Originally Posted by
justtrying
… In an effortto get fitter & hopefully a little faster is it better to monitor my MPH or Cadence? Yes it took a little more effort & felt like a more consistent effort also…
Originally Posted by
blacknbluebikes
I'd suggest that you get comfortable maintaining 85-95 cadence full time. Keep your legs loaded with occasional intervals of hard effort. Ride flats, ride hills, ride long, ride short. Have fun. Speedwill take care of itself.
Originally Posted by
wphamilton
Cadence is a peculiar subjectbecause there are so many different right answers. Pushing the cadence beyond your normal range is more tiring and less efficient, but consistent training at a given cadence ameliorates that and the higher cadence becomes desirable for other reasons.
Personally I do as 10 Wheels suggested, just ride at the natural cadence. Until I want to train at a higher cadence for some reason, which does happen. Sorry if that's more vague than you wanted,but it's my best take on the question.
FWIW, I use cadence in my personal training program based on Relative Perceived Exertion.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I’m a 40+ year cyclist and I ride mainly for fitness. During nearly all of my 40 cycling years, my training has been by mileage.
This year though, I decided to go for speed (intensity), and I use the semi-quantitative, standardized, but personally relevant system of (Borg’s) Relative Perceived Exertion (RPE), with my own particular adaptation….
I use cadence to chose gears to maintain my desired exertion.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
The RPE scale ranges from 6 to 17, with descriptions of the intensity. Multiply the RPE by 10 is the approximate heart rate. Jim's scale is the equivalent on a 0 to 100 scale, easier to thinkabout:
RPE = 6, resting... Jim's scale = 10 to 20
RPE = 7, very, very light... Jim's scale = 20 to 30
RPE = 9, very light... Jim's scale = 30 to 40
11, fairly light...50 (my usual happy-go-lucky pace without thinking about it)
13, somewhat hard...60 (I have to focus to maintain)
15, hard...70 (I start breathing hard at about 30 seconds)
17, very hard (lactate threshold; breakpoint between hard but steady
breathing and labored with gasping)...80 (my predicted max HR)
19, very, very hard...90 to 100.
My basic training is to ride at my RPE of 50% for six miles to warm up, then cruise at an RPE of 60%, and do intervals (on hills) at 70%. I try to change gears to maintain
a cadence of about 85-90 rpm on flats and rolling hills, and about 60 to 80 rpm on harder hills, to maintain my RPE. Shift up to higher gears as the cadence rises,and shift down as the RPE increases.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 09-07-16 at 06:33 AM.