thcri

I got a Duo Tap Cadence and speed sensor for my Garmin FR60. While I have enjoyed my mph for a guy just starting and at 55 years of age I found my cadence to be on the low side at 75. Reading here and on the training video that came with my Cycle Ops I should be at 90 or better. Some here I notice are running over 110. So I am shifting down to get my cadence with 15 minute runs. I shifted down until I started to bounce, then shifted back up one gear and spun at 90. I did one this morning and achieved the 90 that I wanted for 15 minutes. I would like to eventually see 100 or better so now do I increase time at 90 first or do I try and stay with the 15 minutes and get to 100 before I increase the time or speed?

Velo Dog

I'm apparently a natural high-cadence guy--the first time I got on a real bike, more than 40 years ago in college, I immediately cranked along at 90-100. I didn't find out that was a good thing for a year or so. Since i've never had to think about it, my advice may not be the best available, but what occurs to me is, "Why don't you just go ride?" When you find yourself grunting along at 40 rpm, shift down and pedal faster. It's worth working on, but it's not very complicated.

kenji666

This gets into the old debate about fast-twitch versus slow-twitch muscle fibers. I am also a natural high cadence rider, averaging 95-105 on rides of different lengths and intensities. Some folks I ride with are natural low cadence riders, averaging 75-80. They are also bigger than me with larger quads, glutes, and hips.

novacoke

I say keep doing 90 until you can comfortably hit the mph you were doing at 75 rpm. Then do whatever you want afterwards.

fordmanvt

I find that once above ~90rpm, higher cadence can be worse, not better. My knees get a whiplash effect on them at very high cadences.

JoelS

Everyone is different. I'm a high cadence rider, 115-120, but my wife is a low cadence rider at 85rpm. So find what works best for you in regards to power and endurance.

nacler22

If you are starting to bounce at 90+ rpm, I would sugget that your saddle MAY be too high. Try the BF search function for suggestions on proper saddle height or go to your LBS and ask them to help you.

After you get your fit on the bike, then start trying to work on your cadence.

Bob Dopolina 

Have a look at how cadence affects your heart rate. There will come a point where spinning faster becomes less efficient for you. This will require some trail and error.

I'd stay stick to 90 or so until it becomes smooth then try a higher cadence. Eventually you'll suss out what is most comfortable and most efficient for your body.

roadrider63

Without looking at my cadence constantly, I'll usually end up around the low to mid 90's rpm for my comfort zone. Slower for a very long period of time and i'll start to feel it in the quads and get to 110 or so and I'm on the verge of bouncing....but I'm working on it.

Usually, if I have to ride my trainer, I'll use a recovery day to do a few spin ups to work on leg speed. I also have days where I do 10 min intervals at mid to upper 80's trying to build some leg strength without killing the knees

HMF

too true, too true. I bought the high cadence argument and it never really bothered me much, but after doing force intervals at low cadence (60+) I found I could go faster and be less tired if I hovered around 85rpm. I was actually going to make a post in this forum asking if low cadence is a crutch for poor aerobic conditioning. I can spin, but it really hard for me to generate power (I think) at 110rpm. If I want to really go some where I don't hammer at 90rpm.. I shift to a higher gear and hammer at 75. Still, it's good to be able to spin up to 100 before the next shift.

thcri

I just had a professional fitting ($120.00) so my seat should be right. In fact he ended up lowering it from where I had it. I can eliminate the bounce by shifting up which I might shift up one more time on the next try. I just want to be able to keep up the higher cadence throughout the 15 minutes.

MichaelW

You need to separate cadence from power output. With the same power, you will go the same speed whatever your cadence (just change gear to match). Cadence is mainly to improve efficiency by spreading the load between legs and heart/lungs.
With a given/fixed power output, you increase cadence by gearing down.
Reasons for low cadence include:
Legs too long!
Wrong kind of muscle.
Cranks too long for your legs.
Saddle too high.

Everyone has a different optimum cadence but it pays to play around and find your sweet spot.

shouldberiding

High cadence isn't for everybody. If you're bouncing about or getting "whiplash" at 90rpm and higher though, your pedal stroke isn't very smooth. 90rpm isn't a high cadence, relatively speaking.

Practice makes perfect. Concentrate on spinning in a complete circle rather than the up and down portion of the pedal stroke.

sd790

Pedaling technique also plays into your ability to be comfortable at higher cadences. When i first started riding, I was able to bump my cadence up considerably by regularly doing one-legged drills during my cool-down. Unclip one foot and pedal with one leg for one minute then switch legs and repeat - speed and cadence don't matter here. Three sets twice a week worked wonders for me. These drills immediately show you the dead spots in your pedal stroke. Repeating these will get your legs used to moving more efficiently, thus making higher cadence far more comfy.

thcri

That is good information. I read that someplace last summer but not during cool downs but just going out and doing it on a level road.

thcri

I only bounce around when I am in too low of a gear. I started out bouncing but shifting up I was able to run smooth.