Road Cycling - Cadence?

What do you folks like? I try to spin 90 to 94 on flats and climb at 78-82 (I end up at 60 or less if I run out of gears on a steep climb though :-). I read Carmichael has Lance climbing at around 90 rpm to flush out lactic acid better--that's pushing some gears! I tried that but don't cover much ground due to lowness of the gear--or I run out of low enough ones too soon.

The cadence ranges you are using are pretty solid, you have to remember who Carmichael is using as referance. Keep climbing nothing works better than practice. Vikeaz***

Try to spin at 100 rpm at least- when you're not thinking about it it'll drop to 90.

Every spring I work on my spin, my goal is to spin at least 160 rpm comfortably on the bike, 200 on the ergometer/trainer.This improves my smoothness and efficiency etc. etc.
The national team members are required by their coaches to be able to spin at 300 rpm.

300 RPM? Their feet would be a blurred circle like the Road Runner

300 RPM? Their feet would be a blurred circle like the like the Road Runner

The only way track sprinters can hit 50+mph on their single speed bikes is a super high cadence. It is easier when you're younger.

Am I confused??? 300 rpm is the same as 5 revolutions per second. I just can not believe any one can move their feet/legs that fast. May be I am just too old but I can't even rotate my fingers in a circle that fast :) .

Pete

300 RPM? Their feet would be a blurred circle like the Road Runner

Shear craziness. I can maybe spin half that fast - on a good day. I wonder what speeds you'd be capable of at 300 rpm?!?!

Try to spin at 100 rpm at least- when you're not thinking about it it'll drop to 90.

Every spring I work on my spin, my goal is to spin at least 160 rpm comfortably on the bike, 200 on the ergometer/trainer.This improves my smoothness and efficiency etc. etc.
The national team members are required by their coaches to be able to spin at 300 rpm.


Wow..I cant even fathom spinning 160! I can hit 125...but not for more than 30 secs. Still kinda new at this though.

According to Sheldon's gear calculator, mph at just a measly 120rpm with 700x23c wheels and a 53-11 gearing is 45.2mph.

Does anybody have a gear calculator that allows you to input the rpm's?

Try to spin at 100 rpm at least- when you're not thinking about it it'll drop to 90.

Every spring I work on my spin, my goal is to spin at least 160 rpm comfortably on the bike, 200 on the ergometer/trainer.This improves my smoothness and efficiency etc. etc.
The national team members are required by their coaches to be able to spin at 300 rpm.

Without a duration throwing these numbers out are useless.
300 rpm for what, 2 seconds? 10 seconds?

Last year I tried the following as a drill, it seemed to work pretty well.

1. For any given hill, identify a gearing that allows you to climb it at 85 rpm (ignore speed).
2. Each time you go up the hill, try to add another 5 rpm.
3. When you can consistently ride up the hill over 105 rpm, increase gear by one shift.
4. Rinse. Repeat.

I'm no power rider, but this really improved my ability to climb hills without blowing myself up with lactic acid buildup.

Last year I tried the following as a drill, it seemed to work pretty well.

1. For any given hill, identify a gearing that allows you to climb it at 85 rpm (ignore speed).
2. Each time you go up the hill, try to add another 5 rpm.
3. When you can consistently ride up the hill over 105 rpm, increase gear by one shift.
4. Rinse. Repeat.

I'm no power rider, but this really improved my ability to climb hills without blowing myself up with lactic acid buildup.


I'll have to try and remember this. Our group rides have some "epic hills" in them and I'm still one of the last ones up. This is an area I need to improve. Thanks

According to Sheldon's gear calculator, mph at just a measly 120rpm with 700x23c wheels and a 53-11 gearing is 45.2mph.

Does anybody have a gear calculator that allows you to input the rpm's?
300 rpm in a 53 x11 is 114 mph

I think you'll find that it puts more of a load on your aerobic fitness with all that spinning, but you won't redline so you won't blow up. Makes it hard initially, but that because your lungs aren't ready for it. For me, training my aerobic capacity is faster than building the muscle mass to push big gears.

Plus, a bonus, you'll end up with a better pedal stroke.

Are we sure the 300RPM is true???

That seems awfully fast to me. But, then again, I am no expert.

Wonder what you power output dial has to be set to in order to attain 300RPM?:D

mscycler

Beep! Beep!

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c76/TequilaJoe888/Junk/front_07.gif

What's more unbelievable is that this thread is six years old.

What's more unbelievable is that this thread is six years old.

