Originally Posted by
chiggy
I get what you were saying CharlyAlfa. Low cadence w/ higher force (but lower total power) to work on max leg strength. Seems like it would be useful for acceleration and that last push at the top of a hill when you don't want to downshift.
Except that you're really never anywhere near your max leg strength. Run the numbers. Even say you're putting out 600W at 50 rpm with a 165mm crank arm. Those numbers will maximize the amount of force your putting out, and I'd bet it's not all that much force.
Think about it - on a bike, you're going to have to output that force hundreds if not thousands of times. It can't be anywhere near your max strength, otherwise you couldn't do it that often. In fact, it's far enough from your max strength that your max strength pretty much doesn't matter except in extreme situations - a standing start in some track events, maybe the first second or so of a sharp acceleration - MAYBE.
Yeah, low cadence/high force can do a lot for you, but one thing it's not going to do is improve your max leg strength. Muscular endurance? Yeah. Ability to climb? Yeah.