

[KSH]

Even if I fall over at a stop sign. Cheerio,

Hee-hee... that reminds me... I ALMOST fell over when I stopped once... but FINALLY I was quick enough to get the left foot done just in the nick of time!

That happened after I dropped my water bottle in the road (Mo was too generous and insisted on going back to get it for me... even though I was willing!)... and before my chain came loose and I had to get Angela to put it back on for me!

Yea... the ride was "epic".