Originally Posted by
Fat Boy
I've got a question about these cadences that are being thrown around.
Ummmmm, what's it really worth. Isn't kind of like a car engine. You can rev the nuts off of an engine, but if it's out of it's powerband, then you're just making noise.
Isn't the whole idea of having gears on a bike to keep you in a cadence range that produces the most speed as opposed to just spinning like crazy? Is there something I'm missing or is this just a pi$$ing contest?
If you were just concerned with spinning at 200 rpm, then wouldn't you build the bike around it with extra low gears, 150mm cranks, etc.? I was thinking about this thread on my ride today and decided that I just didn't get it.
The point of being able to spin like that is this:
You gain the ability to accelerate faster, and you have a smoother, and theoretically more effective transfer of power.
It's also nice in crits or road races. Instead of dropping it from your 53x16 to your 53x14 to launch your attack, which everyone and their mother will be able to hear, you just throw another 20rpm into the pedals and hit out.
Not to mention the obvious necessity of it in track racing.