run1206

Hi all,
I mentioned getting a new bike back in the Intro section; just got my Trek 2.1 yesterday afternoon

Took it for a ride in the evening; felt so good to be back on a road bike again
I am curious as to the RPMs I'm at. Usually I pedal on the harder gears and kinda "power through" to maintain speed. Oddly enough I feel comfortable doing this, even on my last road bike I stayed on the highest and second highest gears when maintaining my pace. The cadence was usually reading between 60-75 RPMs, though i'm sure some people ride up in the 80s-90s region. Most of my riding is from 30-50 miles depending on road conditions, traffic, etc... Should I stay at the RPMs i'm at now or should I practice increasing my RPMs and use the easier gears?

calamarichris

Don't worry about the RPM at this point. Just get your legs accustomed to the new deal and focus instead on making it fun and not getting injured.
After you've ridden a few thousand miles, then you can start worrying about RPM, a perfect, fluid spin, etc.

run1206

K, since September I haven't put on any miles except for running.
Don't know when i'll be hitting high mileage just yet. I'll probably stay with the pace I have now.

pdedes

80-120 rpm

Accordion

I'm a 100rpm-average guy. Doesn't matter if the ride is two hours or five hours. It took me six months with a cadence monitor to get there, however.

kleinboogie

Nice bike. Your body will find it's own rhythym. I'd say that 65-70 is on the low side for training but probably fine for leisurely ride.

Given the same conditions a low cadence will put more strain on your muscles whereas a faster one will push your aerobic system more. Ideally they'd be in balance so one doesn't fatigue faster than the other but that's not very practical. Some days you'll feel strong and want to push a bigger gear. Other days it may feel like each leg ways an extra 10 lbs. and a faster cadence may be in order. Different cadences for different conditions (hills, technical, in a pack, etc.) is typical.

Just gotta test the routes you do. A heart rate monitor and if you're feeling daring a power meter will help quantify all of this in a way you can do something about.

Either way enjoy!

Barrettscv 

Increase your cadence to stay in a 85 to 105 range. Your knees and leg muscles will thank you and you might find a bit more speed.

alanknm

I think that 50-60 is about the equivalent to a walking pace if you were on foot. Low cadence builds up the lactic acid in your muscles so you'll bonk a lot sooner. I can't tell you the number of times I see some poor soul straining away in a high gear, sweat just pouring out of them while riding into the wind or on a hill on a bike with underinflated tires and the seat way too low.
I have to tell them to drop it down a notch or three or more in some cases.

Try going a little higher in increments and take your time about it. Don't rush it and take time to get used to the bike. You'll eventually be able to hit the low 90's in due time.

StanSeven

Experiment and see what works best for you. A lot depends upon your body makeup - amount of strength in various muscle groups, ratio of fast to slow twitch fibers, etc. For some people 75-80 is a good cadence; for others it's 100-110. Take time and find for yourself.

botto 

100-110 is where i tend to find myself on flat/rolling.

unless a sustained climb is involved, i feel bogged down by anything under 90.

clink83

A low cadence is also hard on your knees and tendons and ligaments. I would avoid pushing a big gear at low rpms. You really don't want to develop patellofemoral syndrome, trust me.

Chris(NJ)

Nice ride, OP!

I really need to grab a cadence monitor to see where I'm at. I do it all by feel, but I think I need some hard #s to gain perspective on where I should be.

thcri

I was going to ask the same in a new thread. I am new biker less than one year. In the 5 months that I could ride last summer/fall I put on 1200 miles and have lost 84 pounds. I have read cadence is so important and assume that a person would work on building higher cadence shorter run before developing longer runs. The longer runs tend to slow my cadence down.

JoelS

I'm a 115rpm guy. 100 or so when climbing.

mechBgon

+1 for increasing the RPMs a bit. Also check that your seat height's OK; that looks a bit low, unless you bought a larger frame than is customary.

If you find that your pedal stroke is choppy at higher RPMs, try escalating your RPMs steadily over about 30 seconds until you're approaching your limits, then back down, then do that once or twice more. Now see if your legs are smoother at the RPM you actually want.

Congrats on the new bike, those are pretty decent for the money, although I'd be changing out the 12-27 cassette for something with an 11.

kleinboogie

+1

run1206

Thanks all! I'll definitely practice on getting my RPMs higher.
mechBgon: It feels so weird when trying to go at high rpms; i'm almost jolting out of my seat with each pedal stroke.
I may have to do more research on cassette sizing, when you mean 12-27, that's referencing the teeth size for each gear right? And 11 meaning a better gear ratio for the last gear? (forgive me if i'm wrong, still learning the mechanics of road bikes)

8Lives

+1

run1206

I don't have any big hill climbs near me; the only hard climb I can think of is some roads running up the Watchung Mountains. I might try those out in the spring but for now i'm training mainly on flat roads.

revchuck 

I'm with Barrett on this. Slower cadences put more strain on your muscles and knees.

Don't try to get up there all at once. Take your time and slowly work at increasing your cadence. And don't wait several thousand miles to change this, start working on it soon.

renton

Nice bike
I got mine last April and I rode about 7 months and 2000 miles last summer.
At first I was like you, I preferred lower cadence, but now I do about 85.

BarracksSi

Stick with your running cadence, then. 60-ish rpm is more like walking, except that the effort going into pedaling turns it into walking uphill with an Army backpack and full combat load.

Every time I see a discussion about cadence here on BF, the answers fall near the same 90-100 range. I honestly don't think it's any coincidence that runners operate in the same range. Watch some marathon runners and compare them to bike racers on long stage races; similarly, watch runners doing the 100m dash and compare them to velodrome sprinters.

surgeonstone

+1. I was interested in some recent studies that seem to show 80 as the best overall rpm. Personally I am usually around 90-95.

F15Todd

I shot for 90 rpm and looking at my 15 rides of this year my range is between 87 to 91, with the average working out to be 88. For me anything over 100 and I feel like my timing is off and I'm moving around to much on the bike.

Chris(NJ)

11 meaning that is the small ring on your rear cassette. Theres a good gear chart floating around somewhere, I'll try to dig it up. But just b/c 11 works for one person, doesnt mean its right for everyone.