kiteboarder

I'm checking out a few cycling computers and I really like the Cateye Strada Wireless. This one won't measure cadence though. Is measuring cadence really important? How can the cadence information benefit me?

eskimo85

It was good for me last year (my first yr of racing) but now I won't even look at my cadence because I can guess pretty close and it doesnt matter. It was fun to play with for a while though.

caloso

Just set it to the stopwatch function and count each time your knee comes up in 15 s and multiply by 4. Or if you're as math deficient as I am, count each time in 60 s and multiply by 1.

FlashBazbo

I used to look at cadence a lot. This year, I probably haven't glanced at it more than a couple of times all year -- and it is constantly displayed in the upper right corner of my main computer display. After years of 90-100 rpm, I can pretty easily sense when I'm outside that range.

'nother

I don't think it's worth paying extra $$$ for. Especially wireless cadence.

It's useful to know, but after a while you can guess pretty closely anyway, or just do some easy math in your head

Al1943

I've used cadence on all bikes for 12 years and would not be without it. For the same reason all of my motor vehicles have tachometers. I want to know how the engine is doing. Similar to a car's engine cyclists have a cadence (rpm) range where we are more efficient. Testing has shown that to be approximately 85 to 110 rpm. I have found cadence to be especially helpful when I'm pushing myself on a long ride and my body is tired. If things just don't feel right I check the cadence and if it's sagging I'll find a gear combination that lets me get the rpm back where it should be. This often improves my condition and the speed will start creeping back up. This is especially true when fighting a headwind.
When my wife took up road cycling she had no experience with multiple gears. Her cadence meter helped tremendously with learning gear selections. She's quite small and is able to offset a torque shortage with a higher cadence. Now she cruises at 100 - 120 rpm for hours. Not bad for a 63 year old.
I think the most reliable computer with cadence is the Cateye Astrale.

Al

roadfix

I don't need a computer to tell me where my cadence is at. I can generally sense where it's at while riding and usually remain constant on the flatlands.

operator

Worthless feature. Start cruising on a road ride, settle in and then just count on your bike. You'll never really deviate much from that number.

vantassell

All these users saying they can tell what their cadence is can only do so because they've ridden with a computer that has cadence. Everything in cycling is relative, but a cadence sensor will give you an absolute reading to base all of your relative guesses on.

Also, the whole counting and multiplying thing is great if you want to know the general idea of what your cadence is over the next minute, but it doesn't give accurate/instant results like a computer. Cadence sensors will have about a 2-3 second delay rather than a minute of counting (or 15s). Get a cheap computer with speed/cadence so you can get an idea of what 90 rpm feels like versus 95 rpm, I bought one off ebay for like $9.

caloso

Personally, I don't think it's that critical to know my instantaneous cadence. It might be a nice bonus but it's not worth the extra scratch. Besides, on my fixed gear bike, I know that 100 rpm = 22.4 mph @ 75 g.i.

urbanknight

It's like a tachometer on a car. You don't need it, but it helps to know if you want to be efficient. As others have mentioned, you start to get a feel for it and don't need it after a while. Now I can think of a number of songs that have a beat somewhere around 90 bpm and if it sounds funny at my pedalling cadence, I'm probably off.

zacster

I'll agree with Vantassel, those of us that have had cadence computers know what our cadence is without having to look and hence don't need it. But if you've never had it, you'll be watching it all the time until you get the feel. It taught me to be a better rider.

mloywhite

I use it for specific workouts, i.e. some days I do high cadence, some lower, based on my training program.

Portis

I just got cadence this year after 4 yrs of daily riding. Monitoring it and trying to improve, has made me about 2 mph faster on my mountain bike which i ride on dirt roads several days per week. On the road bike I am approx. .5 to 1mph faster than i used to be.

It does help in some cases. What it taught me is that i was generating a lot of energy that wasn't getting transferred to the road on my mtb. I was pretty much ok on the road bike but like i said it has improved my speed slightly.

I am not a speed freak, but I do love to study every aspect of cycling. This has been a very interesting find. I would have NEVER believed it.

