Cadence - female v male riders

[Catrin]

When it comes to cadence, I think everyone has their own preferences. I tend to fall on the opposite side of the spectrum from most folks. I can't seem to hold my cadence at a steady pace if I'm above 90rpm's. My legs prefer a slower cadence, with a bit more "push". According to my cycling computer, I tend to have an average cadence in the high 70's to low 80's. I simply do not like the feeling of spinning out of control...feels like my legs are just flailing around. Plus I hate the feeling of not really getting anywhere...feels like I'm not progressing forward and just staying in place.

I am learning that I am the same way - right now I am having to learn the best gears that will keep me where I want to be (between 75-90 rpm) without putting too much pressure on knees and quads. I've learned that I want to stay in too hard of a gear for some reason - probably because I like to feel the resistance - but I don't want to blow my knees out. My saddle is too low which doesn't help with this but it is slowly going up. Millimeter by millimeter...