High Cadence = Big difference

[benverner]

I've been mashing pretty good on most of my rides trying to improve my speed. last night I was a little sore so I decided to just spin, get some blood flowing, work on my spinning etc.

I came in a full mph over my average at the end of my ride, same 20 mi I always do. I set my computer to show cadence and distance only and I tried to keep as close to 100 rpm as I could usually between 97-93 consistantly. I pulled in the garage and went through the computer and WOW 19 mph average! AND I'm not sore today. Spinning won't get you big legs but it will get you big lungs I bet.

 

[jjjtttggg]

I've been mashing pretty good on most of my rides trying to improve my speed. last night I was a little sore so I decided to just spin, get some blood flowing, work on my spinning etc.

I came in a full mph over my average at the end of my ride, same 20 mi I always do. I set my computer to show cadence and distance only and I tried to keep as close to 100 rpm as I could usually between 97-93 consistantly. I pulled in the garage and went through the computer and WOW 19 mph average! AND I'm not sore today. Spinning won't get you big legs but it will get you big lungs I bet.

LA spins like a mad sonnabeach so how wrong can it be? Here's one depressing thing I've realized lately, though: To climb at the pace I want to on some of the hills I ride, I'm going to have to "Spin" in gears that I currently think of as borderline mashing!!! I'm going to try to lose about 10 lbs (out of 175) which will take the pedal force down some, but still. . .

J

 

[Doctor Morbius]

I've been mashing pretty good on most of my rides trying to improve my speed. last night I was a little sore so I decided to just spin, get some blood flowing, work on my spinning etc.

I came in a full mph over my average at the end of my ride, same 20 mi I always do. I set my computer to show cadence and distance only and I tried to keep as close to 100 rpm as I could usually between 97-93 consistantly. I pulled in the garage and went through the computer and WOW 19 mph average! AND I'm not sore today. Spinning won't get you big legs but it will get you big lungs I bet.

This is the exact opposite of the experiences I've had with spinning. By riding between a 75 to 80 RPM cadence I can add 2+ MPH over the course of 20 miles over a 95 RPM cadence.

Everyone's different. But it's good that you've found your sweat spot.

 

[Squint]

Wind.

That's why average speed isn't useful information.

 

[whoawhoa]

Wind.

That's why average speed isn't useful information.

That and the fact that he may have just been working harder.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

That and the fact that he may have just been working harder.

True. He would have to be able to produce better results consistently over time in order for it to be a valid test. Just one example doesn't cut the mustard.

 

[RapDaddyo]

LA spins like a mad sonnabeach so how wrong can it be? Here's one depressing thing I've realized lately, though: To climb at the pace I want to on some of the hills I ride, I'm going to have to "Spin" in gears that I currently think of as borderline mashing!!! I'm going to try to lose about 10 lbs (out of 175) which will take the pedal force down some, but still. . .

J

Personally, I don't correlate pace on hills with cadence. As I get more fit, I climb at the same cadence but in a bigger gear. For example, today I did climb repeat intervals on my usual hill. My first trip up this 5% average grade 3.3 mile hill in March was probably 6 mph at best at an average cadence in the mid-90s. Today, I climbed it at 14 mph and an average cadence of 97 (min 88, max 100). My riding style is very much tempo-based. I compare it to dancing to a beat. There are tempos that just feel right to me.

 

[3_days]

This is the exact opposite of the experiences I've had with spinning. By riding between a 75 to 80 RPM cadence I can add 2+ MPH over the course of 20 miles over a 95 RPM cadence.

Everyone's different. But it's good that you've found your sweat spot.

Took me a while to learn this also - quality times over the course of months are much higher when I gear into approx. 85 rpm. I still do most workouts at a high cadence though.

I've also found that working within one line of thinking for cadence (for example, always "shooting for 95") doesn't give me steady results. If I've been working with a certain cadence for several workouts, I often find great initial results when I make changes. I'm still very much learning when/how often to "tweak" the changes - probably takes years of tweaking to get it right, I would guess.

Just a side Q: I was told that Armstrong does (did) a great deal of training at lower rpm's - especially throughout the spring season. True?

 

[mattjf]

Lately I have been working on increasing my cadence. I am a big guy with a lot of leg strength, so it has always been natural for me to mash gears. As I get more fit though, I've noticed my legs are becoming the limiting factor. Tonights ride I worked hard on having a cadence of about 85-90. There is only one stretch of about 2 miles that is not rolling hills. I got into a cadence of about 90 rpm and held the fastest pace I had ever held over that stretch. I realize there could be other factors at play, this is just empirical evidence

. My heart rate was higher over this stretch, but my legs didn't hurt as much, and I was able to ride stonger for a longer time than with mashing. On hills however, I can't spin that fast. I tend to ride a higher gear and mash. I am working on that also.

-Matt

 

[huhenio]

I used to be a masher ... slowly I am becoming a spinner.

I am on the biggish side - 200 pounds, 6f - and mixing cadences but never falling under 75 is what is getting me better results.

It also loosened my stem because I am fitter now and I am pulling that thing up to keep the ppm's up in the highest gear possible.

It helps that I've been riding the same hills over and over for 3 months and I can predict pretty much what gears are necessary for me to shift on each tract.

 

[Graham_DNF]

This year I have been working a lot on spinning more, especially on flats. I find that I can cruise at a higher speed on flats with a higher cadence. Sure keeps your heart rate up too.

Another thing I have found is that if I am cruising on a flat and then gear down for a minute - spin much faster - and then gear back up one is that I can last much longer and my legs don't hurt after.

As for hills...some of the hills in my area would be impossible for me if I didn't switch into low, low gears and spin.

DNF