Raigoki

Hi guys, just want to ask the cycling veterans out there how did they increase their average cadence? It seems that i can't maintain a 90rpm cadence on a 40km ride (no cars, just joggers and other cyclists). Is it really just saddle time? How long did it take to get yourself to 90rpm? I started cycling last August, and quite improved a lot since then. But this feb until march, i think the improvement is slowing down...
Would trimming down my weight (105kg) can boost my average cadence?

Machka 

My cadence improved after taking spinning classes one winter.

intransit1217

First question is, what is your current natural cadence? You're "all day" rpm?

ctpres

Every spring or after a break in riding, I stay out of the big ring and concentrate on improving cadence at the expense of speed. Once I start hitting 90 average I go down one in rear and start over. Usually near end of the second month I forget about cadence because it comes naturally. Been riding since early Feb and only in big for standup sessions and a one time 1/4 mile test. Also I put cadence on top line of my Garmin Edge so it is most prominent.

gregf83 

Why do you want to increase your cadence? Are your knees getting sore? If they're not, you've probably found your natural comfortable cadence. As you get fitter (and lighter) your natural cadence will likely go up, however, it's not a causal relationship, i.e. raising your cadence isn't going to make you fitter, faster or lighter.

Riding with a higher cadence, particularly when you're heavy, is less efficient than a lower cadence. As your power increases it will become more difficult to ride at a lower cadence as the force you need to apply to the pedals increases. For this reason most riders find it more comfortable to maintain a similar force but increase the cadence when then need more power.

rm -rf

Average cadence will be lower.

For fast riding, I like to be in the 90-100 rpm range. But the average cadence for the ride will be much less.

Here's an example chart. It's the fastest (for me) group ride that I do. The Garmin recording shows:

Elevation in green. It's a mostly flat route in the middle. I get to sit in the draft for a lot of the ride.
Speed in blue
Cadence in brown.
Heart rate in red. I'm working hard when it gets near 150.

The averages for the whole ride (Chart and averages from My Tourbook free software)
Miles 27
Average speed 18.5
Elevation gain 879 (mostly flat)
Average heart rate 138 (I could maintain near 145 if I had to. There were some easier sections of the ride.)
Average cadence 83


