speed and cadence and quads, oh my!

[jusdooit]

With regard to stretching your chain........don't worry about it. Chains stretch, you replace them, just be sure to measure it every so often so it can be changed in a timely manner. I have a compact double and use the full range of gears and got about 2,000 miles on my chain, about average I think. It is because of your lack of using all your gears that you're "Goldilocks." In general changing gears either up or down on your front chainring is equal to three small rings (cogs) in the back. I order to avoid the "goldilocks" effect you should shift through three cogs in the back in the opposite direction for a shift in the front. Meaning before shifting down in the front shift up in the back by 3, followed immediately by the front shift. I don't know what type of shifters you're using, but my Shimano STI's are designed to make this easier when moving to the big ring up front, as they allow me to sweep 3 gears with one large push with the right shifter. If I'm not making total sense maybe BF can help clarify.
Keep at it and don't be afraid to experiment with different gear combinations.

[jusdooit]

BTW your saddle may be too far back forcing your recruit your quads more than necessary. If you choose to move your sadlle do it in very small increments and ALWAYS measure it's current location first. That way if the new position doesn't work you can put it back to where you started.

[bluebug32]

Just read this article on cadence: http://www.active.com/cycling/Articl...risid=22913991

[skywalkerbeth]

Can I ask a stupid question?

What is spinning, versus mashing? Is spinning when you feel like you don't have much resistance?

Does high gear mean "harder" and low gear means "easier" or vice versa?

OK, two dumb questions...

[Hi Ho Silver]

Can I ask a stupid question?

What is spinning, versus mashing? Is spinning when you feel like you don't have much resistance?

Does high gear mean "harder" and low gear means "easier" or vice versa?

OK, two dumb questions...

Answers to your questions can be found at Sheldon Brown's old web site : http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gears.html

[bluebug32]

Maybe it's just me, but when I ride hard (or mash gears or do a lot of hills or try to keep up with the fast group), my quads hurt! As long as it's the good kind of hurt, vs. pain from an injury, I think you're okay. Give them a good stretch afterward and use a foam roller or massage stick to loosen them up.

I would also play around with your position on the saddle. When you're pedaling in the drops or on the hoods, you tend to use your quads the most. Slide back on the saddle when you climb to engage your glutes/hams and to give your quads a break. Stand up and climb, slide to the nose of the saddle and see how that feels. Moving around will work the muscles more evenly and give your quads a break.

[Owlie]

I do get quad pain if my saddle's too low, but that's in a very specific place and I've learned to recognize it--outside of the leg, somewhere in the middle--and it goes away as soon as I get off and stretch. Quad pain from the wrong gear is very different and involves pretty much all of the muscles that make up the quadriceps. And it doesn't go away.

OP, do you use clipless pedals or straps/toe cages? Those can help give your quads a bit of a break. It's hard to pedal "properly" with just platforms (especially if they're the horrible slippery plastic kind) because you can't pull up, but you can utilize a motion similar to scraping mud off the bottom of your shoes to complete as much of the circle as you can.

[NaeNae]

As the original poster, thanks for all the insight, tips and suggestions. I went for a 33 mile ride today (personal longest) and really focused on keeping my cadence up and pedal stroke. I'm not messing with my saddle until my boyfriend gets a chance to look at it and help.

To answer a couple questions posted in the replies: I use clipless pedals, and while I have a computer, it doesn't measure cadence. Today, a couple times when I guessed I was at about 80 rpm, I counted each revolution for 15 seconds (using my watch) and multiplied by 4; my guess was right. So I have a comfortable cadence at about 80 rpm.

I resisted the temptation (mostly) to shift to a higher gear, especially on the flats. When I succumbed to the temptation, I could definitely feel myself falling below 80 rpm and, unsurprisingly, felt it a lot more in my quads.

I focused much, much more on pulling up on my pedal stroke and could feel it much more in my hamstrings (not a bad feel). When I felt my quads getting tired, I noticed that I had a) lost focus on pulling up and was relying on the downstroke too much, and/or b) was in too high a gear and was mashing at too low a cadence.

To conclude: So far, my legs feel GREAT after today's ride! Pedaling at a higher cadence did not seem to slow me down too much, but my speed may have been maintained at or near "typical" speed by pedaling more efficiently (esp. upstroke). I will continue to focus on these things and see if it continues to make a difference. Thanks again!