Sorry for all my computer threads. I decided to refinance my car so I have some extra cash kicking around. I'm looking at the Garmin Edge 500. It can be had for $249 w/out HR or cadence or as a complete bundle for around $400. Is cadence that important or should I just buy a separate heart rate strap and save the extra flow???


Rob

the 41 bleeds into the 33..

My mac doesn't have cadence.

About this important:

is it bigger than a baby's arm?

Hang on. You refinanced your car to buy a Garmin? Point them to this thread and they may just send you one......

What else is he going to do? His credit cards were all maxed out and he needed it.

Well I race and to be honest I take the feedback of people here more seriously so that's why I posted. I was just curious that's all.

Maybe I should! I refinanced for other reasons (no need to make this thread emo) but thought I'd ask and see what people thought.

Cheers

Rob

cadence is as important as you want it to be. i find it invaluable to have when i am pushing so hard that i can t really think straight. much easier to look down and go 'yup, still 110"

look uo the cateye v3 on amazon, cadence, speed, and hrm for only 130, thats what i picked up. and i didnt have to sell the kids, car, or grandmother to get one.

I found it useful combined with power to review what optimal cadence was for TT's, as a "stand alone" metric not so much.

The only thing I have on my computer is a picture of racer x.

I thought the optimal cadence during your TT's was when the G-Forces start to distort your face?

/End Thread.

(I'm laughing so hard in my carrel right now hahahahha)

Cadence is the single most important parameter if you want to go fast. Humans have optimum cadences, at leat two, where they make the most sprint power and the most sustained longer term power. Usually, a sprint is in the 120+ range and sustained power is around 100. So you have to be able to keep your cadence within your optimum range for max speed, efficiency and duration.

I know a lot of people will say "I've ridden a lot, I know what my cadence is" and I thought that way also, but after getting cadence, I quickly learned that my percieved cadence was way off from reality. When I was going hard, actual cadence was way higher than my percieved cadence, so I started upshifting more when going hard. Also, I found when I was going easy that my percieved cadence was lower than actual. I look at cadence all the time to make sure I am in the right range.

very useful for that...the other day i was TTing home and lowered my cadence from 105 to 92 and was able to push the same power much easier.

power = speed right? assuming all things are the same, ie wind, slope, rider position?

cadence shouldn't matter as long as the watts are the same right?

if your goal is racing, it seems that cadence is more important than GPS data.

Correct.

Some people develop less muscle fatigue using a higher cadence, there's a bunch of research information out there on the web. Spinning at a high cadence often involves some adaptation if you haven't been though, you'll usually find elevated heart rates at first, and might develop more fatigue. Everyone's different, I'm a 100 +/- guy, but I know other people who can kill it at 80 RPM.

OP. Buy a 30 dollar cateye strada or 50 dollar strada wireless if you don't want wires. No need for GPS for cadence.

If you want to spend money for something that'll help you, get the powertap when you have a couple of 100 bucks more.

And some people don't pedal at all.

*cough* CDR *cough*

<3

I'll sell you my unused speed/cadence sensor on the cheap.

...since i have ridden with a Powertap for like a year now i can usually guess within 20watts and 5rpm what my power and cadence is..

i don't think cadence is really that usefull, people place way too much on tools rather than percieved exertion or being able to tell what their body is telling them.

You aren't riding hard enough.

I leave my powertap on cadence almost all the time.


Only because I don't care what it says and I tend to go crazy if I put anything else (distance/time/KJ/anythng that counts) on the screen.

Que?

Do tell.