I can maintain a pretty solid 90+ cadence when sitting up…but when I drop down into the aerobars my cadence automatically drops and I find it awkward/less powerful to try and maintain a high cadence while aero…what could be causing this/why would this be happening? Thanks in advance.
knees hitting chest/torso.
Weakness in the lower position, vs. in a more upright position.
It can happen to anyone. I think Tom A. just posted to a different thread, but same answer: specificity breeds success. Just do your work in your aero/as raced position, and your power/conditioning will improve.
Unless your seat is too high…cuz then your F-kt. “Pink font goes there.”
Likely you have uncovered a personal limiter. Ride more aero and you will see increased performance and comfort in aero.
My view: I am not that concerned with cadence other than personal preference vs performance (bike/run in IM).
Most IMs are mostly flat and an athlete seeks to be aero for 5-6hrs. Work it big time.
KP
Since you are measuring your cadence, you a likely measuring your heartrate at the same time.
Cadence is the most worthless of all measurements as it relates to interpreting cycling performance. You’d be better off tripping out about the difference between your heartrate while riding aero vs. sitting up…if your are looking to optimize your efficiency on the bike.
“Cadence is the most worthless of all measurements as it relates to interpreting cycling performance.”
You’ll know it’s not worthless when your legs are concrete stumps hitting the run if you are riding too large of a gear with ultra-low cadence & your knees are in pain…there is some value in paying attention to cadence. You need to find a cadence that works for you in the cycling leg to optimize performance while not inhibiting your run.
I can maintain a pretty solid 90+ cadence when sitting up…but when I drop down into the aerobars my cadence automatically drops and I find it awkward/less powerful to try and maintain a high cadence while aero…what could be causing this/why would this be happening? Thanks in advance.
Sounds like your power drops dramatically, so that you can’t maintain the same cadence in that same gear.
It’s because your hip angle gets tighter.
It’s possible that you can simply train more with this position and adapt (regain your power) in that tighter hip angle, or it may be that you need to make other fit changes to open your hip angle up while trying to stay low in front (ie. moving the seat forward, perhaps raising the bars-last resort, or maybe using shorter cranks).
Post some pictures for more targeted suggestions.
On my road bike I notice the same exact thing, sitting bolt-upright I can swing a seriously high cadence, smooth as silk. However, even bent over in the road position, my effective cadence drops. What does it matter, as I can’t race sitting up. What matters is power generation at various cadences and efficiency, something you can accurately chart with a powermeter and a HRM and the proper test protocols. (Don’t ask me, I’m not quite there yet, but I keep reading about it while getting ready) While cadence might not be a hugely important factor, we all do have cadences at which we are more efficient than others. But if that cadence occurs while sitting upright like a flagpole, any benefit will be negated by add’l drag. Stay in your racing position, find your optimum cadence and learn to ride it.
I recently noticed an increase in HR going aero vs sitting up. I plan on getting a profesional bike fit soon probably fitwerx in MA since I am in NH to address this. I never noticed this last year probably because I always forced myself to ride aero or standing while climbing but this year I have been alternating sitting to stretch lower back (which has issues).
I recently noticed an increase in HR going aero vs sitting up. I plan on getting a profesional bike fit soon probably fitwerx in MA since I am in NH to address this. I never noticed this last year probably because I always forced myself to ride aero or standing while climbing but this year I have been alternating sitting to stretch lower back (which has issues).Now that is interesting if only because my experience is exactly opposite - my HR goes up when I sit up. I attributed it to gravity and the increased effort to pump blood vertically vs. horizontally. Now, who knows? Regardless, HR is only an indicator of how fast your heart is pumping, not your ability to put out watts. (though they can be related)
I recently noticed an increase in HR going aero vs sitting up. I plan on getting a profesional bike fit soon probably fitwerx in MA since I am in NH to address this. I never noticed this last year probably because I always forced myself to ride aero or standing while climbing but this year I have been alternating sitting to stretch lower back (which has issues).Now that is interesting if only because my experience is exactly opposite - my HR goes up when I sit up. I attributed it to gravity and the increased effort to pump blood vertically vs. horizontally. Now, who knows? Regardless, HR is only an indicator of how fast your heart is pumping, not your ability to put out watts. (though they can be related)
Right. Sometimes when my heartrate goes up my perceived exertion goes down. It could indicate that your body is now able to comfortably put out more power, using more oxygen, hence faster heart rate.
Well, here’s my take on this and related issues as someone fairly new to multi-sport, who went through the transition to a tri-specific bike a couple of years ago, myself. The summer before last, I took the plunge and bought a tri bike. I didn’t have a powermeter at the time, so I can’t offer any concrete data along those lines. But it was definitely the case that when I first starting riding the tri bike, I found it more difficult to pedal smoothly at a high cadence (i.e., at my preferred cadence on my road bike, which is 90-95). My perception was also that I couldn’t generate as much power or sustain power as well on the tri bike (but again, I didn’t have a powermeter then, so I can’t say this for sure). In addition, when riding a route than I commonly use for sustained time-trialing efforts, I was, if anything, a bit slower on the tri bike than my road bike. Of course, it’s hard to say that definitively, since the conditions (wind, rest, etc.) may have varied. But there certainly wasn’t a noticeable improvement in speed on my tri bike at first. Not what you want to see when you drop a pretty good chunk of cash on a tri-specific bike!
For the first couple of months that I had the tri bike, I didn’t ride it all that often. Yeah, yeah, I know, you need to ride your tri bike if you want to get faster on your tri bike. But I live in Colorado and like to ride in the foothills/mountains, so despite knowing this, I’d only get out my tri bike once per week at best. Over that stretch, although my pedaling stroke got a bit smoother, there still wasn’t a noticeable advantage in speed on my tri bike relative to my road bike. Last year, though, I made a concerted effort to ride the tri bike more, especially in the weeks leading up to key races. Boom, that’s when there were significant changes. With regular riding on the tri bike, my pedaling stroke became much smoother, I could comfortably ride at the 90-95 cadence that I prefer on my road bike, I felt like I could put out power more similar to what I could do on my road bike, and my rides on my time-trialing route started to get faster for the tri bike than the road bike. These days, I’d guess that I’m 1-2 mph faster on my tri bike.
Anyway, specificity of training really is key here, at least it has been for me. You have to ride your tri bike regularly to get faster on your tri bike. Riding on a tri bike requires a different balance of muscles than is the case with a road bike. In addition, if you have a decent drop from your saddle to your aerobars, and are getting down into a really aero position, your hip angle will be much tighter on your tri bike than your road bike. Since you’re working outside the range of motion you’re used to on your road bike, you’re probably not going to be as strong or comfortable (especially if you’re not all that flexible). So the short of it is that as you ride your tri bike more and more, you’ll adapt, you’ll likely feel more comfortable, and you’ll likely start to see the boost in speed that the aero position can give you.
A couple of other things I’d suggest is that if you’re carrying a bit of extra weight around the mid-section, it’d be beneficial to work some of that off. Hard to have a good pedaling stroke if your thighs are being impeded by your belly. 
I’d also suggest that you stretch after a good warm-up and/or after your rides, focusing on the hip flexors and lower back. If you search the internet, there are all kinds of suggestions for stretching routines that focus on those areas. Taking just 5-10 minutes each day to stretch those areas can help in the transition to a tri bike, in my experience.