Kids holding fast cadences
#2
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Jesus Larry, what will you come up with next? Now this will turn into a 10 page thread about the benefits or pitfalls of kids riding with a high cadence, whether they wax their chains or use oil, what tire pressure they use, and what they find when they go dumpster diving.

#3
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I'm going to suggest that you might not want to be the shirtless guy on a bike following 7 year olds around to see how long they can keep up their cadence.
#4
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Are you sure he's 7 years old? And what bike is he riding?
I've come across lady commuters doing 120 rpm on a climb. They're doing it on the lowest gear. They're slow but still...
I've come across lady commuters doing 120 rpm on a climb. They're doing it on the lowest gear. They're slow but still...
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Most of the kids I see just want to pop a wheelie. No cadence required.
#8
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I've seen some really fast 7 year olds. With the small wheels they have to ride, they have to use a high cadence. More power to the adults who have to keep up with them!
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^Someone doesn't understand gear ratios^
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Usually, the kids I see pedaling fast are on bikes with one gear and tiny wheels, and what I see is the pedal about 5 strokes really fast and then stop because they're not pushing against any resistance. Maintaining a high cadence? Haven't seen that.
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#11
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Not mine. Once my daughter could balance on her Dora the Explorer bike I put a 53/11 combo on it. I didn't want her to get lazy.
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#12
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^Someone doesn't understand gear ratios^
With a 16" wheel and a 26/19 gear ratio (the ratio of at least one of Trek's 16" kid's bikes), bikecalc.com says a cadence of 100 generates a speed of 7.2 mph. That's not a high cadence and a pretty high speed for a young kid?
The topic put me in mind of a parent and child I met during a rest stop last year - her 5 or 6 year old kid was on a bike with 12" wheels, and the mom couldn't keep up. I saw them coming about 200 yards away. His mom insisted on a rest on the bench across from me, during which the kid continued to ride up and down the way (which is about 50' wide) going like a bat out of hell the whole time (except, of course, when he was turning around).
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Well, live and learn.
With a 16" wheel and a 26/19 gear ratio (the ratio of at least one of Trek's 16" kid's bikes), bikecalc.com says a cadence of 100 generates a speed of 7.2 mph. That's not a high cadence and a pretty high speed for a young kid?
The topic put me in mind of a parent and child I met during a rest stop last year - her 5 or 6 year old kid was on a bike with 12" wheels, and the mom couldn't keep up. I saw them coming about 200 yards away. His mom insisted on a rest on the bench across from me, during which the kid continued to ride up and down the way (which is about 50' wide) going like a bat out of hell the whole time (except, of course, when he was turning around).
With a 16" wheel and a 26/19 gear ratio (the ratio of at least one of Trek's 16" kid's bikes), bikecalc.com says a cadence of 100 generates a speed of 7.2 mph. That's not a high cadence and a pretty high speed for a young kid?
The topic put me in mind of a parent and child I met during a rest stop last year - her 5 or 6 year old kid was on a bike with 12" wheels, and the mom couldn't keep up. I saw them coming about 200 yards away. His mom insisted on a rest on the bench across from me, during which the kid continued to ride up and down the way (which is about 50' wide) going like a bat out of hell the whole time (except, of course, when he was turning around).