Longfemur

It can just feel cadence. Look, it's not something that needs to be as exact as all that. I know when it feels right, and I just naturally fall right in it. I don't think there's any need for the precision that a computer gives you. If cadence is something you have not paid any attention to, just start out at one revolution per second, see how that feels. You can gradually increase it if you want if it feels good.

rollin

Not bad at all, I guess I have 22 years to catch up!

I haven't been riding that long but to your's and Urbanknights tachometer analogy, I personally think of my HR as the tachometer. The goal is trying to keep that in a specific range. I am riding for lesuire, fitness and weight loss so it seems to help.

I have a Cateye with HR. In hindsight I should have bought the one with cadence and a seperate wrist HR monitor.

dekindy

+1

FIVE ONE SIX

i think that everyone should use a computer with cadence at one point so they can at least get familiar with it. my first computer didn't, my current computer does, and now i'm able to estimate what it is without really looking at it...

if you never had a computer with cadence, i say get one with cadence just to learn from it, because cadence is a very important part of riding...

gattm99

I've got cadence on my computer now, but I could easily do without it. I wouldn't spend more money to get it. I don't really look at it all that often, but it does come in handy on hills, its really just a reminder to shift down and keep spinning for me.

Gromit

OMG - it's not like a tachometer on a car. You need the tach on a car because you cannot "feel" the engine's effort - although if you'd turn the radio down, you could probably tell by sound. Forget the extra money issue, this is just a worthless option. Certainly way less useful than a car tachometer.

C Law

Its most helpful for me on long solo rides. I tend to drop my cadence below 90 when I am really mentally and physically fatigued.

The Computer gives you instant feedback and you can correct it. For me it takes constant monitoring the last 1/3 of longer rides or my cadence will drop. I suspect after 10 years or so, I would no longer need the computer.

from riding with people, I think most people tend to overestimate their cadence when riding without a computer. Just what I have noticed.

big john

Don't even have a speedo/computer on my bikes, haven't for years. One of the fastest climbers I know doesn't use one either. Some people might enjoy fooling with it, comparing numbers, etc., but it's not for everyone.
Tach in a car? I have driven stick-shift cars since 1971 without a tach, don't feel the need.

crdean1

It is good for measuring your energy output, as it heart rate. Sometimes I spin at a higher cadence to up the heart rate and up the cardio workout, and sometimes I try to gear up and keep at a lower cadence for a pure muscle workout. Essentially, you can have two different workouts on the same route, just by watching your cadence. It is not, however, supposed to be your sole guide. Do watch your heart rate so you don't overdo it.

urbanknight

Don't forget the average newbie may "feel" good at 60 rpm so just going by feel might not be a good idea. When I first started using cadence on a computer, 80 rpm seemed really fast. Your suggestion to keep picking it up was good, though, but some people will need to know when to stop.

You obviously haven't driven many import manual transmissions from the 80's (some of them DON'T have a tach). I don't use my tach anymore on my car either. Yes, I can feel it and yes, I can hear it. The tach doesn't know when the car is going uphill or down a hill either, but the pedal tells the story of strain. Aside from that, the motor of a bike is the rider's legs, and cadence is the rpm of a motor. Both the tach and the cadence function are not needed, but they are very helpful for people who are just starting out.

Anyway, to the OP, if you want it, go for it. It helped me in the beginning but it also started the nasty habit of looking at my computer every 30 seconds. If you can tell by other means (sing a song in your head, count 2 strokes in 3 seconds, whatever), then you don't need it at all.

San Rensho 

Agree 100%. The car anology is right on. Race cars and motorcycles don't have speedo's, only rpm.

The only thing I would add is that for years I said, "I don't need no stinking computer to tell me what my cadence is". Once I got one, I realized that I was spinning way too much when I was going hard and underspinning when I was was going easy, even though I thought I was at my target cadence. I've achieved some "free" speed just by shifting up when I'm going hard.

You don't need a speedo, power meter, hrm, gps to tell you that you are off the front or off the back. The only measurable input that will help you in that situation is cadence. Making sure you are in your target cadence will keep you off the front or help you get back on.