I can't find your exact optimal cadence over the internet. Sorry. However there are a few studies hanging around which can give you a general idea of the cadence at which the majority of cyclists perform most efficiently.

Yes and they do pay a lot to know that number.

I am fairly sure you're just here to troll, for one you didn't even read what i wrote - instead you attack what i said and demand explanations.

troll? i have been participating in this thread since page one (longer than you)

i read your statement. the missing "s" is irrelevant. when people say "the american way" they are not referring to a single american, just like cyclist can encompass a group of people. either way, i do not care. the important thing is you told us you could find that number if we care. as it happens, i care. if you can not do it "over the internet" what info do you need?

I know a good number of older racers and work with one who was never a spinner and at 76 still pushes some big gears at a lower cadence than one would think was efficient... but when he and these other guys were racing here and abroad they started every season on their fixed gear with 75 gear inches and spun that for 1000 miles before they started shifting gears.

It got them in racing shape and got them spinning very smoothly efficiently... and there was no slacking off.

If your fg is set up perfectly and your pedal stroke is smooth there will be no bouncing in the saddle and I have spun out on descents at 180 rpm @ 45 mph with no issues with me bouncing in the saddle.

Watch track racers when they sprint... super high rpms and no bouncing.

I have to be able to maintain a high cadence these days as I have one leg that does not work as well as I would like it to and one leg that does a lot more of the work... I run some lower gears and spin faster to stay within my aerobic range (which has gotten better), to maintain speed, and not over stress the good leg.

Sixty Fiver - Not disagreeing with you here, a fixed gear will definitely force you to spin on the descents. However, it takes a lot of discipline to ensure a full pedal stroke instead of one aided by the forward motion of the drivetrain. I know one thing that has helped me is to run a slightly looser chain (on a fixed gear) so that I can feel it when I'm slacking.

That being said, it also takes a lot of discipline on a geared bike because at any point you can just let go and coast.

Either way, you have to really want it.

Also, I think there's a difference between learning how to spin quickly and smoothly, and learning how to pedal efficiently. I know that back when I was still using clips and straps, I was able to spin 150rpm smoothly, but I wasn't actually powering through the entire crank rotation. When I switched over to clipless, I paid a lot more attention to powering through the rotation evenly, which has helped both my form and, more importantly, my efficiency on the bike. I think when people begin focusing on high rpm spinning, they assume that as long as they are sitting still on the saddle and maintaining smooth form, they've mastered it. But how the power is applied through the crank rotation has had a greater effect on my cycling, personally.

It is relevant because it determines what i'm trying to say. Even now you don't want to listen to what i'm trying to say and i clarified what i was trying to say after the other poster misread it and made the same false generalization. Listen to me now - Your most efficient cadence can be found, just because I can't personally do it for you over the internet really isn't a reason to dismiss me.

i can agree with that statement. from experimenting, i think mine is about 105. (but i dont know)


should i dismiss this comment?

Well, if you're up for it you come to a sports lab and have them measure the whole package and you can find out if 105rpm is right.

Dismiss what you want. Like you said, through experimenting you can find or come close to the most efficient cadence. I am fairly confident i could find an efficient cadence for you or another cyclist but, i won't be doing it through this forum. Sorry no free handouts!

This is subject to debate. Have you ever tired riding an FG? If you cannot spin high and smooth on the flats, you will bounce on the saddle or have some very wounded calves on a big enough descent.

As I see it the so called flywheel assist on an FG that teaches you bad habits is akin to the myth that rollers do not strengthen you.

And so is the myth of old style clips that much inferior to clipless systems.

First, I'm not sure if you read my post thoroughly, but yes I did mention that I have a fixed gear bike which I ride more than anything else.

Second, the flywheel theory proved true in my own experience (which is all I have to work from). Fixed gear is the platform I started cycling on, and I rode fixed for a long time without really thinking much about performance at all... it wasn't until I put quite some conscious effort towards learning good pedaling technique that I actually began to understand and apply it, regardless of the drivetrain.

