When I'm in shape, loose, and feeling good, average cadence for most rides end up being 96-99. On long gravel climbs in the NC mountains I settle in around 80-82 @ 162 bpm for most grades. Im not a muscular build, so spinning is how i can ride longer. Everyone's body is different, so theres not one answer. Found your channel recently; keep up the good work! I appreciate the effort.
There's a lot of information here and I feel like it could be confusing, so let me simplify it for the beginners: 1. There is no cadence that works for everyone. Most pros spin smaller gears at higher cadences, but not all of them. 2. The most important thing to remember about cadence is this: Smaller gears and higher rpms save your legs but tax your heart and lungs more. Bigger gears and lower rpms save your heart and lungs but tax your legs more. This can be very important if you're on a ride and your legs feel fine but your heart rate is jacked up and you're breathing like a freight train, or your legs are turning to rubber but your breathing and heart rate are fine. Optimally you want to find a cadence that balances the two. Personally I ride with a cadence between 75 and 80, and only on all out sprints does it get above 100rpms. But you've got to have the legs to make a lower cadence work for long rides. Just like you've got to have the fitness to make 90+rpms work for a long ride.
Luis, I really enjoy your channel and the content you produce. You have such a natural presence on screen and the information you share is succinct and easily digestable. I always look forward to viewing your videos, sir!
This is just what I needed to hear! I've been working hard on my cadence this fall/winter, most of it on my trainer. Your information is a game changer. Thank you!
Thanks! For me, I just do what feels confortable. In my experience, my cadence naturally goes up as my power goes up. For example, at 135W I am at 70 but at 220W I am around 85.
Thank you for breaking this down in your intuitive way. This was easy to follow and understand and makes a lot of sense. Appreciate you tying this in to your experience and what has worked obviously well for you. Great video 🙌
On many rides I kind of pre determine the effort I want to put into it for that day and then adjust gears to stay in that zone with a cadence of around 85. The best thing to help you to keep that level of effort is to swipe away the speed screen on your computer as this only makes you focus on speed. This way I can stay in my zone better and it greatly improved my endurance.
Your tips are the best around man. I learned about soft pedaling from you and that was a huge game changer. I’ll be coming out to ride with you guys soon. Keep it up!
One thing I would add that can affect your cadence, possibly comfort, speed and power while riding is having the correct crank length as to many manufacturers supply bikes with cranks that are to long and especially in the smaller sized frames which are usually fitted with 170-172.5mm cranks when a 165mm length would be more appropriate. Im sure they are plenty of websites that can be found on the subject and maybe one for a future video.
I’m a senior and hit my 1000 kms this year, but spend almost no time in my small chainring unless climbing. My friends laugh at me, but hey I’m a life long grinder-thanks for the great insight
For equal power output, higher cadence equates to lower forces on the legs. My experience is that higher forces are more likely to lead to knee injury, so lower cadences are more likely to result in injury. Additionally I believe using higher forces when cycling puts proportionally more of the work on the calves (gastroc especially) and less on the thighs. As the thighs are far bigger muscles than the calves, the legs will last better, both aerobically and anerobically, at higher cadences, resulting in more work done by the leg before exhaustion (more equally taxing the thighs and the calves/anterior tibialis). This all points to higher cadences being preferable to the extent a rider can use them smoothly, and, for example, to seated climbing being more efficient than standing to climb at a lower cadence, given a fairly long climb (100 m or more).
Great vid! Not sure if this deals with cadence in the sense of the video, but, I always like to shift to a lighter gear before coming to a stop at an intersection. It makes it much easier to pedal once the light turns green and the group moves off from the light.
I'm 63 with iffy knees, so I'm careful about cadence. Sweet spot cadence, for me, depends on my energy level. On my good days I turn faster AND in a bigger gear, so there's a major difference between good days and not-so-good days. Warming up properly for me requires a mix: faster cadence (90-94) in a lower gear for ~five minutes, lower cadence (74-78) in a significantly higher gear for ~two minutes, then ~three minutes in my "cruising" gear of the day at 80-88 RPM. Repeat. Now I'm ready.
Been riding for 30 years but most of it mtb or commuting. Only got into proper road riding a few years ago and group riding last year. Appreciate your effort to provide quality knowledge.