Click the thumbnail graph. You can see that my cadence never stays the same for long, I shift a lot. And if I'm not working hard, my cadence usually drops into the low 80s. There's no reason to keep a 95 cadence if there's a very light pressure on the pedals.

~~~~~~~~~~

I browsed my 2014 ride history. The highest average cadence was a flat solo rail trail ride, with lots of miles at 93-95 cadence. The average was still only 85 rpm for the whole ride.

I still regularly look at the cadence display on my Garmin. Sometimes I think I'm spinning fast, but it's at 83 or 85. So it's a reminder to shift down a gear and spin a little faster. But I don't really do any cadence drills.

chaadster

Yeah, rm-rf, Intransit and Gregf are getting to the point: there's no need to maintain 90rpm average.


I know that on the boards here, that number (or range 90-100) has gained currency as the gold standard, but it is not, and in fact is probably a waste of energy from a biomechanical efficiency standpoint. I think it arrived in its current position as a matter of misunderstanding and repetition among people who don't really know.


There's no doubt you should be able to hit 90rpm and beyond when needed-- as gregf pointed out, when laying down heavy watts, it's the only way-- but it may be that your particular ideal cadence for tempo is lower.


Also, be careful not to confuse what you're averaging; the entire ride, if you're out on a typical road ride, is one thing, whereas central segments of your ride over untrafficked, stoplight-free, flat stretches where you're maintaining steady tempo is something else.


In my experience, the fastest riders don't concern themselves with such things, and are often riding at under 90rpm, but of course have a working range well beyond 100. I usually average 85-87 over rides and workouts, sometimes lower depending on my goals.

intransit1217

I concur. My natural cadence is 83-85. If I'm "steppin out" then I bring my cadence up.

Wanderer

First, you have to be able to monitor it.

Second, work at raising it a tiny little bit at a time. If you comfortably go up 5RPM a month, that's a lot. Take your time.

Third, find your comfortable cadence - and stay in it.

RISKDR1

Back when I was racing I rode a fixed gear and drafted behind fast tandems for up to 50 miles. I also did a lot of high rpm intervals. It does not take long to train the muscle fiber firing sequence and eventually it becomes second nature. For the average recreational rider I would recommend the intervals. Take the rpm up for about 1 minute and train at an rpm higher than your steady state goal. Concentrate on pedaling in a circle. If you bounce on the saddle you are not pedaling in a circle. So, if you want to maintain 90 rpm as your steady state do the intervals at maybe 100 to 110. I got to where I could maintain 110 virtually forever.

Now that I am an old fart I really don't worry too much about it. I don't even have cadence on my computer.

LMaster

I must spin like crazy. My average cadence across an entire ride is usually 100-105. Perhaps related to my background in running, but I can't say for sure.

As far as I know there isn't a huge need to change cadence, especially since you're already in a good range and not something crazy low like 50 or 60. I'm pretty sure I was reading a study a few days ago that found that "self selected" cadence tended to be optimal for cyclists, and then at as a general rule that cadence was in the mid 80s until you started to get up to guys routinely pushing 300s+ W

RR3

I improved mine all the way down to 72 prm. This is where I am most efficient with my setup using longer cranks and a mid-sole cleat placement but also most of my riding is long distance and not real fast. To OP, you may or may not increase efficiency at say 90-95 RPM. When I raced, I used shorter cranks (175-180mm) and my cadence was around 90 rpm. The factors that come into play are your fitness, distance of event, bike setup, crank length, cleat placement, and probably most important would be power output. Your mileage will vary.

https://jssm.org/vol13/n1/16/v13n1-16pdf.pdf
HKUL: Electronic Resources

caloso

I rode a moderately geared (70-ish gear inches) all winter.

Carbonfiberboy 

Everything said above is true and to the point. I would add that differences can be explained by this simple rule: cadence and force at any particular speed will move in opposite directions. IOW increasing cadence decreases force and vice versa. There is an aerobic cost to pedaling faster and a muscular cost to exerting more force. Thus if you are breathing hard but your legs aren't feeling it, you should pedal more slowly in a higher gear. If your legs are hurting but you could be breathing harder, you should pedal faster in a lower gear. Thus a person's natural cadence will vary according to their talents in the realm of muscular endurance and aerobic capacity.

Yes, everything about cycling gets easier at lighter body weights. Anything above a BMI of ~25 is uncomfortably heavy.

All that said, every winter and early spring I do high cadence drills on my rollers. A trainer works well, too. Once a week I pedal at very high cadences, around 115, for 15-30 minutes without a break. Obviously this requires a very low gear, perhaps the lowest gear you have. This won't necessarily increase your natural cadence for the reasons explained above, though it might. It will however make you a more efficient pedaler at any cadence. If you can't pedal that fast, pedal as fast as you can, right at the edge of bouncing, concentrating on messing with your leg motion by trying to pedal circles so as to lessen or eliminate the bouncing. It is possible to pedal at any cadence, all the way up to 200, without bouncing once you get the trick of it.

wolfchild

I ride a fixed gear with 69 gear inches. My cadence can range anywhere from 75 to 129. I don't really worry about it too much.

Raigoki

Thanks for all your inputs. As for my average cadence ("all day"), its about 70-75rpm. There are 2 things why i was thinking of upgrading my average cadence. I was thinking if spinning more can ease the tension from my left knee. (there's a small pain on my knee if i don't wear any knee support). The other one is, I've read that climbing hills can be a little easier if you're comfortable with a high cadence on flats. (Since I'm always riding on flats... and will want to try climbs now that i have a decent endurance.)

chaadster

Yes, 70-75 is probably a little low-- primarily for the issue of lactic acid buildup, I believe-- and you'll likely benefit by working to lift it a bit closer to 80-85rpm. And as CarbonFB pointed out, the lighter load will treat you're knee better.

hobkirk

Well said, CFBoy - the two sentences I highlighted really work for my brain. Thanks!

caloso

42x16? That's my go-to gear.

TGT1

So if you are breathing hard and your legs hurt you must be in the right gear!

Dave Cutter

Or at least... having a good time!

I had found from my early days (as a kid) I had been a big gear little cog rider... I had believed that was cool. So yes... my cadence was both too slow for me to be fast... and too hard on my old knees.

I just shifted to the smaller gear and a bigger cog.... watched my speed on the computer... and pedaled as fast as it took to keep my average speed up to around 15mph. It didn't take long for my breathing (and knees) to improve. And only a few months for a higher cadence to feel natural. Now when conditions allow for me to go fast... I go back to the big gear.

TGT1

Pretty much the same story as a recently reformed masher.

I think a few posts here may gloss over the length of time it will take to go from 60 to 90. One thing that helps is a competitive situation, even if informal will illicit higher cadences all by itself.


After more than a year of effort starting at a prefered cadence around 60, 75 to 80 is now the sweet spot. If there's someone to catch 80-90 just happens.

Dave Cutter

I have never bicycled competitively so have no information or experience as to whether that might help. I do know that riding with other experienced (and faster) cyclist was helpful for me.

I spent an entire season becoming comfortable with a faster cadence. But altering my cadence speed... only took a decision. Making the faster cadence a habit.... may never happen for some people (although it did for me). I regularly review my cycling habits and skills and train/practice to improve/become a better cyclist.

Today... I got to practice getting low in high winds. It just seemed like a good time to practice that..

TGT1

All of my "competitive situations" have been informal, but it really helps to naturally drive a higher cadence when you are in a group or trying to catch or drop some kid 40 years younger. It's not as easy to maintain it when on your own.

And, yeah, there's nothing like a stiff headwind to keep you down on the drops!

I've advanced from most of the long distance pain being in the legs to the lower back after several hours. What a definition of progress!

LMaster

I can't do this well at all. If I try to go invisible aero bars or even drops with good elbow bend I experience like a 10% drop in sustainable power.

Cadence on the other hand, at anything less than about 95-100 I really start to feel like I am grinding big time.