Big or Small ring?

[Slick]

So I'm trying to improve my cycling performance, so trying to use my commutes as workouts but also riding with others on training runs. On one of these runs they kept remarking they thought I should be on the small ring more often as I'm not efficient by expending energy I don't need to. I felt comfortable enough at the time but I do feel my legs are letting me down first as my weakest point, and I did begin to flag a bit on this run as well. Would spinning on the lower ring help this even if I was trying to keep my speed reasonable?

 

[Ian H]

If your bike is rocking from side-to-side on the flat, you're probably in too high a gear. Very roughly, aim for 90rpm cadence as a pedalling speed. Though some professionals do use seated climbing in the biggest gear possible as a training technique.

 

[vickster]

Use the gears you need to make the required progress

 

[simongt]

Back in the day, we'd push big gears regardless, which is why riders of a certain age tend to have dodgy knees - ! Now it's all about cadence in smaller gears. It's really down to whatever feels comfortable for you personally and how the 'wiring' between brain & legs is. I've tried spinning faster than about 70 - 80 rpm in various conditions and gears, but my legs just refuse to cooperate - !

 

[gavroche]

Listen to your legs, if you are struggling, then drop your gear until it feels comfortable.

 

[Slick]

To be honest, I thought I was just keeping it simple by pushing as hard as required to make progress. The advice I was given on a group ride was I'm doing it wrong, and I just wondered how prevalent the advice was. Suppose it's all about experimenting.

 

[avsd]

Small ring during winter to encourage high cadence

 

[lpretro1]

You'll just knacker your knees and yourself pushing too big gears - there's a good reason why there is a choice of gears!

 

[S-Express]

The advice I was given on a group ride was I'm doing it wrong, and I just wondered how prevalent the advice was.

Depends what they said you were doing wrong. It also depends whether they actually know what they are talking about or not - it's not neccesarily a given that they do. In any case, if you were staying with them, then you weren't doing too much wrong. Use your gears and spin your legs in any way that you feel comfortable. The best arbiter of that decision is going to be you.

 

[Hacienda71]

You will find your own natural cadence. You may find it changes over time. Some top pros ride with a relatively low cadence, some ride with a high cadence.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I spin usually between 85-95 beyond that it doesn't feel right, I can spin upto 110 but this would be sprinting or down hill, I will choose what gear gives me that range on my bike its usually the middle ring a 38th for virtually all my riding bar down anything other than a shallow decline (24mph or so) I will use the inner ring 26th to spin on longer steeper climbs, though most steeper inclines here are not very long 1/2 mile max so tend to get out of the saddle.

 

[Slick]

You'll just knacker your knees and yourself pushing too big gears - there's a good reason why there is a choice of gears!

That's almost word for word what this guy told me. I feel my respiratory system recovers very quickly but my legs are being pushed to fail rate and take days to recover. I'm also guessing by the mixture of advice, it's also a personal thing exactly how best to handle it?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Not sure about doing your knees in, but cycling has strengthened mine.

 

[S-Express]

As above, I'm not sure exactly how pushing a high gear will 'knacker' your knees.

 

[vickster]

That's almost word for word what this guy told me. I feel my respiratory system recovers very quickly but my legs are being pushed to fail rate and take days to recover. I'm also guessing by the mixture of advice, it's also a personal thing exactly how best to handle it?

Are you stretching your legs after riding to help them recover and having rest days? Presumably not if you are commuting but your legs take days to recover?

Also if riding big ring and big cogs, you could be shortening the life of your drive chain