Or maybe you have. We'll find out right now.
I believe that for every person there is a cadence where their body works most efficiently. I don't rule out the possibility that it changes with gradient, though I can see no logical reason why it should. Anyway, if you have a good indoor trainer, the kind you put your bike on, a heart rate monitor and a way of monitoring both your speed and cadence, you can figure out what cadence your body likes. After warming up, pick a speed where your heart rate stabilizes around 83% of your maximum heart rate. Now, while maintaining that speed, change gears and see how your heart rate changes, being sure with each gear change to let your heart rate stabilize again. When you find the gear where your heart rate is lowest, note what your cadence is. This is the cadence your body likes.
You can also use a heart rate monitor to see if you are in the most efficient gear, outdoors. Say you are on a long climb, Left Hand Canyon, for instance, if you live in my area. While trying to maintain a steady speed, play with gearing to see which gear gives you the lowest heart rate. This will be your most efficient gear choice. You might think that you don't need a heart rate monitor to be able to tell which is the best gear, and you could be right, but I can tell you from experience that you might be surprised. The gear that you think you feel most comfortable in isn't necessarily the one that gives you the lowest heart rate. Something you can play around with, anyway.
I believe that for every person there is a cadence where their body works most efficiently. I don't rule out the possibility that it changes with gradient, though I can see no logical reason why it should. Anyway, if you have a good indoor trainer, the kind you put your bike on, a heart rate monitor and a way of monitoring both your speed and cadence, you can figure out what cadence your body likes. After warming up, pick a speed where your heart rate stabilizes around 83% of your maximum heart rate. Now, while maintaining that speed, change gears and see how your heart rate changes, being sure with each gear change to let your heart rate stabilize again. When you find the gear where your heart rate is lowest, note what your cadence is. This is the cadence your body likes.
You can also use a heart rate monitor to see if you are in the most efficient gear, outdoors. Say you are on a long climb, Left Hand Canyon, for instance, if you live in my area. While trying to maintain a steady speed, play with gearing to see which gear gives you the lowest heart rate. This will be your most efficient gear choice. You might think that you don't need a heart rate monitor to be able to tell which is the best gear, and you could be right, but I can tell you from experience that you might be surprised. The gear that you think you feel most comfortable in isn't necessarily the one that gives you the lowest heart rate. Something you can play around with, anyway.