I follow the simple idea that ones self selected cadence is where one is effective and should do a wast majority of training and also racing.
However I have risen my cadence from high 70’s into the 90’s and feel that it is way easier to do hard intervals. I bet a lot of others share this experience. There is also some argument that it would be easier to run after the bike if you use a higher cadence (>85 or whatever) and that it is easier on the knees.
I do have a client who self selects a CRAZY low cadence. Sometimes even below 50, usually 55-60. Instinctively I want to change this, but I’m not sure if its just gut feel or sound practice.
Have that athlete do a 20K time trial @ low cadence and then run a 5K afterwards
Have them do a high cadence time trial the next week and see how the run goes. Maybe need several data points though.
Joking aside, it often comes down to personal preference, and different cadences seem to work better for different riders.
At a minimum, you should have that person at least try pedaling at a higher cadence at times, just to try it out.
It’s also a helluva lot easier to accelerate (such at overtaking another rider, etc.) when you’re not all bogged down to start.
And yes, I think super low cadences can be tough on the knees, so that’s another reason to perhaps spin the pedals a bit faster.
The only time I drop below 55 is when I do strength drills e.g. 20x 1min @ FTP 45-55 RPM and 1 min spin. At 50 rpm you are barely turning pedals over. There is no way in hell I would be able to ride like that.
Self selection works, but you need to do some work so you actually are capable of selecting from a wide range of cadences. If you can only ride at 70, you’ll pick 70 But that does not mean its the best cadence for you. Get comfortable riding between 70 and 110 and then pick.
Generally your brain will know when you need to change gear. If it feels like it would be better to change gear it usually is.
That’s what I find anyway. I think the brain is as sensitive to force as cadence. I don’t see any point in trying to increase or decrease what feels most comfortable.
Mind you, more people need some sort of app to tell them when to change gear these days.
Sure, self-selected is best, but you can train yourself up to a higher cadence, thereby making your self-selected cadence much higher with it. “A high tide floats all boats.”
A strong guy and a weak guy have to climb a rope as fast as possible. The strong guy will self-select to use a faster and more effective turnover rate to get the job done faster, because he’s actually capable of it. How does the weak guy become a strong/fast guy? By choosing to train in a way that makes himself more like the strong/fast guy.
You could train low and slow and hope that you’ll be able to go high cadence when needed, but hope is a poor training plan.
I follow the simple idea that ones self selected cadence is where one is effective and should do a wast majority of trainingIt’s not clear why self selecting cadence is necessarily optimal. Isn’t training about pushing yourself out of a comfort zone. Most people wouldn’t self select doing 5 min intervals at 110-120% of threshold power.
To your point - guy goes into a gym for the first time and self selects 45 pounds on the bench press and then sticks with it because self selection is the best way to do any physical activity, right?
You don’t get faster by doing what you want to do, you get faster by doing things you don’t want to do.
A strong guy and a weak guy have to climb a rope as fast as possible. The strong guy will self-select to use a faster and more effective turnover rate to get the job done faster, because he’s actually capable of it. How does the weak guy become a strong/fast guy? By choosing to train in a way that makes himself more like the strong/fast guy.
Old cartoon from The New Yorker: two guys on the golf course. One is saying, “I don’t get it. I overswing like Arnie, I look up early like Trevino, my elbow sticks out like Gary, my left foot is crooked like Jack, and I still can’t hit the ball worth a damn.”
It’s not clear why self selecting cadence is necessarily optimal. Isn’t training about pushing yourself out of a comfort zone. Most people wouldn’t self select doing 5 min intervals at 110-120% of threshold power.
Because you body can figure out the optimum cadence better than you can, unless you want to suggest that breathing rate should not be self selected. I know I self select the cadence when doing 5 minute intervals, why would most people not? In fact during a really hard effort the last thing I am focusing on is cadence, I am trying my best to hit the power numbers.
I think you are confusing cadence with something meaningful, like power.
I agree that self selected is the way to go - within limits.
If I was in a position where my self selected cadence was 55 for given intervals, I’d try to do those same intervals at 60rpm for a while until it felt normal. Then I’d try 65rpm…
I’m not saying that everybody can/should be a 95+rpm spinner, but 70rpm should be a targetable minimum IMO.
It’s not clear why self selecting cadence is necessarily optimal. Isn’t training about pushing yourself out of a comfort zone. Most people wouldn’t self select doing 5 min intervals at 110-120% of threshold power.
