MidLife50

OK, I get the idea that higher cadence can optimize my ride. But as a beginner I wonder if its a) something to focus on right now before I develop more bad habits, or b) something to worry about someday later after I have more mileage and experience.

About me: First time biking in 20yrs+. Looking to get active again and lose a few pounds. Just got new Trek 7.2 FX last week with duotrap s and Trip 300 computer. Have foolishly joined the clydesdale 100 mile monthly goal thread and have biked 70 miles total, 50 this week.

My computer tells me I'm averaging a bit over 13mph (mostly flats with rolling hills) and my cadence is averaging around 60. Unless I'm going up a hill I'm really never out of breath, but my legs are definitely getting a workout. Any comments or suggestions? Thanks.

Phil_gretz

You're doing great, @MidLife50! If you're averaging 60 over varied terrain, you're getting close. Why not drop it one gear lower in every situation, and allow a lighter pressure on the pedals. See how your numbers change over the next week or so. Report back.

Homebrew01

No reason to wait to learn to spin. When you are tempted to shift to a harder gear. Don't. Spin a little faster.

berner

Cadence practice is much like musicians doing scales to warm up. Even concert musicians do them. Cyclists can use a spin bike or rollers to work on fast cadence. My cadence tends to be on the low side so I frequently drop down a gear or two and spin the pedals furiously until smoothness is lost then slow it down a bit then speed up, on and off for a while.

BlazingPedals

If you spin more you'll discover that your legs don't get as tired.

RonH

+1

10 Wheels

Not everyone is good at spinning.

I am a masher...I Like to feel the pressure on my legs and Not on my butt.

philbob57

I was taught to set initial cadence by 1) going all out, 2) choosing a smaller gear if my legs gave out before my lungs, 3) choosing a higher gear if my lungs gave out before my lungs.

As I get stronger with more miles, my cadence naturally goes up, and I keep adjusting my gear to the point where my lungs and legs give out at about the same point.

habilis

I like to stand up and push too sometimes. However, the OP is resuming riding after a long layoff. It's advisable to "ramp up" gradually. I'm also returning to cycling after 20 years, and I often remind myself that Rome wasn't built (or rebuilt) in a day. I recall seeing a heavy-set man start a long, hilly group ride and succumb to an apparent heart attack. His bike appeared to be brand-new, so it may have been a case of too much too soon. At the same time, the OP deserves lots of credit for getting serious about cycling again.

Little Darwin

My policy is to at least periodically during a ride drop down a gear while cruising along, and maintain my speed... This seems to gradually increases my natural cadence.

obed7

go to an easier gear and spin...you will find it will increase your ability to breathe, you will get the same speed without tiring out your legs as much...and the longer you ride and build up your legs you will be able to use a harder gear and keep the same cadence, you will wind up going faster...mash on hills if you want, but just riding along you should not be mashing...I was hard to convince of that, took me a while to commit to it, but once i did, everything got better...you have already picked up one bad habit, not spinning.

cwar

Pedaling at a higher cadence feels awkward at first, but soon it will feel normal. I would start increasing your cadence. Everyone's sweet spot is different, but 60 is lower than most people I know. I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum and average 90 - 100 on a ride, but I started closer to 70 when I first started riding.

hueyhoolihan

efficiency does not necessarily correlate with enjoyment. that's all i've got to say.

rdtindsm

I used to race and this advice is slanted that way, but I'll temper it later.

Faster is better. I used to occasionally ride with the ride with the Van deVelde family in Illinois. The family produced a national champion and a very successful pro a generation later. I've seen John VanDeVelde training at circa 100 rpm, but he was a track rider.

None the less, I developed the ability to keep a 100 rpm base level - about 20 mph on flat road as a training pace in a 70" gear (42/17).