What? Really? Cool.... I was playing with my new BlackBerry phone to see if I could browse BF and post to it. I can..... :D I have no idea how I found this ancient thread.... sorry! :o

T.J.

I'll call 300 rpm as BS. Back when I was a 1, I pedaled (when motorpacing) up to 60 mph in 53x12 holding that for a few seconds and it felt like a jillion rpm - I'm sure someone can figure it out, but I'd guess around 160-180 rpm.

In regards to orig. Q - RPM depends upon the circumstances - in races - I try to keep it around 100 AMAP - but for some power hill repeat training, sometimes I'm standing up in a too big of a gear and pedaling <60 for sure...

What's more unbelievable is that this thread is six years old.

Easily explainable with quantum physics. Fongster hit the fabled 300rpm, which caused a rift in the space time continuum and caused this thread to appear 6 years later!!! :p

Easily explainable with quantum physics. Fongster hit the fabled 300rpm, which caused a rift in the space time continuum and caused this thread to appear 6 years later!!! :p

Great Scott! 1.21 Giga Watts! :eek:
What was he thinking?

I haven't seen 300rpm, but I can do 200-220rpms easily and a lot of the track guys I know can hit 240-250rpms.

I'll call 300 rpm as BS. Back when I was a 1, I pedaled (when motorpacing) up to 60 mph in 53x12 holding that for a few seconds and it felt like a jillion rpm - I'm sure someone can figure it out, but I'd guess around 160-180 rpm.


180 rpm x 53x12 = 100kph ~ 60mph

On this thread, I'm curious.

When I started really focusing my cadence training, I was spinning around 90rpms on the road. When I'd work inside on the rollers I'd spin 80-85rpms, and when I'd go above 85 it seemed my %MHR would climb at a 1:1 ratio into the 90's. So, spinning 90rpm on the rollers would be 90% MHR on rollers with resistance.

Over the winter training, I've been able to increase my typical outdoor cadence to the 100rpm line comfortably and typically spin at that rate. Likewise, my rollers cadence is in the 90-95 region.

Curiousity - for those that _can_ spin 150+, where does your heart rate go when you get to that level. Years of training been able to keep the HR down at that level or how do you train those cadences? I'm gonna do some cadence counting tonight at the weekly spin class where I know I spin faster than I ride and see what kinda cadences I spin at there and compare them.

VW

In a sprint at the end of my race on Sunday I was in my 50-11 going 41mph (thanks to a strong tail wind) which is about 115 RPM. I ended up getting 2nd by a wheel. I wonder if a 53 in front would have helped me.

On this thread, I'm curious.


Curiousity - for those that _can_ spin 150+, where does your heart rate go when you get to that level. Years of training been able to keep the HR down at that level or how do you train those cadences? I'm gonna do some cadence counting tonight at the weekly spin class where I know I spin faster than I ride and see what kinda cadences I spin at there and compare them.

VW

150 rpm is for very short bursts like at a track, held for a few seconds, HR is meaningless with regards to it

practical real world cadences for over the road are much lower and also depend on distance, my best hour time is a cadence of around 95 or so, for a longer distance 80-85 is plenty and faster over a distance, and the difference tween the two isnt much, really, 80rpm is perfecty ok

dont get all caught up in the high cadence I wanna be like Lance thing, unless youve got huge aerobic reserves your probably faster at a lower cadence pushing a bigger gear.........way too many folks concentrate on cadence then find themselves stuck at like 20-22mph or so on the flats, when at like 75-80 rpm they can usually pick up 3 more mph

I know above about 25mph I have a very difficult time spinning, I imagine most people do. Ever listened to a pro during a time trial? They sound like windmills LOL, and often only pedal at like 85-90 max., dont believe the hype, count the revs and keep track of the riders and numbers.

there's no right and wrong way to get down the road really, do what works for you, everyone is different

30 down strokes with the right in 10 seconds spinning in a sprint tonight. 180rpms. I was pretty surprised myself.

150 rpm is for very short bursts like at a track, held for a few seconds, HR is meaningless with regards to it


Yep, yep. I wasn't worried about learning to spin at 180 for distances, I was just curious to see what folks were doing to get there for those short distances. After doing some cadence counting in the spin class tonight, I realize it's really not as unattainable as it seems. And if I can do 180rpm at my level, certainly those training longer/better could do more.

I'm not anxious to do anything other than spin at what I've found to be my most comfortable range of 90-100. Only time I'm over 100 is if I'm in the sprint, really. 90-95 is my long distance comfort ride, 95-100 is my any distance "hammering" pace. If I drop into the 80's I can really feel the "push" of the gears.