Cadence same, speed different

[ray316]

l have been cycling now for over 2 years and go out about 3 times a week and do a average ride between 15 to 20 miles at a steady pace which my bike tells me is a average 14 mph, granted this is with some hills and not all flat ground.
Anyway coming to the point of my thread is, while cycling along on a sunday morning l get no end of cyclists pass me by with ease and as they pass me l notice there cadence is the same as mine.
They don't look like they are in higher gear but pedalling with ease like they are in first gear but going much fast on the road but our cadence are the same... am l doing something wrong with the gears or is it the bike/tyres etc...
Be interesting to know the answer from the more active road bikers and tips for improving my road speed..

 

[gaz]

If they are doing the same cadence but are going faster. Then they are in a gearing which develops a higher gear inch than yours.

 

[barongreenback]

Yep - the number of teeth on their cassette and chainrings is likely to be different if for example you're pedalling along on a compact and they have a double. So it looks like they are in the same gear but they're not.

 

[asterix]

Are your wheels the same size?

 

[rich p]

They asked the same of Cancellara at the Paris-Roubaix as well. Dark forces are at work.

 

[Paulus]

The cyclists passing you are probably in a lower gear, so for the same pedal revs(cadence)they will go faster. If they have larger wheels, ie 700c and you have 26inch MTB wheels for instance, even with exactly the same gearing the 700 wheels will go faster. because they are covering more ground for each pedal stoke, measured in inches.

 

[screenman]

Surely that last post is the other way around. Maybe a lower number rear sprocket, which equates to a higher gear. Now say 42 x 15 on a 27 inch wheel a higher gear to 42 x 15 on a 26 inch wheel. Hence as the other poster says, same pedal revs more distance, however also more power would be needed.

Gear sizes are measured in how far you travel per pedal revolution. For instance on a 700c the gears I spoke about earlier would be 75.6 inches and the distance traveled per rev would be 5.61 metres.

 

[Jaristokraatti]

They don't look like they are in higher gear but pedalling with ease like they are in first gear but going much fast on the road but our cadence are the same...

ALL the other answersa are TOTALLY WRONG:
The guys see that you are a virtual novice in the sport. They are actually near to vomiting due to the effort and lactic acid building in their thighs and calves.


The trick they use is as follows:
They see you in front. They start to pedal as fast and furious they can -using the highest gear available; see Cavendish sprint- and just before they overtake you, they will change gears and just pretend to pedal as fast as you.

What you need to do is start to do short intervals as fast as you can. 200 - 500 meters to begin with. 30 sec in between. Pretend to be one of the "fast boys" here.
When you get the interval speed higher, try to do say 1 km or 1 mile as fast as you can.

Every now and then hill training to get some muscle into the thighs. Steepish hill, min half a mile three - four times as fast as you can.

Next bit 30 mins as gfast as you can.

And so on until you are the fastest boy on the road!

 

[Angelfishsolo]

Lighter bike, faster rolling tyres, larger gearing. Don't despair you'll get there

 

[Paulus]

Surely that last post is the other way around. Maybe a lower number rear sprocket, which equates to a higher gear. Now say 42 x 15 on a 27 inch wheel a higher gear to 42 x 15 on a 26 inch wheel. Hence as the other poster says, same pedal revs more distance, however also more power would be needed.

Gear sizes are measured in how far you travel per pedal revolution. For instance on a 700c the gears I spoke about earlier would be 75.6 inches and the distance traveled per rev would be 5.61 metres.

You are of course right sir, I should of said higher gear. A typo on my part.

 

[Twigman]

The cyclists passing you are probably in a lower gear, so for the same pedal revs(cadence)they will go faster.

That would make them in a higher gear....Low gear = small front big back High gear = big front small back

front/back = ratio

ratio gets bigger as front gets bigger and back gets smaller > ratio is higher as it gets bigger > therefore they are in a HIGHER gear




EDIT: I should read the whole thread before making my point...