Wondering about cadence?

[redhot3368]

I have such a hard time keeping a high cadence!! Mine goes WAY down when I am climbing. I climb really slow too, like 4 mph!! So is this correct, you need to be in lower gears to have a higher cadence??
I have issues with shifting and the gears too.
Doe's all this improve or get easier over time?I am always trying to work on my cadence and getting my average speed up and I often get frusterated!!

Karen

[Geonz]

There is a *lot* of personal preference in this. We've got two really fast riders who'll be next to each other... one of 'em spinning away, the other one grinding away.
I've read (and seen) that people tend to pedal at a lower cadence than they should, in too high a gear, and get sore knees. That translated for me to "when in doubt, gear down, and listen to hyour knees." I'm a masher - I can't do 90 rpm without paying 'way too attention to my legs and saying "Faster! faster!" and I'm afraid I'll hit a tree. 75-80 rpm works, feels fine, and nothing hurts.
I'll do faster RPMs on the trainer but I have to think about it.

[Kano]

I didn't buy this capability when I got my computer -- how do they measure cadence? Is there a separate wire for that? I wouldn't think it would work right to use the same hardware that's measuring how fast the wheel is going around!

I've thought about it -- didn't really know much about any of it when I bought the computer, but figured I could buy a really inexpensive one to use to keep track of SOMETHING until I knew just what I wanted to be keeping track of some day!

Geonz, you mention sore knees from "mashing" -- I've noticed this and fortunately, I found you all and read about this spinning in lighter gears thing (and my legs thank you!!!!!) and in trying it out, I learned that it's a good thing, and after a few warm up miles, I start to feel like I could go forever. Without a way to count at this point, I can't even begin to guess what my cadence is, but I like the "process" a lot.

Oh yeah -- editing and re-editing, I've remembered just what my question is:

(I hate when that happens -- typing away and suddenly wondering what my point was! )

Sometimes, at a pedaling rate, one gear is seems too light, like I'm pedaling "crazily," (think granny gear going down hill) and the next gear just a bit too heavy. Is there a right way to deal with that? What I've been doing is slowing my cadence a bit and working in the slightly harder one, which is easier at the little bit slower rate.

(and I still do some mashing now and then, and it always seems like a good idea at the time!)

Karen in Boise

[fatbottomedgurl]

Karen in Boise (there is no "Z" in Boise)

I don't have a cadence set-up on my computer so I just look at the clock and count revolutions for 15 seconds and multiply by four.

[Kano]

Karen in Boise (there is no "Z" in Boise)

I don't have a cadence set-up on my computer so I just look at the clock and count revolutions for 15 seconds and multiply by four.

You can count seconds AND revolutions AND ride at the same time? WOW!

( We got "there is no Z in Boise lessons" from Earl's boss before we transferred out here. People could still tell we weren't from around here )

Karen in Boy-see

[betagirl]

I'm most comfortable around 85 rpm. I know you're supposed to spin, so I try to keep it above 90 whenever possible. I think the highest I ever went was 108 rpm, but that was kinda crazy for me.

[Geonz]

On my bikes without the cadence thingy (which indeed, has a different wire and goes with speedometers that hook up to the rear wheel; I got it so I could see how "fast" I was going on the trainer, and that's *really* a meaningless number except compared with itself!), I don't try to do fifteen seconds and all that (though it would be good anti-Alzheimer's training, I'm sure)... I do figure that one full cycle (left-right) in one second is 60 rpm, and left-right-lefgt is 90 rpm, and try to get a little closer to 90 than 60. If I am really getting carried away I see how quickly I can "lap" myself, and then try to figure out what ratio to use to calculate rpms from that... but that's getting dangerous...

[maggiedatongue]

I didn't buy this capability when I got my computer -- how do they measure cadence? Is there a separate wire for that? I wouldn't think it would work right to use the same hardware that's measuring how fast the wheel is going around!

Yes, there is a separate wire and sensor that you install by your pedal to measure the revolutions. I have this one.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1152283292828

Maggie

[Jen Jen]

I have such a hard time keeping a high cadence!! Mine goes WAY down when I am climbing. I climb really slow too, like 4 mph!! So is this correct, you need to be in lower gears to have a higher cadence??
I have issues with shifting and the gears too.
Doe's all this improve or get easier over time?I am always trying to work on my cadence and getting my average speed up and I often get frusterated!!

Karen

What kinds of speeds do you maintain when you're not doing a tough climb? I would say if you're dramatically slowing down your cadence for a hill, you're not downshifting enough, and that's why it's soooo haaaard... What kind of bike? Hybrid, road, etc.? On my road bike, I find it typically much easier on hills upping my cadence in a lower gear. But when I used to ride a hybrid, it wasn't nearly as easy on hills. For me, at least.

[redhot3368]

What kinds of speeds do you maintain when you're not doing a tough climb? I would say if you're dramatically slowing down your cadence for a hill, you're not downshifting enough, and that's why it's soooo haaaard... What kind of bike? Hybrid, road, etc.? On my road bike, I find it typically much easier on hills upping my cadence in a lower gear. But when I used to ride a hybrid, it wasn't nearly as easy on hills. For me, at least.

It's a road bike, my average speed is about 12 to 13 mph.
It seems impossible to get that up too!!

[Jen Jen]

It's a road bike, my average speed is about 12 to 13 mph.
It seems impossible to get that up too!!

Well don't get discouraged. I know how hard it is when you see people zipping by you. Your speed is definitely respectable though. Can you ride with anyone to have them critique what's happening? How many rings on the bike? Do you downshift into the smallest one?

Another thought is leg strength. How well would you rate yourself? Maybe weight training to get stronger?

I will throw this out there. I took my bike in last week and paid for a fitting. I wanted to make sure my seat discomfort issues weren't related to a poor fit. Even though I knew the rules of the correct fit (knee slightly bent at bottom of stroke, knee over pedal axle at 3'o-clock position), they changed me around quite a bit (seat was too low). It didn't help my comfort, but I've already noticed MARKED improvement in my riding. I feel a LOT stronger since. I've been riding faster, and hills seem easier. It also feels comfortable riding in higher gears. So how good do you think your bike fit is?