A agree with you on when to shift before, during, and after a climb. It all comes down to carrying as much momentum as you can without jarring the legs into higher or lower tension on the drive train.
Thanks so much Luis, this is exactly the video I was looking for. This is one I will watch again and again, until i get the sense of it all. Thanks again for all you do to help us stay safe and effective in the activity we love.
Being an ex truck driver I have a habit of staying in a comfortable rpm and use my gears to stay there. I rarely look at my speed as that will take care of itself.
To maintain a group, riders must match speeds. Each rider has perhaps three choices of gearing/cadence to get that speed. I ride alone as a commuter, so my concept of cadence is totally different.
Luis, i’ve watched several of your videos and have just subscribed to your channel. Your content is very informative, and you explain everything in a very calm and clear manner. Please keep up the good work.
Good stuff Luis! Really nice! Perfectly laid-out and communicated for new to intermediate riders, and even us high mileage old guys too! I forwarded the vid to my son, who is just starting out. Certainly much clearer and articulate then I could communicate to him. Besides, who listens to their dad! Now, let's talk business. I'm sure you're one busy guy, but we'd all appreciate it if you didn't keep us waiting so long for your (our) next video! LOL. :)' Thanks again!
In the 80s I trained cadence with direction from the book Agonistic Cycling. The recommendation was to put in about 1000 miles into your legs at the start of each year before gearing up and doing sprints, hard climbs, racing etc. 85 - 95 on the 42 inner chainring was the training range. Lots of spinning, and a 3 week period of low fixed gear to really force the high speed cadence neuromuscular conditioning. When you find your preferred cadence you can go all day, tap! tap! tap! and the gearing shifting to maintain that range is the loveliest dance you can then make on the bike.
Once you obtain your cadence, you can also use a stationary bike at a fitness facility that has a computer to measure your cadence for any given tension. I'm generally between 80 and 90 on my road bike and about the same on a stationary bike. I generally ride on the 42-t chairing.
I always thought power meters were just for social media points, but I saw a video where a rider going up a steep hill focused on keeping a steady power output while the cadence and speed both went way down. That seemed like a good way to pace yourself up a hill
If your shoe doesn't have a good footbed (insole), consider changing it. In cycling, your foot moves back and forth, but does not flex, like when we walk. A footbed that perfectly matches the shape of your foot will help a lot with cadence -- and especially under high load -- because it will prevent your foot from slipping. It will feel more like your foot is locked to the pedal spindle. Specialized Body Geometry makes some good ones, but there are other brands, some even heat moldable carbon to adjust to the shape of your foot. If you have an odd shaped foot, consider a lace up shoe or one with separated segments like the Lake 242.
After watching this I realize I am such a horribly cyclist haha thank you for explaining shifting and when to do it. I guess coming from MTB is not as intuitive for me great video. thanks
On a whim, I picked up a used State Bicycle Core steel single speed. I put drops on it and slammed the front end. I've noticed by riding it at around a cadence of 80-85 to maybe 90 is very comfortable for me and get this... my endurance has improved drastically as well as my sustained power output. Where I ride, I'm usually climbing around 1000-2000ft, so at times the cadence is much lower, and on the downhills i may get a little higher than 100. But it seems that my sweet spot is about 85, and if I keep my cadence at 85 on my Trek Domane, my power improves as well.
75ish for most stuff feels the most comfortable, but when I start cranking up the speed, it starts to hurt the knees. I usually have to switch to a gear where my cadence is in the low to mid 80's. For hill climbing, I'm more of a "spin to win" rider and I'm taking my sweet time, so I might actually be in the high 80s or 90s but in a gear that's really easy. If I'm trying to get up that hill in a hurry, I'm up on the pedals and I'm probably back in a gear in the 70s again, but I'm mostly using my weight to get up the hill instead of that leg power. Having said all that, now that I have a power meter, I've actually started using that as a gauge to know when I should be shifting. If I see my power go up too high, I know I'm putting too much effort into it and I should be downshifting. Same in reverse. Just wanted to mention that you mentioned on one of your videos a while back that to keep pedaling to eliminate the accordion effect on group rides and that has worked out pretty well. It takes discipline, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Hopefully it will just become 2nd nature after a while.
