Garmin 520 Cadence Average?
 

When I first started riding my cadences was low but I didn't know it.
After some knee issues, started reading on how to fit the bike & importance of cadence.

Worked at getting 80 cadence, watched the clock on Cateye padrone, counted
cadence for 15 sec , then x 4.

Now, into 4th year , G-520 for 1.25 years, my comfort cadence is ≈85 - 95.

The 520 gives me a cadence ride average, but I think the average is wrong.
Sometimes it's in the high 70s.

How does it calculate the average ?
I think it's , pedal strokes/ride time minutes ? )

I don't need or want the average to include the times I'm not pedaling, coasting (cadence 0).
I want the average cadence to average it only when it matters, when I'm pedaling.

Any one know how it's calculated.? or
can I choose how it's calculated ?

I like to spin around 85-95, too. Around 100 for harder sprinting efforts. Down all the way to 30 rpm on really steep climbs, of course. I'll be around 75-80 rpm when just cruising with very little pedal force.

I never look at average cadence, it's not very useful. Even average speed is more relevant, and that changes from wind, climbing, stop lights, etc.

For example: A screen shot of an hour from this fairly easy paced ride. Average cadence was 77 for the ride. But my actual cadence is changing all the time. (I shift a lot, even for just a few pedal strokes if the grade changes.)

This chart is from is Golden Cheetah. I selected an interval to match the photo, and it says 75 average cadence here.

It's still surprising to me how often my cadence dips down into the 60-75 range. That's much less common on a very fast, hard ride, of course.

All those dips and sags in the cadence graph will really reduce the average.

I don't have a Garmin but usually there is an option to count or not count the zeros in averages. But even without those, your average will be lower than your steady pace due to all the lower non-zero reading you'll also get. I can hold a steady 20mph easily, but my average is usually closer to 15mph due to stop and go, even with auto-pause. I just checked my ride from yesterday on my Wahoo, and it shows a 55 avg cadence, even though I know I keep my cadence between 90 and 100. My max on this ride was 110. It just goes up and down.

Cadence isn't a measure as much as a riding style anyway. You want to keep your cadence in certain ranges depending on riding form, mashing, steady, pursuit, sprint. It is only important as it happens, not as a metric afterwards unless form is what you are measuring in order to improve it.

Maybe using a graph of cadence over time would tell you more.

(Rm-fr beat me to it on the graph.)

As a rookie, I’m
Probably over analyzing the data
I know my avg rpm is more than the data shows.

You’d think a bike computer program
would have this stuff figured out ,
have more user options.

Having the data is nice , but
IMO
The ride data should be rider helpful

I look at the graphs,
Just recently,
Am trying
to analyze them
Seeing several “0” spots on the cadence graph
Is what made me think
“how meaningful”
is the avg cadence number ?

Probably all of us are guilty of that at some time or another. I know I have been and probably will suffer episodes of it in the future.

If a person's persistent about it, particularly in expecting number from one ride to match the numbers on another ride, particularly Calorie Count, then I'll accuse you of being a bean counter.

As for exactly how any particular Garmin device or other manufacturer calculate their numbers and averages, we just don't know for certain. Much of that kind of detail in what factors go into calculation is going to be considered proprietary information.

Sometime you can glean some useful hints over at the Garmin Forums either a subforum for that paticular device or one of the devoloper subforums. But not regularly. You just have to stay up to date on the posts and hope to stumble across a post that seems as if someone had some true insight by being or knowing a Garmin developer, was good at reasoning and testing their hypothesis to at least make it a good theory. Or simply is a great BS'er.

Thanks
Windy past few days
rain / snow mix today
Weather change coming
Going for a ride will tune me up :thumb:

Yes, there is a setting on the 520 to not include zeros in the cadence calculation. I use strava and I can look at the cadence numbers and see where the general max line is. I wish strava would provide 90th percentile numbers.

Thanks
Found it
Set to “Do not include zeroes “

Happy camper/biker :thumb:
:beer::50::50:

Wind down to 20 mph, may try a ride
mid 40°s