69chevy

Me too. I use an app for that.

PepeM

I've always been a high cadence type of person without making a conscious effort. Just checked my last ride, average cadence 96.6. That was a tough ride.

69chevy

The biggest adjustment for me (other than feeling like I wasn't working hard enough) is how much more shifting I do.

I need to learn to shift before I outspin the gear I'm in.

cicatrize

I'm 6'3" and 100 rpm feels like my legs are going to fall off. I'll stick with mid to high 80's

69chevy

I'm also 6'3".

Just try it for one ride..

cicatrize

I've tried to sustain it before. I get worn out around 30 seconds. Everyone's body is different, so this won't work for everyone.

indyfabz

I am 6'2" and have tried it plenty of times since I started riding for sport in '86, when you were likely still riding a tricycle. Doesn't work for me. In addition to length, there is mass to consider.

indyfabz

Listen, pal! It's his way or the highway.

RollCNY

Riding on the highway is dangerous. It's his way or the service road.

69chevy

Then you tried it, and didn't like it. I'm sure not everyone will like it.

I think the 30 sec part may be an exaggeration though...

69chevy

I haven't been riding like this long enough for it to be "my way".

Notice I said "you might like it".

That also leaves might not, hell no, and the op is out of his mind ascompletely acceptable options.. lol

69chevy

Hey, I quit riding a tricycle in 84.

shoota 

Pfft.. and this was jsut a moderately hard ride.



Cadence while actually riding is usually 95-105 rpm.

bruce19

I know several professional cycling trainers who espouse using the spin rate that works to your strengths. FWIW Greg LeMond was a slow spinner unlike many other pro riders. I can spin to 120 rpm but find I do best at 75-85 rpm when cruising. I find my climbing improves when I go "up" a gear and down some rpm. It really is, IMO, the kind of thing that has to be determined individually.

r8dr_rider

I try to stay at 95. And 70-80 on climbs. Under 70 on really steep climbs. My 52/36-11-28 isnt the best for ascending but great for decending

69chevy

Which groupset?

r8dr_rider

Shimano 5800 105 with a semi compact FSA SLK light carbon crankset. Just posted the bike on the Hot r Not thread.

Marcus_Ti

One of those pedal then coast people, eh?

Try holding the cadence for longer periods.

DrIsotope

I can manage +100rpm for extended periods-- 15-20 minutes sustained, even on decent grades... but at the end of the ride, the avg. cadence invariably falls between 82 and 89. This is because (I believe) my "natural" cadence is right at 85-- I've had 85 average cadence on rides with 15,000+ total strokes, so I'm thinking that's a fair guess of average. As someone else pointed out earlier, spinning is just a tool. It works better in some instances than in others-- when doing 20-21mph on a windless flat, I'm turning high 80s to low 90s most comfortably. With my 38.5" riding inseam, 100rpm in that situation and I feel like I'm bouncing around in the saddle. And at my current level of fitness/ability, with a natural standing cadence of about 55rpm, I don't think I'm going to see a ride with a 100rpm average, well, ever. I might poke into the 90s one random day, but so far a good 'ol 85rpm ride average is getting the job done.

shoota 

Uh no, that's not how it works. This was a big group ride so there are plenty of times where I simply cannot pedal.

69chevy

I don't know if a "pie plate" is a deal breaker for you, but I run a 105 (mid cage) and a 11-32T SRAM. I love it.

shoota 

I'm about to set up something very similar too. Not a 32t but maybe 30. With an 11s cassette that seems like a good enough range.

r8dr_rider

Going up hills i sometimes wish i had an 11-32, but once at the top i forget, lol. When i get older and the knees start giving i will definitely switch to a compact and 11-32 gearing. When i say switch i mean grtting a new bike of course.

indyfabz

Not always. I was touring in SD in June and opted for a stretch of I-90 rather than a parallel road that had little or no shoulder and some traffic. The only real concern on I-90 was that I had to ride west two exits and thus cross one exit ramp. As I watched traffic turn off ahead of me I noticed that several people were not using turn signals. As such, I decided to wait a minute or two for a very large gap in traffic in order to insure that no one could turn off in front of me without signaling.

garciawork

I have never been able to slow my cadence down, personally. As a result, I am not powerful, but I can be very aerobic. I am between 100 and 110, pretty much all the time unless I am climbing. I actually went from a 172.5 to a 175mm crank because I was holding my cadence between 110-120, and I felt like that was too high. If I mash at all, I am completely burnt out, which is probably something to be worked on...