In my version of cadence the real number I like to know is when I'm going downhill on a steep downhill how fast can I spin up and how long before I blow up (usually around 20 seconds). That top cadence is a line I really never want to exceed unless I do it very, very carefully.
Loved hearing your thoughts on this. Thank you. I'm curious about how cadence and coasting work in a group ride situation. I have never ridden in groups like the ones you're riding in and if someone stops pedaling, they'll surely slow down and change the line behind them. How is that dealt with? I've never ridden in a peloton like that, but there are some local shops that put rides on and I'm fearful of joining those rides because of that. I don't want to be that guy that messes it up for everyone else.
Hi Greg! Thanks for watching. In a paceline, coasting and freewheeling should be minimized. Peloton are different. There is a much bigger draft and the position of riders is constantly changing. In this big draft you will see riders coast with no loss of speed because of air around them. Even so, I do try to minimize it as best I can. Hope that helps👍🏾
I most often ride at a mid to high Cadence, 80 to 95 RPM or by keeping an average speed no less than 25 kph. on flats. There will be other variables depending on terrain.
My average cadence including some climbs always seems to be 82-84.. but on the flats no wind 88-90, and 60-65 on 4-8 percent grades ( i am heavy). When “zooming” hard i do 95-105. Used to race in my teens but old man now, and no group riding.
Not sure I have an ideal cadence, or the opportunity to find one. My area is nothing but rolling terrain or big climbs. Very little flats here. I definitely feel more comfortable at a higher cadence. Need to get a sensor.
Shimano doesn't have those cassette cogs on currently 12 speeds. The closest is 15-16-17-19. I wish there was an 18 but there isn't. Here in southern California we have hills all over so having a tight spaced cassette is determined by the strength of the rider. Me personally I'm not too strong so having 11-34 is the best cassette size. In terms of cadance it depends on what size crank I'm riding. My main bike has a 160mm crank so I spin very high at 90-105 depending on speed. Cranks of 170 or 172.5 I'm spinning only at 80-86. Having bad knees I like soft gears and high cadance. I feel my heart can handle 90 rpm at a comfortable pace instead of putting too much stress on legs/knees at harder gears.
Since when is 80-85 RPM grinding? That is nearly spinning when it comes to climbs. A typical climbing (proper mountain climbs) is maybe 75 RPM, going under 70 RPM is construed at grinding. 90+ RPM cadences is already more than what the average cyclist can whitstand for longer periods of time.
When I'm in shape, loose, and feeling good, average cadence for most rides end up being 96-99. On long gravel climbs in the NC mountains I settle in around 80-82 @ 162 bpm for most grades. Im not a muscular build, so spinning is how i can ride longer. Everyone's body is different, so theres not one answer. Found your channel recently; keep up the good work! I appreciate the effort.
There's a lot of information here and I feel like it could be confusing, so let me simplify it for the beginners:
1. There is no cadence that works for everyone. Most pros spin smaller gears at higher cadences, but not all of them.
2. The most important thing to remember about cadence is this: Smaller gears and higher rpms save your legs but tax your heart and lungs more. Bigger gears and lower rpms save your heart and lungs but tax your legs more. This can be very important if you're on a ride and your legs feel fine but your heart rate is jacked up and you're breathing like a freight train, or your legs are turning to rubber but your breathing and heart rate are fine. Optimally you want to find a cadence that balances the two.
Personally I ride with a cadence between 75 and 80, and only on all out sprints does it get above 100rpms. But you've got to have the legs to make a lower cadence work for long rides. Just like you've got to have the fitness to make 90+rpms work for a long ride.
👍🏾
Luis, I really enjoy your channel and the content you produce. You have such a natural presence on screen and the information you share is succinct and easily digestable. I always look forward to viewing your videos, sir!
Alright! Thank you for that. It os much appreciated 👍🏾
This is just what I needed to hear! I've been working hard on my cadence this fall/winter, most of it on my trainer. Your information is a game changer. Thank you!
I'm so glad to hear that 👍🏾
Practical advice that I’ve followed throughout my 38 years of riding as a paracyclist. Efficiency is king!
