Road Cycling - Efficient cadence?

My bike computer from performancebike came yesterday, that has a cadence function. It's pretty cool I think, since now I don't have to count beats and look at my watch to see my cadence.

Anyways, I was a little surprised at what my usual pedaling cadence was. Whenever I was at a normal training pace, my cadence was in the upper 90s, or sometimes a little over 100. Is that too high? I thought I remember reading somewhere that your cadence should be between 80 and 90. Does your most efficient cadence have anything to do with weight? I only weigh about 130 lbs, and my legs aren't massive or anything.

Anyone know what a race-pace cadence should be? What are your average rpms?

High is good. 80 is a decent amateur cadence. 100+ is more typical of an elite racer. If you are happy spinning fast then keep at it. I'm another lightweight who likes to spin fast, but with less power than a top athlete.

High is good. 80 is a decent amateur cadence. 100+ is more typical of an elite racer. If you are happy spinning fast then keep at it. I'm another lightweight who likes to spin fast, but with less power than a top athlete.


The cadence you're most efficient at may be different than someone else's ideal cadence. On this year's TDF coverage, there's been a lot of comments about the different pedaling styles of Lance Armstrong (high-cadence spin) vs. Jan Ullrich (low cadence big gear masher). Obviously, both of these athletes are very successful at what they do even though they get there with different styles.

If you're not sure, you can always experiment with different pedaling styles over a terrain that includes flats and hills so that you can determine what cadence results in the fastest time, best endurance, etc.

yeah its somewhat a function of your body... im pretty lightweight with small quads and calves and i feel comfy 95-105.. ive gone over 100 going uphill.. the rhythm makes me comfy..i feel like im slouching below 85..

Tom Pedale nailed it. It's very fashionable these days to spin high cadences but what's the perfect cadence for you might be different than it is for someone else.

The advantage of spinning is that it relies more on your cardiovascular system than your muscles to achieve the same force. One of the big advantages being that your cv system can recover more quickly than your muscles can.

So for someone like Lance with an unbelievable cv system it makes sense to spin like crazy. For someone like Jan who's advantage might lie more in his muscles, he'll spin a slower cadence.

It's also good to keep the above in mind for training. I like to mix up my rides with slower cadence (builds muscle) and faster spinning (works my cv system harder).

Spinning fast, and spinning smooth are two different things. It would be bad to focus on speed only, and not technique. You can tell the roadies with bad spin when they get on a full suspension mtb and they just bounce all over hell and back. On the flip side, if you have seen someone with a sweet spin, they just flow on the mtb.