Originally Posted by
carleton
1) Being a smoother pedaler starts with a proper saddle height. In short, if your saddle is too high or too short you may bounce.
2) There will be a certain resonance frequency that will cause bouncing...even in trained riders.
3) Shorter cranks help. On 170mm cranks, I bounce around 120RPM, but I'm smooth before and after that. On 165mm cranks, I'm smooth all the way up to 225rpm.
On the road, you don't want to let your bike/cranks get going too fast and get away from you. Stay in control. Use a brake.
I pretty much approach every hill with an ounce of fear and caution because of this. I have the brake for when I need it but am also working on being able to bring myself to a stop without it when possible. Knowing how fast I can comfortably spin and how to improve that came from wanting to know how to stay in control of the bike during descents, where I feel very much OUT of control right now, especially if things start escalating. To make matters a little more complicated, my bike came with a 50:16 gearing, which makes for some low rpms during most of the riding. I have a 17 tooth cog on order and will start with that - should I also be thinking about a 49 tooth ring to go with that? Or should I just plan my routes to include more open hills to roll down for practice?