Finally, sure clips and straps can work, but back in the day I didn't yank down on the straps until my feet were as secure as clipless. With clipless, though, I don't really have a choice.

Unless I missed it in all the cadence chatter here is a free way to improve your spin. Pedal with only one leg. It won't improve your cadence but you will feel the full "spin cycle". I actually unclip one foot and pedal with the other. You can also do it by just concentrating on one foot. I think this goes to the question of improving your spin and not your cadence. I've read recently that cadence is a red herring anyways.

Once you have a fluid spin I think it is easier to increase your cadence because you are more efficient.

U have to do it old style, fix gear with super light gears (42x18 or 20 to start with), but to do it u need a training plan that will last at least month an a half to two months and be ready to ride at least a century with fix gear and low gears, it will crash you big time because u are not used to the constant pedaling. Once you are done with it u'll have learn the most hard thing in cycling, the constant pedaling and the high cadence. Anything else after that will be piece of cake. This is the 1st thing juniors have to learn, because is the base to anything else, program the pedaling and it will stick forever even if you are not cycling no more.

Good luck

Let's throw a pump in the spokes of this thread. :D
This guy has posted a study which sasys that cyclists are more efficient at 60rpm

http://myworldfromabicycle.blogspot....-you-just.html (scroll down a bit)

I think there are more factors than just power and metabolic rate. 60 RPM is really uncomfortable.

Please look at cadences in this chart. Might have to do with the most efficient cadence discussion, at least for this kind of effort:

http://www.wolfgang-menn.de/hourrec.htm

Interesting, the efficiency curve is fairly smooth. Once you're near the peak you won't be too far off the exact maximum. Some of those guys are turning 95rpm. I dunno if they are mashing it a bit more only because it's for 1 hour or their biomechanics(crank arms for one are different) are a bit different.

I don't think the OP should try to compare his pedal stroke, and cadence to the world record holders.

Those on that chart a world class riders with years and years of training on the bike. With super large Vo max's.

Most here on BF will never come close to that kind of shape and training. Come to think of it, MOST here on BF, will never ride their bikes to the peak of it's capability.

I don't think anybody on bikefo could cover 56km in a hour! I don't even know of a descent that is that long if you were planning on cheating :D

This doesn't add to the discussion, but they are spinning...

Well, even the same guy (Chris Boardman) could "only" manage 49.4km when they took away all the aero stuff, although there was a suggestion at the time that he wasn't in the same shape. :) So don't feel so bad.

http://www.bikecult.com/bikecultbook...cordsHour.html

Ya know, one thing that's always amused me is that "the rules" say that we've gotta pedal around 90rpm when we're going faster on the flats, yet it's ok to pedal with lower revs on a tough climb, even though our output and HR are pretty much the same. :p So, the "rule" is: the faster we're going, the faster we must spin. :p

The only thing I can think of which may explain this is that it feels easier to maintain speeds on flats with higher revs when you suddenly find yourself on a slight incline If someone likes to TT at 70rpm; if they suddenly find themselves doing 55rpm on an inlcine, their speed might drop off more than if they were doing 90 to 78revs. Perfectly flat roads are one thing, but not many roads are perfectly flat, and the slightest rise can drop you're tempo ~5km/h, especially if you're not on top of your gear changes and suddenly find yourself riding at too-low revs.

I'll try to explain it again :)..... if someone is grinding a TT at relatively low revs and suddenly finds themselves on a slight incline, the next thing they know they could be doing only 55rpm, and have slowed more than they may have had they been doing 90 revs and 'accidentally' dropped to 80revs. This might sound silly, but it's not always easy to concentrate on undulations and gear changes when you're dying and your HR is 190bpm! :p

You can import the GPX data into Excel ( or a database ) and then change the way the average is calculated.

It is a lot harder to pedal in perfect circles when your cadence is 60. If you are spinning faster, it is easy to maintain perfect circles.

Hop on a fixed gear and ride down a very steep hill and try to go as fast as you can. Repeat. If you don't die, you will learn how to pedal perfectly.