Originally Posted by
Broctoon
I've often read that there are fitness and performance benefits from riding at a higher cadence than you're comfortable with, much more than from trying to mash in a higher gear than is comfortable. I wish I could get my wife to accept this. She is always one or two gears higher than I think she should choose, and pedaling at a low cadence. I think it's because she has a belief that high resistance will help her achieve her fitness goals. I've tried telling her that if she wants resistance, she should go to a gym and lift weights; bikes are for spinning. It's not sinking in, so I've dropped it.
Just to clarify, I meant increasing to a slightly uncomfortable cadence (at relatively low power) as a training exercise to improve your pedalling co-ordination back down at your normal cadence and power. Increasing your normal cadence range is another topic, but I totally agree it is better to have a wider comfortable cadence range. I think that comes with more time on the bike and better awareness. My useful cadence range goes from around 50-120 rpm, with an typical ride average of around 85 rpm. I think that is fairly typical for an experienced rider, but there is a fair amount of variation. What I do notice is that riders with a very narrow cadence tolerance tend to be less versatile.