I find it easier to naturally ride with a higher cadence outside. I've also discovered I ride with a higher cadence indoors if I'm watching Sufferfest videos.

The only downside to a lower cadence, is that depending on your power to weight ratio and how aggressive your position is, it can require a lot of core strength to generate that higher torque output.

I know when my FD broke on a hilly training loop, I spend 2 hours riding below 80RPM most of te time. My legs didn't care and I could sustain power without issue most of the time, but my back sure felt it on the steeped climbs as I fell under 50RPM.

The other downside, is that standard gearing is often too short for riding below 80RPM. You run out of gear really fast with tailwinds. You'll see pros that ride a low cadence going to a 55T or bigger. Especially courses like Kona with long sustained descents with a cross tailwind.

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TrainingBible Coaching
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My self selected cadence for long-whatever riding is about 75 to 80 rpm, I've been in the 68-72 range before and it's just a little uncomfortable-slow for me

Sprint racing near threshold power is about 86

I did 5X5 min at 115% last night and was 85 and 86 for all of them

All because it's what gave me the max power and not because I was targeting a number. In the mid 1980's when I started cycling I was taught to ride near 100 all of the time, it was natural and comfortable for me then, I can do it and not bounce around but it just seems uncomfortably quick now.

If 67-68 is where you are comfortable with I'd stay there, your body will tell you if you need to change.

Are you saying this is the same cadence range across all intensities?

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Steve Johnson
DARK HORSE TRIATHLON |

curious about this as well.

do you think that the grade AND the RPM's have an effect on power output? i would actually imagine so as the pedaling dynamics change with your inertia and resulting muscle recruitment through the stroke.

a personal anecdote:
my personal ftp outside occurs around 92 RPM on flatish roads. did a hillclimb recently where i was hoping to hold my ftp on a ~12% grade climb but I was undergeared and my cadence was closer to 75 with stretches in the 60's when it pitched to ~15%. i ended up blowing up about 80% of the way to the top, despite actually being slightly under my power goal, and am convinced that my forcibly low cadence created novel muscular stresses that i was not used to. i would otherwise blame an incorrect ftp, etc. but the next day i did a 2x20 workout at my self-selected cadence and held a higher power with no problem and i'd say even less perceived exertion.

For me this was holding my max FTP for the longest period of time. I felt like this cadence gave me the smoothest spin on the pedals at threshold pace. Can I spin faster? yes but when Im trying to hold max FTP this is the cadence I gravitate to.

This could be it, the difference in inertia could result in a different optimal cadence.

I agree. I've found that my indoor vs. outdoor power is the same as long as I drop my cadence 10-15 when indoors.

If you use a trainer with a pretty light flywheel it will slow your pedals while you go thru top and bottom. That's why it's harder to do fast cadence indoor.

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Personal best:
Ironman 9:22:02
Ironman 70.3 4:20:00

I have found this as well. Comfortable for me is around ~100rpm outside, and ~85rpm inside. After a winter on the trainer I find it takes a couple rides before everything feels right again at 100 though.

Have you spent much time training at other cadences?
I am not saying that everyone needs to ride high cadences- far from that.
But training in different cadences can give you some suppleness and technique that may allow you to ride a higher cadence at a higher power than you currently ride.
Just have to check your ego for a bit when training different cadences.

Personally, I feel best at a cadence in the 60s (while on my trainer, a KK Road Machine) riding at about 80-85% of FTP. Anything higher, for any "real" duration of time and it's just too much torque. But intervals <2mins, all intensities are fair game for me at lower cadences (mid 70s or lower).

But out on the road, the higher the intensity, a higher cadence generally feels best unless it's a steep climb and there's no other option than to just grind away with what your gearing allows.

Seems to me you've got some pretty beefy legs to be doing extended intervals at FTP at a cadence in the 60s. But if it works, it works.

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Steve Johnson
DARK HORSE TRIATHLON |