Originally Posted by
wphamilton
"Is one producing more watts than the other?"
You, and others apparently, are assuming that this can only mean power at the crank, propelling the bike forward. That assumption is incorrect, and not just technically. He wanted to know if there is any difference in regards to the power a given rider can provide, given different cadences.
Obviously, if you could provide 250 watts for an hour at 80 rpm, and only 200 watts for an hour at 140 rpm, you would have to agree that you produce more watts at the 80 cadence. The situation is nowhere near that drastic, but where there IS even a small difference, it is precisely what he was asking.
I am agreeing with you.
The other thing closely associated with this is how much energy it takes to produce those watts.
To your example - Junior gears in adult races. I've always argued that the kids having to spin 140 where the adults spin 100 was unfair. People post back it does not really matter, and you just need to learn to spin. I never see a road cyclist spinning 140 when they have the opportunity to shift - they do.