Because you body can figure out the optimum cadence better than you can, unless you want to suggest that breathing rate should not be self selected. I know I self select the cadence when doing 5 minute intervals, why would most people not? In fact during a really hard effort the last thing I am focusing on is cadence, I am trying my best to hit the power numbers.
I think you are confusing cadence with something meaningful, like power.I think over time most people figure these things out. For a beginner, I’m not convinced cadence is the same as breathing. They may just as easily self select a cadence that yields a lower power output than they are capable of producing. After you’ve been riding for a while you have a pretty good feel for what power you’re capable of for a given duration. A beginner doesn’t.
I believe it takes a bit of practice to be able to pedal smoothly and efficiently at 100-110 RPM. Doing hard 5 min intervals is probably a good way to get that practice as riders will naturally change gears to minimize the pain. But not everyone likes or does hard 5 min intervals, especially triathletes
With the Tour de France just behind us and Lance Armstrong back in the news, much of the cycling and triathlon media will have made plenty of comments about the higher cadence at which Armstrong rides compared to many of the other riders. Unfortunately, nothing has compromised the average triathlete’s ability to improve on their bike more than the common assumption that maintaining a higher cadence equates to improved performances on the bike regardless of the rider’s ability and fitness. Not only do professional cyclists compete at far higher power outputs than the typical triathlete, but they also do not have to run at the end of the bike and can afford to push their legs and body much closer to the point of exhaustion by the end of the bike.
To better understand the importance of cycling cadence and effort in triathlon, you first need to understand how your bike cadence relates to competing in a triathlon as a whole, and how changes in cadence impact your body while you train or compete.
The easiest way to visualize cadence and its effect on your body is to picture the bike segment of a triathlon as an amount of “work” to be done, like a huge boulder sitting in your backyard that you need to move from Point A to Point B as quickly as possible. You can equate trying to move the boulder in one exhaustive effort with trying to complete the bike segment with one enormous pedal stroke using a huge chain ring like the one John Howard used setting the world land speed record on a bicycle. The work you need to do to move that boulder in one go or to pedal that bizarre contraption is going to take a huge amount of muscular exertion that will exhaust you by the time you get to Point B.
Your other option is to break up the boulder into a large number of small rocks that you carry from A to B – you’re on the right track here, unless you break up the boulder into so many pieces that you spend a lot of time hurrying back and forth, increasing your heart rate and putting a lot of aerobic stress on your body as you hurry as quickly as possible to move all those stones. This equates to using a very high cadence to move from A to B on the bike.
Because you body can figure out the optimum cadence better than you can, unless you want to suggest that breathing rate should not be self selected.
I guess you are broadly correct that “your body” can figure out what is right in terms of cadence and breathing and a whole host of other things. But, there is a huge difference from, say, hopping on a bike, settling into a comfortable cadence and then not changing that, ever, and working on helping your body find what is optimal as your abilities and needs change over time.
Personally, I don’t think about cadence much, now. 99.9% of the time, I am unconsciously selecting my cadence. But, when I started riding, I though about it a lot. I trained myself to be comfortable at a broad range of cadences. It took a while to get comfortable at varous rpms and it took longer to not have to look at the computer to be reminded I was “out of range” for what I knew was my optimal cadence.
Now, after years in the saddle, I can “self select” my cadence very very well. BUT, I was not capable of doing that at the beginning. It took work to get comfortable at the higher cadences I prefer and, where I have much better performance.
Every cyclist will be better if they get themselves capable of spinning comfortably at 100+ rpm for long stretches. Only then can you truly self select. 85 might be right for you. 105 might be right for you. But if you can never ever get to 105, you’ll never know that . . . .
Is this 50-60 on flat ground? For long periods of time?
I do agree that higher cadence is not for everyone, but I would think that someone who pedals that low lacks pedaling technique more than anything.
They may also lack proper gearing for the speeds/terrain that they ride.
I tend to prefer a cadence in the 90-95 range on flats. On hills when sitting up I tend to gravitate to a lower cadence in the mid 70s to low 80s even when I have the gearing to permit a cadence of 90-95. Is this typical?
I tend to prefer a cadence in the 90-95 range on flats. On hills when sitting up I tend to gravitate to a lower cadence in the mid 70s to low 80s even when I have the gearing to permit a cadence of 90-95. Is this typical?
I find myself most comfortable with these ranges myself.
But that does not mean its the best cadence for you. Get comfortable riding between 70 and 110 and then pick.