cadence importance

[cyclechick2008]

As I sat on my stationary bike tonight I was thinking about cadence.

I don't ride in the 80-100rpm range. I am most comfortable at a resistance that puts my cadence between 70-80. When I am doing intervals my resistance is high enough that I have a cadence in the high 60's. Should I back off and only work cadence for a couple weeks?

Since I posted my last training thread I have been looking at the HR on the stationary bike and figured my MHR. I am staying in the 70% to 85% range most of the time.

I hope to go outside for the first time this week. I know outside is totally different than in the gym.

Kim

[KnottedYet]

No matter what I do, my happy-place cadence is always 66 rpm.

Not 67, not 65... 66.

I try to go faster and it's like those debit card ads on TV, where someone tries to pay with a check.

Everything feels wonderful at 66 rpm, I can go for hours, and I am comfortable and at one with the bike and the universe, I can see Shangri-La and hear Elvis.

I kind of figure if it ain't broke, I don't fix it. (and it seems like I can't anyway)

Perhaps you and I have more slow-twitch fibers than average, so we do better at lower rpms than average?

[Alex]

I've been working on my cadence for about two months now and I can see a big difference. I'm working with an online coaching service and one of my goals is to get faster this year. There are two specific drills I have been doing. One legged pedaling, which is just what it sounds like. One leg for 30 to 45 seconds, and then the other for 30-45, and then both together for 30 to 45. I do anywhere from 3 to 6 intervals. If it's more than 3, there will be a longer recovery period between the two sets.

The second drill is something they call FastPedals. Basically, I have a cadence range that I am supposed to hit for a 1 to 2 minute period and then there is a 1 to 2 minute recovery period in between. Again, 3 to 6 intervals, with a longer recovery period between sets. I am supposed to focus on my form so that my hips are not rocking during the FPs.

When I first started, I couldn't do the one legged pedaling without an unpleasant ka-thunk during every stroke. Now, I happily spin pretty little circles for up to 45 seconds. With the FastPedals, I had a hard time keeping my form at around 100. Now, I'm spinning at 110+ with no loss of form.

As I understand it, the one legged pedaling and the FastPedals work in tandem to train your body to spin faster. These drills are done in addition to other drills, so it's not like you just have to work on cadence to the exclusion of other things like tempo workouts or, you know, just riding for fun.

As an added benefit, my cadence overall has increased. I'm seeing a difference between last year's rides, happily in the 70s, enjoying the scenery, and able to keep going and going and going, and my now faster cadence. I should note, though, that I have only ridden outdoors twice this year because the weather has been so atrocious. I have put in a lot (a whole lot) of trainer hours. It will be interesting to see what happens when I get back outside. I did take out my new mountain bike on the roads this past weekend and I was delighted by how much my pedaling mechanics improved. I was sort of surprised that the trainer hours on my road bike translated so well to my mtb pedaling.

Having said all of that, I don't think there's anything wrong with pedaling along at whatever cadence you find comfortable. Not every pro spins like Lance and, if you're happy, then do what you're doing. It sure didn't bother me to pedal in the 70s, but I do want to get faster and, allegedly, this will help.

We shall see!

Alex

[gnat23]

Alex, which trainer service are you using? How do you like it?

-- gnat!

[Crankin]

When I first got a computer with a cadence function, my cadence was consistently between 74-77. The only time it went higher was when I didn't feel good and I was pedaling like crazy in a low gear to get "done." Last winter I did similar training as described above. During the summer, I noticed my average cadence is now in the low eighties on a more consistent basis. On the road, I tend to use the easiest gear possible for what ever terrain I'm in and now that easier gear is a higher one. However, like Knott, if I feel like I'm in the happy place while I'm riding, I really don't care what my cadence is!

[Alex]

Gnat,

I'm using CTS. (It was a Christmas present.) There are things I like and things I don't. I think individual satisfaction depends quite a bit on the coach to whom you are assigned. I switched coaches after the first 6 weeks because my first coach missed two of our weekly prearranged telephone calls in a row. (The stated reasons for missing the calls were lame, too.)

The CTS website has good videos to show you how to do the various drills and the online schedule is handy. It's nice to have someone analyze my Garmin data and to tweak my schedule as needed. I do like having a plan for each workout and I like that I don't have to come up with that plan!

I'm curious to see what sort of improvements I make. DH is doing Mark Allen online training for tris and he's very happy with that.

Alex

[indysteel]

Having said all of that, I don't think there's anything wrong with pedaling along at whatever cadence you find comfortable. Not every pro spins like Lance and, if you're happy, then do what you're doing. It sure didn't bother me to pedal in the 70s, but I do want to get faster and, allegedly, this will help.

I agree. The conventional wisdom is that a higher cadence, say in the 90 to 100 rpm range, is the ideal for the average cyclist because it effectively balances aerobic capacity and leg strength, assuming that you're using a gear that allows you to pedal 90 rpm easily, but not too easily. That said, every rider is going to be different. Depending on leg strength, aerobic capacity, knee issues, etc., someone's comfort zone may be with a higher or lower cadence.

Depending on what your goals are, it may make sense to work on cadence. If your knees aren't complaining, then there's nothing wrong with spinning more slowly in a harder gear. If you want to increase speed and/or your aerobic fitness, however, you may want to work on increasing your cadence using the drills that Alex mentioned. By the same token, if you want to build leg strenth or work on climbing, you may want to do some lower cadence drills. Both types of intervals have a place in becoming a stronger rider.

And if your body continues to grativate toward a lower cadence as your default, don't sweat it.

[cyclechick2008]

I went outside yesterday and today. I think it is a stationary bike problem. I checked my cadence and it hung at about 84 or so. This was when I was in the gear that makes you feel you could ride forever. Today was no different, if anything I pedaled faster.

My mph went up too. I was struggling to get 14mph on the stationary bike. I did 16mph tonight. By peak riding time I might be up toward 18mph which is plenty fast for me and the group I sometimes ride with.

Kim

[bluebug32]

Does high cadence also apply to mountain biking? The theory seems to be that a higher cadence is easier to sustain for a while than pushing a big gear. I just feel, when I'm at 90rpm, that I'm not going anywhere!

[VeloVT]

A good exercise to get stronger... On a long flat stretch, start out in a pretty easy, comfortable gear with a cadence between 90-100. Then shift up a gear, and try to bring your cadence up to the same level. Keep doing this (shifting up a gear without dropping your cadence) until you're pooped and then shift back down to the comfortable gear (you'll probably find that all of the sudden you're spinning over 100 in that gear for a few miles).

When I first started riding I didn't have any sense of cadence, and I also was really bad at shifting. I would ride for miles without shifting. In a few months I bought a computer with cadence, and not only did it get my cadence up pretty quickly, it also improved my shifting hugely. I'm now used to riding with a high cadence, and have a computer on my commuter bike that doesn't have cadence. But when I got a trainer last month and got back on my road bike after a winter on only the commuter, I find my cadence hasn't suffered from riding a lot without looking at the numbers. Once you've trained your legs to feel comfortable spinning faster, it seems they remember. I'm sure that everyone is different, and naturally may feel comfortable at a different cadence... But I do think the computer made me much more efficient.