Gears

[Moda]

Is there an accepted way to determine what gear you should be in for optimal riding speed and comfort?

Have seen a lot of racers ie in the TDF spinning cranks at a rate that to my mind seems too high.

Cadence?

 

[Born2die]

I just fiddle till it feels right never worried about my cadence just look at the mph and try to make it go up a bit

 

[cyberknight]

The average cadence is around 90 rpm , of course everyone is different and some prefer to grind or spin faster so it is best to play round and see what suits you the best.
The easiest way to find out is to buy a bike computer with a cadence sensor.

 

[buggi]

i think technically, cadence should be between 80-100rpm, but for me, that knackers my knees, so i just stick to what feels ok.

 

[helston90]

It's down to you- your body and how you prefer to ride. Sometimes I find there are gradients I prefer to stand and grind up then a few days later I'll spin up them, there's no right or wrong.

 

[akb]

I have always followed the logic that the chosen gear should be set so it is comfortable on your legs and allows you to maintaing a constant speed.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

i think technically, cadence should be between 80-100rpm, but for me, that knackers my knees, so i just stick to what feels ok.

Technically your cadence should be what you are comfortable riding with, not what a magazine or throwaway comment in an article says it should be.

 

[Exile]

When I first started riding, both me and the OH would check what gear we were each in at a certain point and tell if we found it easy or too hard. Then we realised that we aren't the same so what gear I'm in doesn't matter to him and vice versa. Rule of thumb we now have is ride what is comfortable for us. On a normal day I usually change gears whenever I feel it's either too easy to spin the pedals or too hard, but exactly what counts at "too easy/hard" changes almost every day.

Some days I want a challenge so grind a little, others I'm more relaxed so spin a bit. I don't get to a stretch of road and think "I need to be in 2-4 for this stretch" or "This is a 2-2 hill". Gear selection is a very "touchy-feely" aspect of riding for me, I tend to just know if it's right for that moment, and shift up or down if it's not.

 

[slowmotion]

When it hurts, drop a gear. Then repeat. When there are no more gears left, grit your teeth and start mumbling to yourself ( and curse other cyclists passing you).
Simple.

 

[Tim Hall]

When it hurts, drop a gear. Then repeat. When there are no more gears left, grit your teeth and start mumbling to yourself ( and curse other cyclists passing you).
Simple.

Which is not so easy on fixed. Over in Another Place, one member was out for a ride, on his fixer, with his daughter on her MTB. She was struggling.
"It's OK for you, you've only got one gear. I've got 21, and they're ALL wrong."

 

[Bryony]

When it hurts, drop a gear. Then repeat. When there are no more gears left, grit your teeth and start mumbling to yourself ( and curse other cyclists passing you).
Simple.

Thats my technique!! Haha

 

[burndust]

i tend to mix it up between spinning and grinding....obv when i start to spin too much and my rpm is at like 120 i change to a harder gear

 

[DooDah]

What everyone else has said, find out what you feel comfortable with. My cadence is around 80 on average, faster feels uncomfortable for me.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

I've noticed that those who use a faster cadence tend to get larger calves, and those with a slower cadence tend to get larger thighs. So choose the cadence that fits your preferred leg profile .

 

[ColinJ]

I've noticed that those who use a faster cadence tend to get larger calves, and those with a slower cadence tend to get larger thighs. So choose the cadence that fits your preferred leg profile .

What if you have large calves and large thighs?