Tell me about cadence

[westtexas]

Okay, so I went out today (despite frigid weather of 55F and "misting" precipitation) and tried to focus more on spin and less on mash. The first half was miserable and gruesome and the second half was at least tolerable. Certainly, my legs feel fine (a little stretching afterwards also helped) but I do not think I have the cardiovascular strength (yet?) to spin at high rates. I don't have a cadence monitor but based on counting my strokes around the circle and counting time, I came up with a cadence of 80 rpm, but only if I was pedaling like my bike was on fire. My average speed was about the same (I measure based on distance/time) as it always is. I'm just not sure I'm cut out out for this quick cadence thing. I didn't enjoy my ride today at all. I guess it will have to be something I build up for. I did a lot of shifting to keep my cadence as steady as possible without fatiguing my muscles, so it's not like I was in a mashing gear trying to spin like a maniac.

Hmmm not really sure what to make of my ride today.

[indysteel]

I would agree that you will likely have to build up to it. I also wonder whether you also need to work on your pedal stroke. Out of curiosity, did you happen to note what gear you were using when you tried to sustain 80 rpms? Next time you go out, try to note what gear you're in and let us know. I have to wonder whether you're still trying to push too big of a gear, but in saying that, I will admit that I didn't struggle with this as a new rider. So perhaps I'm underestimating how challenging it might be to someone.

[westtexas]

My chain is on the big ring (farthest away from the bike) and about the middle of the rear rings (I often move to smaller rings in the rear when on flats or with tailwind). I think there are 9 rear rings if I remember correctly. If I shift to the little ring in front it makes a lot of awful noise so I tend to stay away from that... But I have a very hilly route and the wind is brutal out here, so maybe my problem lies there as well.

I have to agree with a lot of what Hi Ho Silver said - it's much easier for me to pedal slower and be in a higher gear because otherwise I am panting/out of breath. I don't get tired mashing around for 15 miles on my usual route. Today I only did 11 and at the end I was done. I think I am pretty much following all her posted rules about cadence already.

Maybe I am not doing anything wrong? Now I am confused. Sigh.

But, I would like to get faster, be more efficient and have better cardiovascular health, so that must be why higher cadences are more important. And then as you build better CV ability, you can spin just as fast in higher gears... right?

[Hi Ho Silver]

You have to take time to condition your body to spinning - i.e., work up to the "ideal"cadence.

Also, one thing about trying to spin at a high cadence - your bike fit must be set up correctly. If your seat is too far back or too low, spinning will be difficult. Have you had your bike fit checked?

[indysteel]

My chain is on the big ring (farthest away from the bike) and about the middle of the rear rings (I often move to smaller rings in the rear when on flats or with tailwind). I think there are 9 rear rings if I remember correctly. If I shift to the little ring in front it makes a lot of awful noise so I tend to stay away from that... But I have a very hilly route and the wind is brutal out here, so maybe my problem lies there as well.

I have to agree with a lot of what Hi Ho Silver said - it's much easier for me to pedal slower and be in a higher gear because otherwise I am panting/out of breath. I don't get tired mashing around for 15 miles on my usual route. Today I only did 11 and at the end I was done. I think I am pretty much following all her posted rules about cadence already.

Maybe I am not doing anything wrong? Now I am confused. Sigh.

But, I would like to get faster, be more efficient and have better cardiovascular health, so that must be why higher cadences are more important. And then as you build better CV ability, you can spin just as fast in higher gears... right?

What's the make and model of your bike? Does it have a triple, compact or standard double crank? I'm just trying to make an educated guess as to whether you're trying to spin in too big of a gear. While I agree that it takes spme conditioning, I also suspect that you may not be choosing the right gear.

[Crankin]

I was about to say the same thing, Indy. If your bike is a compact double (which I suspect it is), you should not be using only the big ring for a ride that is very hilly. No wonder a high cadence is hard! If your bike is not working well in the small ring, bring it in to be checked.

[indysteel]

I see from a past thread that you're riding a 2009 Specialized Dolce. From what I can tell from Specialized's website, you like have a 50-34 compact with a 9-speed 12-25 cassette. If you were in the middle of the cassette and on your big chain ring--factoring in wind and hills--I'm willing to bet that you were in slightly too big of a gear to spin comfortably at 80 rmp. Now, that's just a guess, but I would suggest redoing your experiment but try a gear or two smaller. While you do want a bit of resistance on your pedals, you want to choose a gear that is relatively easy. As Crankin said, get your bike serviced so that you can use your front chain ring. You need full access to those gears if you're going to deal effectively with your terrain and wind conditions. Once you get the issue fixed, start playing around more with your gearing while you attempt to spin a bit faster.

I used to run a triple on my road bike and now I have a compact with a 10-speed cassette. The jumps between gears are greater on the compact than on the triple, and it's a bit harder to find the perfect sweet spot in certain conditions. I have to shift in both the front and back a lot more now than I used to (I used to use my middle ring in most flat conditions almost exclusively and tended to use only a handful of rear cogs). I've found with the compact that I often end up using--out of a bit of laziness--slightly too big of a gear such that I struggle to spin like I used to with my triple. I wonder if you might be encountering the same issue--you are either settling on a gear that's slightly too big, which you're either mashing or getting out of breath trying to spin or too little of a gear that you end up spinning a bit too wildly on because you don't have enough resistance. A compact crank can take some getting used to as a result.

[OakLeaf]

A noisy chain is either a sign that you're cross chaining or a need for adjustment... not a reason not to use half your gears!