Quote Originally Posted by westtexas View Post
See, I think I am the opposite of this... I would rather ride for a long period of time over a great distance than kill myself in the short term. However, I find I'm much better at maintaining a slower cadence (60 rpm maybe) in a tougher gear than a high spin with little to no power behind it.
I have the same preference, though I am finding my cadence doesn't change overly much between climbing and flats - regardless of terrain it averages between 75-85 - it is only higher if I am consciously doing intervals. I don't spin in an easy gear going uphill, I tend to find a gear that allows me to get up and over the hill yet have good resistance - not enough to hurt but it feels much better than spinning in a lower gear. The cadence function on my computer is quite helpful.

That being said, I rode with someone yesterday who suggested that I am still climbing in too high a gear, cadence notwithstanding, and that I (and my legs/knees) would find it useful to learn how to spin up with a lower gear. I hate dropping the gear because my speed really drops - but there isn't any prize waiting for me either way Since this is my year for learning better habits to prevent more injury...