Cadence - female v male riders

[Nat]

Hi All,
I think that men must have the ability to cycle in harder gears for longer than women without getting tired, just because of their muscle-to-fat ratio in their torso and legs. Plus they can be heavier so adds up to more downward force on the pedals.
My situation was, we were out on a MTB route yesterday. My hubby and his mate pointed out that I should try not to cycle so fast but put it in a harder gear. I said that yep I agree with the concept but as I'm a newbie, at the moment, I tend to cycle with more repetitions and in an easier gear. They pointed out that is why I get out of breath quick. I agree that is true, but from my stand point, I would rather be out of breath then get dead legs because lactic acid seems to take longer to clear then getting a few breaths back.
The point is maybe I do bust a lung getting up hills, but so long as I get there surely in time my leg power will build up meaning I will be able to challenge those hills in harder gears one day?
Sometimes I think its hard for men to understand our physical differences in terms of strength?
My bike is a Ghost Miss 5500 hardtail with clip-in pedals I should add. I fell off yesterday whilst still clipped in, trying to pedal in a harder gear like they said.... now I have a very bruised knee to show for it!

[Biciclista]

i don't think it's your sex, I think it's what physical condition you are in. Even so, some people are mashers (like your hubby) and some people are spinners. You sound like a spinner. I know some spinners who ride hundreds of miles at a time.

and yes, I think some men have trouble understanding how anyone could be different from THEM. You keep going the way you are and you will get stronger, and you will be able to use stronger gears, but maybe you won't want to!

keep spinning!

[lunacycles]

Bike racers are often encouraged to train riding in lower gears at a higher cadence for as long as they can, especially early in the season--the higher the cadence the better for encouraging "leg speed", the ability to hold any gear at a high cadence when it matters in a race. When I was racing for a good local road team years ago, we weren't "allowed" to use our big chainring til we had several hundred miles under our wheels in the 39.
Look at how Lance Armstrong or any of the elite pro MEN ride: very rarely do you see anyone riding at less than 80-85 rpm. Most ride closer to 100 rpm.
This is definitely not a gender thing. As biciclista pointed out, it has more to do with personal style and fitness.

[zoom-zoom]

I'm definitely a spinner. I'm much happier cruising along at 90-95rpm. Anything below that and I start to fatigue fast.

[nscrbug]

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.

[Nat]

Thanks all for your comments.
I hear what you are saying, its all about preference rather than gender.
I'll keep going and see what happens

[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...

[dlolide]

Hi Nat,

I ride a lot with my husband too. He is of course a lot faster than me. He's been cycling since his teen years and I've only starting cycling last year. Anyway, he had observed my cadence and he thought I was spinning too fast. He told to slow it down and just push harder. I tried and it did not work for me, the lactic acid in my legs was awful. I agree with you in catching your breath instead of having "dead legs" at least we can finish what we started that way. Once I told him I couldn't handle a harder gear, he said just pedal what feels most comfortable. I do and it works for me. So do what works for you and what won't burn you out.

[limewave]

When I first started mountain biking, I rode in my "granny" gear all the time. If I tried riding in the middle ring I would blow up after just a mile or two. I would catch a lot of flack for this from everyone--the women and the men I rode with.

Finally, towards the end of the season, I decided to try the middle ring. And I could finally do it! And keeping up with everyone was suddenly very easy.

Just hang in there, do what is comfortable for you. It may not be a men vs. women thing but fitness level or even riding style.

[Owlie]

My boyfriend's faster than me. He should be. He's been riding for a while and has a much nicer bike than I do. He also likes the higher gears. He's a spinner, but he's been doing this long enough that (when he rides regularly), he can spin in harder gears.

Me, I like the 75-90-something cadence range (a guess, as I don't have a cadence function), if it's flat. I'll quite happily spin up hills, though.

[bathedinshadow]

Having a high cadence is perfectly acceptable. In fact, I would say that most serious riders would tell you that is the "proper" way to ride. I don't know if that's true as all riders are different. But there is some logic behind it and if you're riding for hours and hours, I can definitely see the benefit. I was very much encouraged to ride in a lower gear with a higher cadence due to having knee surgery. It is better on your knees even if you have healthy knees. With that said, I'm not a spinner. I never have been and I probably won't ever be. I have asthma and spinning really takes a hit on my lungs. I have very strong legs though and can push a harder gear and get somewhere in the same amount of time without having an attack. So that's what I do.

Spin away! As long as you don't have any medical issues (like asthma), your lungs will eventually get stronger anyway.

[zoom-zoom]

With that said, I'm not a spinner. I never have been and I probably won't ever be. I have asthma and spinning really takes a hit on my lungs. I have very strong legs though and can push a harder gear and get somewhere in the same amount of time without having an attack. So that's what I do.

Spin away! As long as you don't have any medical issues (like asthma), your lungs will eventually get stronger anyway.

That's interesting. I have asthma, too...which is sometimes exacerbated with exercise. My lungs REALLY protest if I am in too hard a gear (for me). If I am <85-90rpm for too long it almost always ends in a bad coughing fit. But I can cruise along at 90-100rpm for hours without incident. Hills are tough for me. I like the progress I have seen on hills, but I have a hard time making myself purposefully do hilly workouts, since I know it's likely that I am going to have breathing issues, so repeats are kind of out-of-the-question, unfortunately.

[bathedinshadow]

That's interesting. I have asthma, too...which is sometimes exacerbated with exercise. My lungs REALLY protest if I am in too hard a gear (for me). If I am <85-90rpm for too long it almost always ends in a bad coughing fit. But I can cruise along at 90-100rpm for hours without incident. Hills are tough for me. I like the progress I have seen on hills, but I have a hard time making myself purposefully do hilly workouts, since I know it's likely that I am going to have breathing issues, so repeats are kind of out-of-the-question, unfortunately.

I don't actually even know what my cadence is. I got a computer a while back, but I passed on the cadence since it's not really important to me. So I could be spinning faster/slower than I think. The difference might just break down to our strengths. Sounds like your cardio is a bit better than mine. I have freakishly strong legs. I always choose rides that are quite hilly. I guess this just goes to show that there is no "right" way, but rather what works best for the individual with consideration to their strengths/weaknesses.