I'm sure this is beyond your ability. I'm old enough and fat enought that I'm happy if I can average about 16 on relatively flat roads. I do use a cadence meter to monitor my spin and try to keep it about 85-90 rplm. This is consistent with generally accepted advice to use a cadence of about 90.

obed7

true... when i ride with my wife, i do a lot of coasting...but being with her makes it fun.

ddeand 

The past few years, I have been totally unconcerned with my cadence. I pedaled at the limits of comfort and shifted when it felt like I was pushing to hard. This past winter, I spent two sessions a week in a spinning (group cycle) clas at the local YMCA and was coaxed to crank at a higher cadence. This year I have noticed that I am cranking at a higher rate as well as moving the bike faster. The recorded times on my standard rides are quite a bit faster than they were at this time last year, and I can only chalk that up to faster spinning. Once I got the feel for the higher cadence last winter at the Y, carrying it over to the road rides came pretty naturally.

Atakuweh

"Practical" is whatever you're comfortable with maintaining for however long you're planning to cycle during a particular ride. Everyone is different in terms of what their optimum cadence ultimately works out to be, but in general, faster cadences tend to be less stressful on the knee joints while utilizing more of the slow-twitch muscle fibers which are capable of greater endurance, and allow you to cycle longer and go further. Slower cadences tend to utilize more of the fast-twitch muscles which, while powerful, tend to tire much more quickly, and take much longer to recover. When I started cycling again after a 25+ year absence a few years ago my cadence was around 70-80 on the flats, but the more I rode the faster my cadence became, as did my average speed, to where I'm now pedaling at around 100 rpm most of the time – somewhat faster in traffic and going downhill, and slower climbing – but I try and maintain that 100 rpm +/- 5 rpm for most of my riding.

Jarrettsin

My story pretty much mirrors yours, mid 50's returning to riding rec/fitness rider. If 60 right now try dropping one gear see how 70-75 feels you won't burn out your legs as fast. Same with hills start one lower then you think and watch how much smoother you go up it. To turn into a good fat burning machine we want to stay aerobic not anaerobic, don't gasp gear down.

Garfield Cat

High cadence usually means higher heart rate. Lower cadence means using more muscle and joint stress. At mid-life, a rider wants to regain his youth that is slowly slipping away.

It will take more than one riding season to get back in shape aerobic wise. Bad habits? Let an experienced rider go with you to watch your pedal action and body movements. Bike riding is a repetitive movement type thing. The wrong habit lands you in near injury territory (unexplained aches and pains).

Pro bike fitters are not just for pros. Many of them are also coaches.

BobbyG

Worry less...bike more! At this point your goal is to keep riding. Whatever keeps you riding is fine, whether it's a desire to perfect a technique, gear lust, competition, socializing, wanderlust...it doesn't matter as long as it keeps you in the saddle. BTW, over 50? Get a colonoscopy and join us in the 50+ section. Welcome to bikeforums.net!

ShortLegCyclist

One thing no one has mentioned yet that I thought might be worth checking is what kind of pedals/shoes you are using, since you mention you are just getting back into cycling.

Some form of fixation of your shoes to the pedals makes spinning much, much easier, since you are now no longer pushing down on the pedals, you are making circles with both feet. This engages more leg muscles too since you are now pulling up with both legs as well as pushing down.

A lot of cyclists like "clipless" pedals, which have lock-in sole plates into special pedals. They are called "clipless" because an earlier alternative was/is toe clips that are plastic or metal cages attached to the pedal into which you push the front of your shoe.

10 Wheels

For the first 500 miles, just ride to have fun, no need to be concerned with speed or cadence.
Takes that long for you body to adjust some to the bike.

MidLife50

Quick follow up. I played a new game this morning I called "80 Down". The way it works is anytime my cadence dropped below 80 I downshifted. Boy did that take some getting used to.
I set my computer to show cadence instead of distance so I could really focus on it.
Definitely was a more aerobic workout. And even the smallest incline was a real hurdle. I put pretty much all my attention on cadence while I rode a flat, low traffic 6 miles early on a Sunday morning. I guess that's what I'm going to have to do to let this faster cadence develop into a habit.

Looigi

One thing on average cadence: The usual is to include only time while pedaling and not average in the time you are coasting. For example, if you ride on rolling hills and pedal half the time and coast the other half, the the average cadence while pedaling will be twice the average cadence for the entire ride. Some computers allow you to select whether to average in the zeros or not.

blacknbluebikes 

Get into the 85-95 groove. Don't obsess over it, but it's optimal.