Originally Posted by volosong

Looking at all my rides from this past year, (2013), excluding the two bikes that do not have a cadence sensor, I've averaged between 61 to 66 for my rides of a distance between 15.2 miles to 100.1 miles, (I rode 59 on a 3.7 mile ride, but that was an attempt to re-gain my KOM on a short segment close to home). I guess that would make me a "masher". I've had my GPS on more that several occasions when climbing give me nasty warnings that my cadence is too low. Sometimes on a particularly steep climb, it will be in the 40s. (I'm not a very fast climber.)

Why? Because that's how I've always ridden. Been that way since my teen years and I'm now in my early 60s. I guess I've been lucky to never have had knee problems. I've tried to turn faster, but it is very uncomfortable for me, and takes the joy out of riding. Distance ridden doesn't seem to affect average cadence. From quick 15 milers to double-metric centuries...they all average in the low 60s.

When I was a member of a gym and rode the LifeCycle every time, it would want a cadence of 80 turns per minute. Even that seemed quick a lot of the time. At the end of the LifeCycle program, it would ask for 100 turns per minute. I could do that, but it was only for 1-2 minutes, depending on the time specified at the start of the programed ride.

I've tried spinning. Its just not for me.