Steep climbing cadence
 

I recently installed a Strada Cadence cyclocomputer to help me become a more efficient cyclist and commuter. In the flats and on smaller, rolling hills i was trying to stay between 75-90rpms. My road on the way home has an average of a 12% grade over 1/2 mile with as high as a 17.5% grade on one part of it. I was in my lowest gear and was lucky if i could keep my cadence above 55rpm. I always stay seated when climbing that hill the whole way. My book bag was loaded up with about 15 lbs of books strapped to the rear rack. I'm not sure if you guys pay attention to cadence, but is that something i should worry about, or am i doing good with cadence with a steep hill like that?

Well, do you feel comfortable going at 55 rpm? Are you getting soreness in your knees climbing that hill? If you are comfortable and not having knee issues I wouldn't worry about it. You might want to try borrowing someone's bike that has a lower gear and see if that improves things and, if so, then it might be worth the time and expense modifying your bike to get a lower gear.

For 15-18% grades, I'm standing up, going about 3 mph, at one pedal stroke per second, or 30 rpm. I'm not having to push too hard on the pedals, but I do have to carefully balance the bike at that low speed.

This doesn't max out my heart rate, like I would if I was standing and doing 50-60 rpm. Sitting and mashing the pedals would make my knees sore.

My low gear is a 34-26. If I had a mountain bike with much lower gears, I'd be sitting and spinning up the hill.

So, you have a 300 to 325 foot climb in a half mile (that's 12%)? My seated climb limit is around 6%, about 325 feet per mile.

if you've got some cash to spend, swap out your cassette and rear derailleur for mtb ones. entry level shimano or sram components would set you back maybe $40. your highest gear should stay about the same (53x11) while your lowest would be a lot lower (39x32) than with a standard road cassette. for long climbs i get on the tops and spin about 80-90 rpm.... i've found it's better than mashing a big gear up the hill

If you're getting up the hill, you're doing fine.

You may want to improve your cadence, because then you will be a stronger rider with a better ability to sprint. Hills are great for improving your strength. But as long as you can get up it safely, I wouldn't worry. Outside of the Appalachians, it's pretty unusual to have roads with grades higher than 5%.

Where I live in the summer I have a 1 mile climb with an average 12% and a short section of just about 18%- so pretty similar conditions to what you describe. I find that managing anything close to 50-60 rpm's for most of the climb is pretty much the only way I can get up it. Granted there is a section where it goes level for about 200', which gives me a chance to up the RPM's and stay loose. You seem to be doing the right thing by keeping your cadence as high as possible for the conditions you are in. Flat stretches 90+ rpm's is great. Downhill wind it out to 120+ and up hill about 1/2 that seems about right to me.

Where in Western MA are you?- my house is in Becket.

I usually don't feel uncomfortable during the climb and my knees aren't sore. Sometimes they are a little sore after the ride though.


I have silly questions cuz i'm a noob at this stuff. I how do i know what size cassette i have right now? Also, if i wanted to get a different one, what exactly would i ask for.


I live in Monson. If you're familiar with the area, i live on Town Farm Rd. I use to have to stand to make it up, but now i stay seated the whole time and attempt to spin smoothly. My speed is usually around 3.5-4.5mph climbing.

I often stand on steep grades just because it's faster and probably easier on my knees. I'm assuming my cadence drops quite a bit when it's that steep but I don't worry about it too much.

First off if you're a noob- you're doing great to even make it up a hill like that and get major points for having it as a part of your regular commute- that's a tough hill.

To know the size of your cassette you simply have to count the "teeth" of the largest of the rear gears and the smallest gear- this will give you the range (ie. 13-32). The front two (or three) "chainrings" are usually marked with the number of teeth on the chainring itself (ie. 52/39). This gives you your gearing depending on what combination of front chainring and rear gear you are riding (ie. 52 x13 or 39 x 32 or anything in between). The formula of front chainring/rear gear/and tire size gives you the gear in "inches" (ie. a 100" gear), which is the distance you'll travel with one revolution of the pedals. The higher that ratio the harder it will feel to "push" that gear because, naturally, it takes more energy to move your bike and body 100" with one revolution of the pedals than it does to move it 32".

Thanks a lot for all the info.

Chalupa: I like your cycle vs car miles tally. very nice. Charlie

That's ok, I still have plenty of silly questions :) The cassette is the cluster of cogs on the rear wheel. A larger cog will spin easier but move you a shorter distance for every turn of the pedals. The size is usually marked on the cog itself, if not you could always count the teeth. I had the parts lying around to cobble it together when my RD went out, but you can find low-end but god parts for cheap.

Ultimately, though, the best way to get better at climbing is... to climb :)

Ye-es... but it can take the average person an awfully long time to build the strength to get up an 18% grade. If you don't have a low gear option under 30 gear inches and are battling hills 10% or higher, it's a good idea to get under 30. It will still take a long time to build the strength, but it's SO much easier when you're not trying to battle it out at 40 or 50 gear inches.

I'd probably do stuff like work seriously on stair climbing and squats tho if I were back to dealing with 18% on a daily basis. The strength for those isn't identical to the strength we need for climbing, but it is an every little bit helps situation.

A very good point, one that slipped my mind. while not cycling specific, a program of backsquats, power cleans and deadlifts can have a tremendous benefit in cycling.

caveat: this is not based on any scientific research, just on my personal experience. but it can't hurt to try, right?

Your cadence and speed will pick up on both the flats and hills the more miles you put on your legs. One thing to help build some strength on the hills is to start like you are doing in a gear you can comfortable spin, then after a little while, stand and try to continue your speed, the up and down action will help strengthen your legs.

Imma chick. My muscle development is terrible most of the time. But I get noticeable and quick gains in climbing ability by working on bodyweight squat form, even wussy not deep enough versions. It mostly adds up to I can drive higher gears on the flats, so I have greater reserves of strength for driving low gears on hills.

That doesn't mean I quit tackling bigger hills or anything, but it does mean I progress faster... and when your cruising gear has normally been under 45 gear inches? That counts for a LOT.

It does nada for spinning ability, at least so far. So if you can't spin at all, I don't know that squats would be helpful. But that's clearly not the OP's problem :D.

As a teen, I mostly got by off of stair climbing (most days, I'd get in something on the order of 20-30 flights of stairs, with a 45lb backpack). That definitely also helped. By itself, it wasn't enough to get me up the 18% grade on my way home, but it meant I had some reserves to just keep slamming against it to see how far up I could get.

The only way to improve cadence, is to work on it, and monitor with a computer with cadence option.