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Old 03-01-09, 04:12 PM
  #22  
iamthenoise
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: southern california
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Bikes: 60's mercian track

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Originally Posted by operator
"No he's not right."
"You DO get better riding a wider range of cadences than you normally would."

i don't see how getting better at different cadences = no he's not right, you're pedal stroke does not improve.

its like saying, YOURE WRONG....EXCEPT WHEN I MAKE YOUR POINT FOR YOU.


if you can explain to me how to get better at different cadences without improving your pedal stroke, you win the internet.

and i think the guy OP was talking to is right. fixed gear at low speeds means nothing compared to a freewheel. but when you push yourself to your highest cadence ability on a freewheel, theres very little feedback when you have imperfections in pedaling form (if you're going faster than you can pedal, you can switch gears or coast). a descent on a freewheel bike is not impeded by pedalstroke either, your top speed = how fast you can pedal + coasting and letting gravity take over. with a fixed gear, your feet are forced to keep up with the spin of the bike (at high cadences/descents/speed changes) or you suffer a bouncy ride. this also means there's a self imposed limit on top speed, which is how fast you can spin with the bike. improving your spin, you'll see a higher top speed. you can't easily see that change with a freewheel. when you learn to manage all the issues in your form, you have better power output throughout the range of your stroke and throughout any cadences/changes in cadence you'll likely encounter. higher top pedaling speed too. its not like you cannot learn these things on a roadbike, but the feedback from a fixed gear is helpful for a lot of people.
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