Thanks! For me, I just do what feels confortable. In my experience, my cadence naturally goes up as my power goes up. For example, at 135W I am at 70 but at 220W I am around 85.
Nice! Thanks for sharing👍🏾
Thank you for breaking this down in your intuitive way. This was easy to follow and understand and makes a lot of sense. Appreciate you tying this in to your experience and what has worked obviously well for you. Great video 🙌
On many rides I kind of pre determine the effort I want to put into it for that day and then adjust gears to stay in that zone with a cadence of around 85. The best thing to help you to keep that level of effort is to swipe away the speed screen on your computer as this only makes you focus on speed. This way I can stay in my zone better and it greatly improved my endurance.
You taught me about cadence my first year riding and that was four years ago… I still use it today. 🙏🏾💪🏾
Hey Stephan. I am so excited about what you cats are doing with the sport. I am just glad to witness it👍🏾
Your tips are the best around man. I learned about soft pedaling from you and that was a huge game changer. I’ll be coming out to ride with you guys soon. Keep it up!
Thank you! I reallt appreciate that👍🏾
Great advice on when to begin shifting on a climb. Lance always said: "high casdence no power."
Absolutely. Thanks for watching👍🏾
One thing I would add that can affect your cadence, possibly comfort, speed and power while riding is having the correct crank length as to many manufacturers supply bikes with cranks that are to long and especially in the smaller sized frames which are usually fitted with 170-172.5mm cranks when a 165mm length would be more appropriate. Im sure they are plenty of websites that can be found on the subject and maybe one for a future video.
Thanks for sharing your insight Jamie👍🏾
I’m a senior and hit my 1000 kms this year, but spend almost no time in my small chainring unless climbing. My friends laugh at me, but hey I’m a life long grinder-thanks for the great insight
Thanks for sharing!
For equal power output, higher cadence equates to lower forces on the legs. My experience is that higher forces are more likely to lead to knee injury, so lower cadences are more likely to result in injury. Additionally I believe using higher forces when cycling puts proportionally more of the work on the calves (gastroc especially) and less on the thighs. As the thighs are far bigger muscles than the calves, the legs will last better, both aerobically and anerobically, at higher cadences, resulting in more work done by the leg before exhaustion (more equally taxing the thighs and the calves/anterior tibialis). This all points to higher cadences being preferable to the extent a rider can use them smoothly, and, for example, to seated climbing being more efficient than standing to climb at a lower cadence, given a fairly long climb (100 m or more).
👍🏾
Great vid! Not sure if this deals with cadence in the sense of the video, but, I always like to shift to a lighter gear before coming to a stop at an intersection. It makes it much easier to pedal once the light turns green and the group moves off from the light.
Great tip Cofi! It absolutely does because many people get caught out after stops👍🏾
I'm 63 with iffy knees, so I'm careful about cadence. Sweet spot cadence, for me, depends on my energy level. On my good days I turn faster AND in a bigger gear, so there's a major difference between good days and not-so-good days. Warming up properly for me requires a mix: faster cadence (90-94) in a lower gear for ~five minutes, lower cadence (74-78) in a significantly higher gear for ~two minutes, then ~three minutes in my "cruising" gear of the day at 80-88 RPM. Repeat. Now I'm ready.
Thanks for sharing!!
Been riding for 30 years but most of it mtb or commuting. Only got into proper road riding a few years ago and group riding last year.
Appreciate your effort to provide quality knowledge.
Thank you for watching👍🏾
A agree with you on when to shift before, during, and after a climb. It all comes down to carrying as much momentum as you can without jarring the legs into higher or lower tension on the drive train.
👍🏾
Thanks so much Luis, this is exactly the video I was looking for. This is one I will watch again and again, until i get the sense of it all. Thanks again for all you do to help us stay safe and effective in the activity we love.
You were one of the people responsible for me making this video. Thank you🙏🏾
Being an ex truck driver I have a habit of staying in a comfortable rpm and use my gears to stay there. I rarely look at my speed as that will take care of itself.
This clip was very helpful, and the tips on hill climbing gave me new insight on improving that area of my riding, many thanks. 🙏🏾
Glad it helped!
