alexaschwanden

I usually ride around 60-65 rpm doing about 12-13mph cruising. Sometimes if i am in a hurry to get somewhere i usually redline each gear (120rpm) before shifting, how do you ride, do you down shift when coming to a stop?.

MikeyBoyAz

I try to hold 80+ in the flats. I will let it drop down to the 60s when I am out of the saddle climbing to give the twig and berries a rest. I usually drop 4 gears at a light if I am descending a false flat, else I can typically stay in my current gear because I don't really feel the need to spool up the wheels with much vigor from a red light... I will try to lag long enough that I never stop at the red lights though...

Marcus_Ti

95 to 100 seated in the saddle.

rpenmanparker 

The same.

seymour1910

Are you asking for real life numbers or BF numbers?

If your asking for BF numbers I spin my 53/12 at 100rpm when I'm climbing

Real life, well those numbers are boring.

Muffin Man

~90-100 rpm at around 17-20 mph on flats, and that drops to like 70-80 when climbing.

Machka 

When I started, way back when, my cadence was around 80.

Then I took some spinning classes which helped me increase my cadence.

It is now 85 ... maybe as high as 90 sometimes.


And I shift into an easier gear when I'm coming to a stop, but I'm usually coasting then, just pedaling enough to make the shift.

Homebrew01

90 most of the time. 100 if I am doing intervals. 80 when I feel like "mashing" a big gear.
Generally, the harder the effort, the higher the cadence.
Puttering along the beach or such, a low cadence is ok, because you're not trying to put out efficient power.

Yes, I down shift when coming to a stop. Makes getting started again a lot easier.

Jeremy_S

Average of my last 5 rides is 87, usually max is mid 120's when bombing down a hill. I ride in whatever gear will keep me around 90 as that's where I seem to have the most endurance without burning my leg muscles out too soon.

Oldhead

90 to 100 most times. 105 up hills

mcours2006

Couldn't tell for sure, but probably 90-100 most of the time, perhaps 80-90 climbing. Those are just guestimates. I don't have a computer.

San Pedro

95-105, and it's been creeping up to 110-115 at times. Once I got a computer I really started doing higher rpms, though it was probably in the 90 range before.

Machka 

All you need is a watch and the ability to count.

unabowler

Just under 90 for me on the flats, and on the hills it varies. When I want to go fast it seems a bigger gear and slightly slower cadence works best.

Trakhak

To answer the question the OP was really asking, for the maximum aerobic benefit from cycling, your cadence should be about the same as your distance running or jogging pace, which is between 90 and 95 strides per minute for pretty much everyone on the planet.

You can deviate from that pace or cadence all you like, but that's the pace evolution has dictated to be the most efficient.

RChung

Me? I don't usually pay attention but since you asked, I just looked at my past 10 rides of over an hour in length. Excluding coasting, my average is high 50's, low 60's. Otherwise, overall average is closer to high 40's low 50's.

Don't worry about what others are riding at. Are you comfortable and able to achieve your goals with how you're riding? If so, keep doing what you're doing. If not, do something different. In isolation from power or crank torque or the terrain you're riding on, cadence is a red herring. Ignore it.

Igualmente

Somewhere above 90. I try to maintain it on uphills (shifting as I see the cadence drop to 90). I rarely achieve it during the first 15 minutes of warm-up, though, and there are days where it is noticeably lower.

IcySmooth52

I ride 90+ like many here, but I don't drop my RPM at all on climbs. (And there's BIG-LONG ones here in Maine). Just have to pull up on the back of the stroke more.

RChung

Not only is that not true, it's irrelevant. The most efficient cadence (in terms of gross metabolic efficiency) tends to be lower than what you're saying, and the research shows that when riding we don't appear to moderate cadence to maximize metabolic efficiency.

mcours2006

True. But it's not important enough for me to know for certain.

Stucky

I don't know- I don't keep track of such things- I just ride and do what feels best and works best under the particular conditions at-hand. Although I have sensed that that my RPMs have increased on the flats, over the last few years since i started riding.

Ultimately, it's something that one shouldn't worry about. There are so many variables- i.e. fitness; terrain; gearing; speed; position; leg strength vs. cardio fitness.... Just do what works for you.

As you get fitter and faster, your RPMs will likely increase. No need to change anything to make your RPMs higher artificially- just let it come naturally. Don't let numbers rule your ride; listen to your body.

rpenmanparker 

Is it your belief that all people are naturally great athletes and are able to reach their full potential without correcting the instinctive mistakes they make through focused training? There was a tennis coach many years ago that preached that. Just don't think about it, and everything will turn out right.

Have your ever watched people walking down the street? If people can't even learn to walk efficiently without instruction and coaching, what makes you think that any more complex activity can be perfected or even just improved that way. It sounds so right, but it is so wrong.

gregf83 

While cycling isn't a very technical sport there are a few things to learn and some riders need some guidance. Doing things naturally works sometimes, other times it can just lock in some bad habits. Golf is certainly a good example of this and cadence to a lesser extent.

I've seen riders dropped in racing in large extent because they ride with too low a cadence and are unable to respond to changes in pace quickly enough to avoid losing a wheel. Track riders specifically practice riding at high cadence to improve efficiency.

edit: And for the OP my cadence varies depending on the ride. Below is a 3 hr ride with a 40min crit in the middle. The crit is shown in blue with higher cadence. As others have said at higher power levels it's natural for cadence to go up.

intransit1217

I consider 85 my basement. I'm trying to stay north of that unless climbing so i don't hurt my knees. 85-110. North of that is for sprinting and heavy accelerating. I watch my speed less on solo rides, more on group rides to keep within the desired parameters.

Giant Fuji

If I am riding solo or taking a pull on a group ride I am at 90-100 rpm, in a paceline I am around 80.