grahammmw

For years i have been pushing big gears and waking up the next morning with my thighs burning.

Over the last few months i have been putting in more mileage and struggling with extremely sore thighs the next day

anyway reading up on cadence i set off yesterday on a 50 miler trying to keep the cadence around 80 (usually i was around 50 - 60 ).

Felt completely unnatural for 5 - 10 miles but after that i settled down nicely and was actually getting quicker as the ride progressed.

This morning my legs feel fine......its the future :-)

Lew.

Higher cadence is often proved helpful compared to grinding the big ring all the time!
I ride with guys who are 'stuck' in the old way and ride slow cadence, being young and new to the sport, I followed the 90-100RPM and it's incredible how much they struggle when an incline starts compared to the higher cadence riders.
I ride 90RPM on road (comfortable on flat land) and 100RPM on track. Pushing up to 160RPM in sprints, it feels like it's in fast-motion! May also be because I'm tight and refuse to pay for more cogs/chainrings though...
Also good on the joints, apparently - good luck and hope you adapt to the cadence nicely.

elcruxio

Under 90 and I'm dead.
95 is optimal
More speed and power with a higher cadence

generalkdi

yup, my optimal cadence is ~90. It's easier, and keeps legs fresh longer on the long rides.

calyth

I do pretty well at around 90-100 or so. Occasionally I need to force myself to get out of the comfort zone and shift up, make myself push a bit more, so then it would come down to high 80s while I try to get used to it.

Bah Humbug

I do ~85rpm on the trainer, but when I'm out actually riding or racing, I prefer ~110rpm. Anything under 100rpm starts to feel awfully slow. Of course, I have to run afterwards...

danmc

I had the same revelation last year after posting a really stupid thread in here about how I wasn't going fast enough and thinking I needed a bigger chainring (and just recently I posted a really stupid thread about going too fast and wanting a smaller chainring, my stupidity runs in cycles), and then measuring my cadence and realizing I was running below 80rpm normally. So I bought a computer with cadence on it and soon realized that I felt much better running at a higher cadence, and now try to stay in the high 80s and low 90s for the most natural rythm for me.

calyth

A computer measuring cadence is quite nice when you're first trying to make sure you're at a higher rpm than before.

Now I'm pretty much used to the higher cadence, I don't really need to check it much anymore.

Commodus

This took YEARS??!!!

OldTryGuy

23+ years ago I was riding in the 110 range and felt fine. Never able to push big gears because of bad knees. After a 15 year hiatus I started riding again and was never able to find the comfort in high cadence but managed to use slightly higher gears. 85 to 90 now and can get to 110+ but still not comfortable like years ago.

Too be in my 30's again with the high cadence and current strength would be fantastic since I'm faster than ever.

bikepro

It the same as lifting 200 pounds once or 10 pounds 20 times. As you progress, try gradually increasing your cadence. It may take some time, but 85, 90 or 100 are even better rpms. You also need to work on developing a smooth, circular pedaling motion.

calyth

Yeah, especially if you ride clipless, you can also deliver some power on the upstroke. Usually when I pay attention to the pedaling motion I remind myself to pull a bit more too.

Buzzatronic

As someone with bad knees I've found being aware of your cadence and trying to increase it is a great way to keep the knee pain away. I started commuting 4 months ago at ~70rpm, now I try and push ~85rpm average over ~11mi each way. My knees rarely give me any pain signals and my thighs are rarely sore at all. I commute this way 5 days a week.

My goal is to be able to turn ~95rpm average so I'm working my way up to that.

FSUGOLFPRO7671

I'm working on raising cadence as well but am confused about the gearing. I generally ride local bike paths on rides of 10-20 miles at a time (raising that top end slowly) but generally keep it on the largest front ring and just change the gears in the back depending on the incline/decline and it's seemed to work just fine. Simply put, what application would it be advisable to go big front/small back rings compared to small front/big back?

Bah Humbug

That depends on your strength, speed, upcoming terrain, gearing, and desired cadence. I'll do the same incline in different gears depending on whether it's about to get harder or easier, how fresh I feel, whether I'm bringing in speed from a previous downhill... think ahead and figure out what's the best gear combination to not only handle the current slope but also leave you best set for the upcoming terrain.

squatchy

One way to start playing a bit with your gearing is this. If you divide the front chainring in half and keep the rear coresponding with the front you will sort of get the idea. In other words, use the small chainring with gears one through six. Use the big ring with four through ten. Use the overlap according to your leg strength, gradient and cadence speed. This should at least get you started in the right direction. Don't forget to keep your cadence up around 90-100 when you can. Climbing will cause your cadence to drop.

bikepro

You need to pedal in circles. With enough practice, you'll do it without thinking. A good way to practice is pedaling with one leg. Unclip one foot and pedal with the other. This is best done on a trainer. When you get good at pedaling with one leg, you can use it when you start up from a stop. Before you get the other foot clipped in, pedal with the other leg to maintain momentum.

xuwol7

100 is just about right, I think of songs in my head for a reference---100 bpm

https://history-is-made-at-night.blog...your-life.html

Beachgrad05

I feel most comfortable in the 80-90 rpm range for flats and climbing I try to keep at least 60. I'm an Athena so I have to battle gravity up hills.

Genaro

I normally fall between 85-95 but find it interesting that if I am drafting someone, it becomes easier to maintain pace at a lower rpm

hhnngg1

I actually think it's far more likely that you just got in better shape honestly.

Even if you mash like crazy like 60rpm, you still are doing a repetitive endurance activity, like lifting a weight 1000s of times. Very different than lifting gym weights, as some here have suggested, and that's why lifting gym weights doesn't make you a better cyclist aside from uber-short indoor track events where the initial acceleration can make the win.

Far more likely is that you just got in better shape.

UNless you were willfully mashing at <60rpm beforehand, there's no way you suddenly generated like 10% more power just by ratcheting your cadence up by about 10spm.

kenji666

100 is natural for me, and good for my knees.

Bob Dopolina 

Way to draw the completely wrong conclusion yet again. At least you are consistent.

I don't know about you but when I use a PM I see an immediate increase in wattage when I go from sub-optimal cadence (as in the range the OP described) to optimal cadence (80~90 where pretty much all pros ride - Andy Hampsten: "Spin to win") with a decrease in HR.

The jury is in on this one; For the vast majority of people optimal cadence in 80~100.

And I also disagree about the gym. Doing the right weight training at the right time of year can make you a stronger rider (hint - it isn't squats in July). It can also prolong a competitive career, reduce muscle imbalances and, with stretching, maintain flexibility/range of motion esp in the hamstrings.

You're welcome.

Bob Dopolina 

+1.

I totally forgot to mention knees. I should know, I have two of them. winky.

oldbobcat

Revolutions per minute is like IQ points. We could all benefit from having a few more. And with a little training, both are attainable.