To maintain a group, riders must match speeds. Each rider has perhaps three choices of gearing/cadence to get that speed. I ride alone as a commuter, so my concept of cadence is totally different.
Luis, i’ve watched several of your videos and have just subscribed to your channel. Your content is very informative, and you explain everything in a very calm and clear manner. Please keep up the good work.
Thanks you David. Ibreally appreciate that👍🏾
Love the content my friend! I’m an 85-90 guy as well. Warm ups higher spin. Cool downs a lower spin.
Nice! Thanks for sharing 👍🏾
Good stuff Luis! Really nice! Perfectly laid-out and communicated for new to intermediate riders, and even us high mileage old guys too! I forwarded the vid to my son, who is just starting out. Certainly much clearer and articulate then I could communicate to him. Besides, who listens to their dad! Now, let's talk business. I'm sure you're one busy guy, but we'd all appreciate it if you didn't keep us waiting so long for your (our) next video! LOL. :)' Thanks again!
Lol. I am working on working on it😁
Good stuff, simple & complete. Thanks
In the 80s I trained cadence with direction from the book Agonistic Cycling. The recommendation was to put in about 1000 miles into your legs at the start of each year before gearing up and doing sprints, hard climbs, racing etc.
85 - 95 on the 42 inner chainring was the training range. Lots of spinning, and a 3 week period of low fixed gear to really force the high speed cadence neuromuscular conditioning.
When you find your preferred cadence you can go all day, tap! tap! tap! and the gearing shifting to maintain that range is the loveliest dance you can then make on the bike.
Nice! Thanks for sharing👍🏾
@@thegoodwheel I enjoy your content and happy to see the group rides only to imagine how many you've encouraged to join this beautiful sport
@@seanpollonais1208 I really hope the channel is having even a small impact on that. We definitely need more people on bikes.
Once you obtain your cadence, you can also use a stationary bike at a fitness facility that has a computer to measure your cadence for any given tension. I'm generally between 80 and 90 on my road bike and about the same on a stationary bike. I generally ride on the 42-t chairing.
👍🏾
I always thought power meters were just for social media points, but I saw a video where a rider going up a steep hill focused on keeping a steady power output while the cadence and speed both went way down. That seemed like a good way to pace yourself up a hill
👍🏾
Enjoyed this one too. Many thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
If your shoe doesn't have a good footbed (insole), consider changing it. In cycling, your foot moves back and forth, but does not flex, like when we walk. A footbed that perfectly matches the shape of your foot will help a lot with cadence -- and especially under high load -- because it will prevent your foot from slipping. It will feel more like your foot is locked to the pedal spindle. Specialized Body Geometry makes some good ones, but there are other brands, some even heat moldable carbon to adjust to the shape of your foot. If you have an odd shaped foot, consider a lace up shoe or one with separated segments like the Lake 242.
Thanks for sharing👍🏾
After watching this I realize I am such a horribly cyclist haha thank you for explaining shifting and when to do it. I guess coming from MTB is not as intuitive for me great video. thanks
Thanks for watching 👍🏾
On a whim, I picked up a used State Bicycle Core steel single speed. I put drops on it and slammed the front end. I've noticed by riding it at around a cadence of 80-85 to maybe 90 is very comfortable for me and get this... my endurance has improved drastically as well as my sustained power output. Where I ride, I'm usually climbing around 1000-2000ft, so at times the cadence is much lower, and on the downhills i may get a little higher than 100. But it seems that my sweet spot is about 85, and if I keep my cadence at 85 on my Trek Domane, my power improves as well.
Great way to improve your spinning 👍🏾
Great advice sir thanks .😊
👍🏾
This was really informative. Thank you 🚴
Thank you Fiona!
There is one aspect you forgot to mention, Luis. The lenght of the crank arms also effect the cadence.
It does. Thanks gor sharing Max👍🏾
75ish for most stuff feels the most comfortable, but when I start cranking up the speed, it starts to hurt the knees. I usually have to switch to a gear where my cadence is in the low to mid 80's. For hill climbing, I'm more of a "spin to win" rider and I'm taking my sweet time, so I might actually be in the high 80s or 90s but in a gear that's really easy. If I'm trying to get up that hill in a hurry, I'm up on the pedals and I'm probably back in a gear in the 70s again, but I'm mostly using my weight to get up the hill instead of that leg power.
