Originally Posted by bargainguy

Lower rpm/cadence = more knee strain.

In cycling, knees are happiest at high rpm/cadence and low pressure/effort on the pedals. Spinning as opposed to mashing. This is why pro riders are turning a really high cadence, not a low one, otherwise they'd kill their knees.

The reason most folks avoid a higher cadence is not because of the coordination involved, but because a higher cadence requires more cardio output than lower. This is somewhat counterintuitive. I get folks all the time who say they leave their 10 speed bike in the highest gear no matter what the terrain, thinking they're getting the best workout there. Your best workout from a cardio perspective is spinning, not mashing, so strive for higher cadence and you get cardio plus being nice to your knees in the process.

I strive to keep my cadence somewhere between 80 and 90 on every bike I own, and use the gearing to keep me in that sweet spot. So no, pedaling slower doesn't work for me. I need gears, especially lower ones.