Gears...If you got'em use'em...Cadence is the key to distance, speed, and efficiency.
I just had to come out and say this because the number of people on geared bikes that doesn't shift are just hurting their health, fit, and the traffic flow on LSD Trail. It doesn't matter if you have 3, 5, 6, 10, 12, 18, 20, 21, 22, 27, or 30 gears, cadence should be kept in mind. although it is especially important for us recreational riders and racers.
First, what is cadence? Cadence is how many times a minute one fully rotates their pedals, simply put; its your legs' RPM.
Mashing does not work and here is why...When riders are mashing the pedals(pedaling at low cadence, exerting too much force on their legs) their muscles will start dumping lactic acid, and their legs will start burning.
Spinning too fast also does not work and here is why...When the rider starts to spin(pedaling at a high cadence, exerting too little force on their legs) their heart rate shoots sky high and before they know it they are out of breath.
Instead the key is to find a good cadence where the loads are shared equally between the heart and the legs. Numerous studies have been done and most of them point towards a cadence range between 70 and 90 seems to be most efficient for riders. Most of the inexperienced riders tend to stay on too low of a cadence thinking its more efficient than a higher cadence. So let's keep them legs spinning at the right rate...It will put less stress on your knees and your heart as well as make you a faster, stronger rider...
-Ali
First, what is cadence? Cadence is how many times a minute one fully rotates their pedals, simply put; its your legs' RPM.
Mashing does not work and here is why...When riders are mashing the pedals(pedaling at low cadence, exerting too much force on their legs) their muscles will start dumping lactic acid, and their legs will start burning.
Spinning too fast also does not work and here is why...When the rider starts to spin(pedaling at a high cadence, exerting too little force on their legs) their heart rate shoots sky high and before they know it they are out of breath.
Instead the key is to find a good cadence where the loads are shared equally between the heart and the legs. Numerous studies have been done and most of them point towards a cadence range between 70 and 90 seems to be most efficient for riders. Most of the inexperienced riders tend to stay on too low of a cadence thinking its more efficient than a higher cadence. So let's keep them legs spinning at the right rate...It will put less stress on your knees and your heart as well as make you a faster, stronger rider...
-Ali
Views: 117
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dave Jacque on
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Interesting - I'll try the pedal stroke thing on the way home tonight. Thanks for the tip!
dan brown said:another cheap way to check cadence is just count the revolutions for 15 seconds and then
multiply by 4. leeping the cadence between 80-100 has worked best for me IMHO. RE : Smooth pedal stroke - that is a whole 'nother topic. but to get an introduction try doing one-legged drills (this can only be done with either clipless pedals or pedals with toe-straps ). i.e. pedal with one
foot in (on) the pedal and the other one dangles free. You may likely find 'dead spots' where your (now sole leg doing the work) is relying on the other one (now not pedaling) to bring the stroke all the way around. ideally you should have a very smooth, even and fluid motion for the entire revolution with each
leg. also - the test for the left leg may be different than for the right leg, for example.
Dr. Doom said:This works for me, actually, though I imagine mileages differ.
As for exercises and such I'm a pretty lousy rider, but I keep my cadence in the ~80 zone by riding a fairly lightly geared (71 gear inches) single speed. If I want to get anywhere faster than I can walk I just have to keep things spinning. Staying in a moderate gear like that and just working on spinning the pedals probably isn't a bad idea for anyone with a tendency to mash.
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Permalink Reply by Amber K on
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Hey Adriana - I have an awsome picture from Mai Fest on my phone. Email me your number if u like, and I'll send it to you. Not sure if you saw it, but a great pic of Julie's friend.
Adriana said:Disclaimer: I know nutn about nutn, but I've been riding at top gear on my mtb forever. I've recently started shifting a bit on hills and such... I didn't before, not because I did not understand oh wait for it, new bike vocab, 'cadence', but because I like the extra work involved when at a complete stop. I find I am not mashing the pedals so much as I am trying to use other muscle groups (aka my soft bellah) to get me going. Not that the cars turning right behind me appreciate it :p Oh my knees are fine, I try to use my butt muscles too :p
Hey Amber! Mai fest? You see, I'd like to one day be as hard as you :p and I do need to incorporate some sort of sprinting into my workout routine. You look great girl, with all that muscle you can get as lean as you'd like in no time, unlike me...I have stubborn fat.
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