Originally Posted by limerickman .
Cycle at your own cadence initially :........
......... As you become more adjusted to riding for longer at your cadence, then try to increase from say 80rpm to 85rpm to 90rpm.
Initially... when I got my Schwinn Varsity, 80 [rpms] was considered to be the norm... or at least that is what I thought back in the 1960's when I was in my teens. Now as a senior and on my 2nd return to cycling [as I cycled again briefly about 20-25 years ago]. I've spent a couple years at well over 1000 miles a year trying to achieve the acceptable 90 rpms. We had an unusually mild winter here so there wasn't much of a winter break, and I haven't had to devote time to reconditioning myself.
When I returned to cycling this last time [this is the 3rd season], my first stop was with my doctor. I wore a heart monitor every ride the first year. At first, I found that making a sandwich in the kitchen could get my heart rate high enough to burn fat [at least
theoretically]. But by seasons end, I had to work to get my heart rate up. My at-rest heart rate is now in the 50's.
So I tried dropping/slowing my cadence after reading: [COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]Post #3[/COLOR] [COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 255)]
The pros are between 80 and 90. The two extremes are Jan Ullrich (very low cadence) and Lance Armstrong (very high cadence) both are pretty good. [/COLOR]As well as:[COLOR= rgb(178, 34, 34)] [/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(255, 0, 0)]post #9[/COLOR][COLOR= rgb(0, 0, 255)]
As most folks who've riding a while know, everyone has a cadence at which their most comfortable.[/COLOR]
The very first ride at my new slower cadence was very fast. The rides since have been slightly faster than the first. I track and record such things so I know for a fact, that shifting to the bigger ring and forgetting about keeping up my cadence has made me faster. OK... fast is relevant. I am old and I smoked most of my adult life. I am NOT fast and I won't be winning [or even entering] any races. But
for me.... changing cadence makes a big enough difference I can now feel comfortable enough for some group rides I've shy-ed away from.
Of course... I've only had a handful of rides trying out this grinding. So I am keeping an eye on my knees (and even ankles and hips). I may find I can increase cadence while retaining the big ring [smaller cog] settings. That would be nice. For now... I am just enjoying the increased speed.