Originally Posted by
Biker395
I've always heard (and it seems to ring true for me) that a low cadence stresses the muscles, while a high cadence stresses the lungs (and the cardiovascular system). Legs or lungs, so to speak.
Anyway, here is someone's thoughts on the subject. As for me, I typically pedal at 80-90 RPM.
http://www.trifuel.com/training/bike...y#.Ui_-eX9-qVo
Thanks
One can read article after article from MD's, etc., some saying "research shows . . . " yet I have not been able to easily find that research. My guess is that the "high cadence/low injury to the knees" is not a research-based conclusion,
but an anecdotal conclusion, which does not make it wrong. I would just like to see some actual studies/research posted somewhere.
Here is an interesting quote from the article cited by Biker395
"
Research has consistently demonstrated that cycling at 40 to 60 rpm generates the lowest oxygen consumption for a given wattage.
Pedaling at too high a cadence overloads the cardiovascular system's ability to deliver oxygen to the muscles. The most obvious symptom of this is ventilatory distress."
OK, once again, I did not find the "research" - but I haven't spent several hours looking, either.