Written by:
Dr. Dale E. Brigham, Ph.D.
USA Cycling Licensed Expert Coach
Brigham Training Services
Columbia MO,
One of the best features of road and mountain bikes is that you can change gears (chain ring/cog combinations) to suit the terrain and conditions, which allows you to maintain a steady pedaling rate, or cadence, regardless of whether your bike is going fast or slow. This is a good thing, since we all intuitively know that both pedaling too slowly or too fast is not as good as pedaling at the right cadence. But knowing what that optimal cadence is for each of us and learning how to ride at that cadence is another matter. Let’s see what expert coaches and sports scientists have to say about this, and then let’s figure out how to use that information to make us better cyclists.
There’s a lot of lore in cycling, and one of the most hidebound traditions is that pedaling cadence should be from 80-100 revolutions per minute (rpm). Traditionally, one hallmark of an accomplished cyclist is the ability to maintain pedaling in that cadence range most of the time. That’s not to say that a skilled cyclist will never stray outside that range – steep climbs often dictate a lower cadence, and sprinters usually exceed 100 rpm during the final rush for the finish. And that’s not to say that there are not successful racers who spend much of their time riding at cadences above and below that range. There are some pretty fast guys and gals who push the big gears and some who spin the little ones.
In fact, all of us should “violate” the cadence laws some of the time during training. Spend some of your training miles riding in big gears at low cadence to build muscular strength and little gears at high cadence to work on suppleness. Nevertheless, most of the time, most of us should try to ride with an 80-100 rpm pedaling cadence.
Why that cadence, you ask? First of all, the “bible” of cycling, Italy’s famous CONI manual, tells us so. The CONI manual, which was compiled in the early 60’s by Italian coaches and sport scientists, is the distilled essence of generations of cycling lore and science. How relevant is that info today? Well, the USA Cycling recommends roughly the same pedaling cadence (90-110 rpm) for road racers in their coaching manuals, so it seems that this advice stands the test of time.
So, what do today’s sport scientist’s say about cycling cadence? Over the years, scientists have observed in study after study that experienced cyclists instinctively choose an 80-100 rpm cadence, but, to put it bluntly, until recently, the researchers didn’t seem to have a clue as to why. In fact, several studies have shown that the most efficient (least energy expended for a given work output) pedaling cadence range is much lower, between 30 and 80 rpm. So why are we trying to pedal so fast, anyway?
Sports scientists have attempted to reconcile this discrepancy between scientific observation and hidebound tradition. Recent findings made by a group of Japanese sport scientists (published in the Dec. 1996 issue of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise may explain why racing cyclists like to pedal so fast. The researchers found that the pedaling rate that experienced cyclists preferred was not the one with the most efficient energy use; it was the cadence at which neuromuscular fatigue was the lowest. To put it more scientifically, the peak torque needed to turn the cranks is decreased at a higher pedaling cadence, so neuromuscular fatigue is likewise decreased. That is, by having a high cadence, the cyclists turned the cranks faster with less muscular strain per stroke, than if they had a lower cadence.
At long last, scientific knowledge has caught up with traditional lore – we pedal fast so that we don’t overly fatigue our leg muscles. This makes perfect sense if you compare sprinting up a steep hill in a big gear at 40-60 rpm to sprinting up the same hill in a lower gear at 80-100 rpm. I’ll bet you can get to the top just as fast in the lower gear, but your legs will feel much better than with the big gear. In bike racing, breathing hard isn’t all that pleasant, but it’s dead legs that stop you cold. A brisk pedaling cadence keeps those legs alive.
How can you raise your cadence, if you are not pedaling as fast as you’d like? Practice, practice, practice. Work on riding in a lower than normal gear for short periods, then gradually increase the amount of time you spend spinning. This practice can be done on the road, trail, stationary trainer, or cycling rollers. A low fixed gear (single-speed, no freewheel) forces a high cadence, but your regular bike will also do nicely. Just use the smaller chainring(s) and larger cogs, and make yourself keep pedaling when you otherwise would coast.
One fringe benefit of riding with a high cadence is that it often reveals bike fit problems, particularly having the saddle height set too high. If you are unable to pedal at 90 rpm or so without your hips rocking from side to side or without bouncing on the saddle, try lowering your saddle. Make saddle height changes in small increments (5 millimeters or less at a time), and give yourself time to adjust to the new position.
You can monitor your pedaling cadence either by using a cycle computer with a cadence function (a sensor mounted on the chain stay detects crank arm revolutions) or by using a watch and simply counting. Do that looking at your watch, counting 30 crank revolutions, then looking at your watch again to see how many seconds have elapsed. If 20 seconds have elapsed, you’re at 90 rpm; if 15 seconds are gone, you’re doing 120 rpm.
Actually, if the latest scientific findings are correct, muscular characteristics (like the muscle fiber type and number, muscle cross-sectional area, and overall strength of muscles involved in cycling) of each rider dictate each rider’s optimal pedaling cadence. Regardless, the old advice of 80-100 rpm is a good place to start. Given training and experience, you’ll find your own particular, optimum pedaling cadence.
Contact Brigham Training Services at brighamdmo@hotmail.com
