Building Cadence.....

[BalaRoja]

That's what I meant... all things being equal.. I realize that rarely happens, but still.. lol :P

But I do think that with increased fitness comes the ability to maintain a faster cadence... so it should come with time I don't think that 65-70 is dangerous at all.

Actually, something you can try just for fun, is to put your bike in the smallest/easiest gear combo you have and then spin as fast as you can for several minutes. Moving your entire lower body that quickly is going to stimulate your heart beat - even though you may not be generating very much wattage/power.

I think if you want to ride at higher cadences then you have to practice at it. If you train yourself to pedal at 65rpm's then you get best at doing just that. Kind of like riding in one position all the time on the bars and then switching - you probably need to adjust a bit but then get better at it.

The good thing is you can train yourself to pedal at different cadences but I believe most people will still have a preferred or as some say, 'self-selected' cadence that they fall back into during a typical ride. When I started riding again a few months back, my cadence was typically around 70-80 and now I'm more comfortable in the 90-100 range. I've had my share of knee injuries so I tend to prefer a higher cadence.

Contrary to what some might imagine, a lot of success at the top levels of sprinting on the track is actually being able to apply force at really, really high cadences (think 135+ rpm) which results in huge power outputs rather than using even greater force per pedal stroke at obviously lower rpm's. Watch any of the top women sprinters or the guys, in the 200 meters or the kilo and you'll see they usually get up to 150, sometimes even 200 rpm for substantial periods.

Basically you can pedal quicker, you can pedal with more force, or do both. The combination of these is your equivalent power. That in conjunction with the amount of rolling resistance, wind resistance (which considers your frontal area and drag), and the resistance of gravity you overcome = speed.

The bottom line though is your comfort and staying injury free. So if it works for you and you have no problems, then stick with what is working.