Road Cycling - Double AND high cadence???

I have a triple chain ring - and I feel like I'm in AA everytime I have to admit it!

"Hi, my name is Brad, and I run 3 chain rings."

There is simply no way that I can keep up a high cadence and climb steep hills without that granny gear. In fact, I will speculate, that not many can do it. Therefore, I have to state that a high cadence and a double chain ring just do not reconcile when steep hills are one of the variables. What do you think??

If it gets me to the top with out walking, I'll even let my mother push. I have no shame....just pleasure.

Well, what do you consider high cadence? 90rpm? Higher?

Cadence? You mean I'm supposed to count? I'm having too good a time communing with whatever I find to commune with.

This is south Florida. Hills are not permitted.:cool: We do have bridges and slight elevations. On my retro 10 speed, the word cadence on an incline doesn't apply. Slow grind would be more appropriate. But going downhill is another matter.

A high cadence (100rpm) in my grannie gear (39 x 21), puts me at 14mph, way to fast for any major climb. I avg just over 8 mph up the local canyon, or around 60rpm.

My cadence on my roadbike (double) in my lowest gear (39/27) up steep hills >8% drops into the 60s and I'm climbing under 10MPH. Most of the time it doesn't bother me except for those moments when I get passed by the 12-year olds on their BMX bikes. |8^)

I can however maintain a pretty decent spin (mid-80s) on those same hills with my MTB without going to the lowest gear... I still end up in the granny up front though. I'm usually upper-middle cog in the rear.

Originally posted by caloso
Well, what do you consider high cadence? 90rpm? Higher?

Well, I'm really referring to whatever cadence you run on the flats. If you run 90rpm on flatland, then 90rpm up the hills!

legs, lungs and a proper diet, that's what you need. And, ride the bike man, ride the bike, that's what you need to do to get a high cadence on a grade and hold it.

Originally posted by Joe Gardner
A high cadence (100rpm) in my grannie gear (39 x 21), puts me at 14mph, way to fast for any major climb. I avg just over 8 mph up the local canyon, or around 60rpm.

Yup, that's precisely my point!! On steep hills, I cannot maintain a high cadence (90-100) as the necessary speed prohibits it.

I'm not pushing, mind you, but I do have to run a lower cadence and sometimes stand up in order to climb steep hills in my middle chain ring. Therefore, having a granny gear seems to be the more EFFICIENT way to climb. No???

Sure you can ride up a steep hill in a high cadence, if you are Lance Armstrong.

Personally, I like to climb hills by sitting and spinning especially long hills. So if I am in an area with long climbs like Colorado or North Carolina, well I use a triple.

Normally I select the day's chainring after about 20 minutes or so of riding. I'm on the bike for exercise primarily with the fun of it an added super bonus.

Since I am not "training" for anything, but rather working/playing to develop cardio and muscle and to burn calories, I tend to make certain that my heart rate is at least in the "zone" for a minimum of 30 minutes per day and that my workout is as difficult as that day's "feel" calls for.

On a good day, I do a cadence of between 85 and 90 throughout the ride without dropping from the second chainring even for grades. Some days I can achieve that cadence only in the little chainring. I don't let myself get discouraged on the small ring days and really enjoy the sense of accomplishment when I stay in the middle ring or actually get on the big ring.

I have a idea that most Df riders with out triple chainsets mash the pedals up steep hills.The reason i say this is that i ride a recumbent and a DF.When i ride the recumbent up a steep hill
i have to keep a high candace as i can not stand on the peddles
so i need a triple.On my DF if the hill is really steep i can keep the candace going by standing out of the saddle,but if i stayed sitting
my candace will slow. :beer:

Does everyone else switch up a few gears when they get out of the saddle? Thats what I do. When your out, you have the wieght of your body in your favor although this will make your muscles more tired after a while. I find having a lower cadence when out of the saddle is more efficient and I just kinda "stand" on one pedal and then the other using my weight rather than trying to muscle the pedals. I guess this is probably around 60 rpm and I find doing this everynow and then on a long climb keeps my pace from dropping too low. Oh yeah... I usually use the second ring due to the lack of long/steep climbs here in souther MS.

Originally posted by kewlrunningz
Does everyone else switch up a few gears when they get out of the saddle?

I do. In fact, I read somewhere that changing chain rings was the equivalent of about 3 gears in adjustment either way. On long grades when I feel my cadence falling, I tend to up it one chain ring and stand for a short while. I ease back into the seat and return to the smaller ring and find I am usually able to maintin my desired cadence and speed.

I haven't worked any really long or very steep hills yet. Though the mountains are but a few miles beyond the farthest point of my normal ride. And, they do beckon.

I voted for needing a triple.

The questions are: how high a cadence, how steep the hill, how long the climb, what kind of shape are you in, and just how old ARE you? I based my response based on 70+ RPM, >8% gradient, more than a mile steady climbing, being reasonably fit (17.5+ MPH avg. speed for 40 mile ride on rolling terrain), and 50+ yrs.

Yeah, I probably could do some of these hills without the triple but it sure makes it a lot less troublesome!

I like to mix it up. I'll probably stand up and sit down 2 or 3 times if it's a long hill. On the other hand, if it's not a particularly long hill, I'll usually stand up and mash the whole time up. I feel like it's a good way to develop leg and butt strength.