Having said all that, now that I have a power meter, I've actually started using that as a gauge to know when I should be shifting. If I see my power go up too high, I know I'm putting too much effort into it and I should be downshifting. Same in reverse.
Just wanted to mention that you mentioned on one of your videos a while back that to keep pedaling to eliminate the accordion effect on group rides and that has worked out pretty well. It takes discipline, but I'm starting to get the hang of it. Hopefully it will just become 2nd nature after a while.
Hey Ted! Thanks for sharing, I am glad to hear that info helped👍🏾
In my version of cadence the real number I like to know is when I'm going downhill on a steep downhill how fast can I spin up and how long before I blow up (usually around 20 seconds). That top cadence is a line I really never want to exceed unless I do it very, very carefully.
Sounds like fun... sort of of👍🏾
Loved hearing your thoughts on this. Thank you. I'm curious about how cadence and coasting work in a group ride situation. I have never ridden in groups like the ones you're riding in and if someone stops pedaling, they'll surely slow down and change the line behind them. How is that dealt with? I've never ridden in a peloton like that, but there are some local shops that put rides on and I'm fearful of joining those rides because of that. I don't want to be that guy that messes it up for everyone else.
Hi Greg! Thanks for watching.
In a paceline, coasting and freewheeling should be minimized. Peloton are different. There is a much bigger draft and the position of riders is constantly changing. In this big draft you will see riders coast with no loss of speed because of air around them. Even so, I do try to minimize it as best I can.
Hope that helps👍🏾
I most often ride at a mid to high Cadence, 80 to 95 RPM or by keeping an average speed no less than 25 kph. on flats. There will be other variables depending on terrain.
👍🏾
My average cadence including some climbs always seems to be 82-84.. but on the flats no wind 88-90, and 60-65 on 4-8 percent grades ( i am heavy). When “zooming” hard i do 95-105. Used to race in my teens but old man now, and no group riding.
Nice! Thanks for sharing👍🏾
Not sure I have an ideal cadence, or the opportunity to find one. My area is nothing but rolling terrain or big climbs. Very little flats here. I definitely feel more comfortable at a higher cadence. Need to get a sensor.
yeah said perfectly agree 100% with all what u said
Thank you!
Shimano doesn't have those cassette cogs on currently 12 speeds. The closest is 15-16-17-19. I wish there was an 18 but there isn't. Here in southern California we have hills all over so having a tight spaced cassette is determined by the strength of the rider. Me personally I'm not too strong so having 11-34 is the best cassette size.
In terms of cadance it depends on what size crank I'm riding. My main bike has a 160mm crank so I spin very high at 90-105 depending on speed. Cranks of 170 or 172.5 I'm spinning only at 80-86.
Having bad knees I like soft gears and high cadance. I feel my heart can handle 90 rpm at a comfortable pace instead of putting too much stress on legs/knees at harder gears.
Well explained! Thank you for sharing your insights 👍🏾
I’ve got to a level where my heart rate stays low at a fast cadence. It’s all consistent practice.
👍🏾
Since when is 80-85 RPM grinding? That is nearly spinning when it comes to climbs. A typical climbing (proper mountain climbs) is maybe 75 RPM, going under 70 RPM is construed at grinding. 90+ RPM cadences is already more than what the average cyclist can whitstand for longer periods of time.
Wait, there's rolling terrain in Florida? I though it was just a pancake?
Yeah, lumpy pancakes😁
Rolling terrain? Florida? Are there hills in Florida?
Hi Jim, yes. In Central Florida
Clermont has Sugarloaf Mountain at 302 feet. About 10 miles from where I live. Nice change of pace.
❤
👍🏾
Hello Luis. Did you happen to catch my email? I use the email listed here on YT - it’s a question about cycling in Florida
Hi David. I did not see anything. I will look in spam folder.
Hi David. I found your email and responded. Thanks again
The Ultimate K Dance . . . Prancing on the bike
Hows your mate eldridge moite 😊
Always Sir!
This video was just an excuse to tease the Colnago paintjob
🤫
mountain bikes are better
Sure are!