Triathlon - Proper Cadence

I finally broke down and got a bike computer that has a cadence sensor. What is the correct cadence range? I find 60-70 rpms seems to be where I ride most of the time. Is this to slow or should I change gears to increase/decrease my cadence?

I too ride at 60 to 70 rpm, but I am a one legged 86 year old biker who is about ready to give up biking because of my infirmatives. The proper cadence is one which you can ride continuously without becoming winded. You must experiment and try for a high cadence. You will find that the higher the gear the you will have to pedal slower to avoid running out of air. There is no proper cadence that applies to everyone. It is an idividual thing even among proffessional bikers. I have had cadence on my computer for many years and I think it is quite a help in improving your performance.

On the flats I ride at 90-95. Take a look at gear tables with different cadence.

Heres a couple of links regarding cadence...

http://www2.bsn.de/Cycling/articles/cadence.html

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=433

I went up from 76 to 88-90 range. Uphills depending on lenght I try higher rpm. Find it to be actually more efficient . Some spinning trainning might help you move your cadence up..... god luck hope it helps a bit

i like a high cadence going up hill and a lower one on flats but spinning a bigger gear. it's all about personal prefrence.

The cadence article from the tri website was great info. I tend to be a masher, which I believe comes from years of playing hockey. I'm going to step up my cadence and experiment a little, it appears spinning faster might help me in my run portion of the race.

Everyone has an ideal cadence... just because the current trend is high cadence, does necessarily mean that this is correct for you. There is definitive benefits in increased cadence (wattage per revolution is lower, hence you will have a theoretical ability to generate higher wattage), but also drawbacks (you tax your cardiovascular system much more). You need to find your comfort zone, where you have the correct balance. In general, 60-70rpm is a bit low though... you can probably work on getting that up to at least mid. 80's and still be comfortable.

bigger riders tend to have lower cadences and push bigger gears and small riders get in more rpm at

I tend to have much fresher legs on the run (especially in 1/2 IM distance)when keeping the cadence at or above 90 rpms. and i am a big guy (6'2'' 185lbs). I guess it is personal preference though, but I have noticed better run times when I spin instead of mash.

it takes practice to feel comfortable at a higher cadence.

how long of rides are you doing at your current cadence? i bet you're tired when you're done. I usually ride at 85-95 rpm... that's about perfect for me to not tire myself out.

I was around 70 when I first started out but have since moved up to ~90. The biggest benefit for me with a higher cadence is that it puts way less strain on my back. Also, as mentioned above, my legs now feel fresher when I get off the bike (all while my average cycling speed has increased as well!)

85-110

I bumped my cadence up into the lower 90 rpm range and found that after getting used to the "spinning" vs "mashing" feeling my speed did pick up with much less effort. Thanks for all your postings !