Originally Posted by
LarrySellerz
Sup guys, do any of you train with low cadence? I know high cadence training is a thing, and having a dynamic cadence makes you a more well rounded rider, but does the same apply for low cadence rides? I moved to a house on a brutal hill and am wondering if my single speed (42x18) would be decent training, currently I can't even climb it without zigzagging. A guy I know who races says he used to do low cadence drills but I didn't get a chance to talk to him that long.
So, training by using a low cadence? No... Training by pushing a big Gear (relative to the rider) - Yes - this invariably results in a lower cadence than a rider's avg, for most...
Semantics ? a little, but still different... The focus is not 'low cadence', it's the increase in load/resistence; like doing weights.
The reason to work on higher/increased cadence is to improve 'efficiency' - muscles do counteract each other in the pedal stroke cycle.
Lower cadence is just a result of on-bike training to build strength/power.
Or
the situation where a rider can't ride with a higher cadence, because they are at their limit of 'efficiency'.
I'll repeat an Eddy Merckx-ism... when asked "It is better to push a Big Gear or spin a Smaller Gear? Eddy answered " It's best to Spin a Big Gear!"
Dedicated track bike racers do a huge amount of weight work, and also work real hard to develop a rapid development of rpm (cadence) with very high top limits.
they have to have both... power (explosive) and efficiency (high cadence to spin up their High, single, fixed gear as quickly as possible and hold as long as possible)
Ride On
Yuri