How should I get cadence on a trainer

My gym taught me to count strokes, however a Sigma BC1600 with the cadence pickup was eventually fitted to my gym trainer. You won't need speed. 🙂 They are easy to swap if you use medical straping tape to attach the components and cables.

A heart rate monitor is the other essential item.

Another thing, I use an old set of bathrom scales, the spring type, under the front wheel. Try to keep the needle as steady as possible through the pedal full stroke. Good for one legged drills too. 😄 You will see how much energy you don't put into the back wheel.

gclark8 said:

Another thing, I use an old set of bathrom scales, the spring type, under the front wheel. Try to keep the needle as steady as possible through the pedal full stroke. Good for one legged drills too. 😄 You will see how much energy you don't put into the back wheel.

Coolness! Who woulda thought!

I use this chart that I created in excel when doing cadence work.

PolishPostal said:

I use this chart that I created in excel when doing cadence work.

Thank you, I'll use this on the other bike. The trainer bike has a front wheel pickup so I have no speed indicated.
The chart will work great when I'm on rollers.

Mish said:

Thank you, I'll use this on the other bike. The trainer bike has a front wheel pickup so I have no speed indicated.
The chart will work great when I'm on rollers.

Let me know if you have different gearing. I can easily create a chart for any gearing combination.

You'll notice that for the big ring I left off the largest cog and for the small ring I left off the 2 smallest cogs. Since I don't use those gears due to cross chaining.

PolishPostal said:

Let me know if you have different gearing. I can easily create a chart for any gearing combination.

You'll notice that for the big ring I left off the largest cog and for the small ring I left off the 2 smallest cogs. Since I don't use those gears due to cross chaining.

My gearing is the same. I noticed you left off the bad combinations. I occasionally use a 39x13. Am I pushing it too far with that combination?
Where is Proctorville

Mish said:

My gearing is the same. I noticed you left off the bad combinations. I occasionally use a 39x13. Am I pushing it too far with that combination?
Where is Proctorville

I get chain rub with my FD adjustment on my 12 & 13 in the 39, so at that point I go to the big ring.

Proctorville is on the Ohio River at the sothern most tip of the state (Where Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky meet).

Your FD shifter should have a trim function, a half click, to allow for that.

PolishPostal said:

Let me know if you have different gearing. I can easily create a chart for any gearing combination.

You'll notice that for the big ring I left off the largest cog and for the small ring I left off the 2 smallest cogs. Since I don't use those gears due to cross chaining.

What are the units in your charts and what wheel diameter do you assume?

Robert Gardner said:

What are the units in your charts and what wheel diameter do you assume?

mile per hour
700-23 tire size