I'm a grinder!

[Stig-OT-Dump]

I must have been good this year, Santa brought me a cadence sensor.

Now I'm sad - my natural cadence seems to be well below the optimum values. I'm trying to concentrate on dropping a gear and spinning, but then I seem to lose pace.

So does anyone have advice? How can I start spinning like a dervish and still rip up the miles? Or, am I stuck with mother nature's gifts while being cursed by Santa's?

 

[Fab Foodie]

I must have been good this year, Santa brought me a cadence sensor.

Now I'm sad - my natural cadence seems to be well below the optimum values. I'm trying to concentrate on dropping a gear and spinning, but then I seem to lose pace.

So does anyone have advice? How can I start spinning like a dervish and still rip up the miles? Or, am I stuck with mother nature's gifts while being cursed by Santa's?

And what's wrong with being a Grinder? Welcome to the club.
I think there has been a lot of bollocks talked about cadence, especially since Lance came along. A few bits gleaned from C+ suggests that recent research shows that people pedal most efficiently and effectively at their "natural" cadence. There may be good reason for this... we're not all designed and built the same so why should we pedal the same?

My own 25+ years of cycling have been at would would be described at Grinder cadence. I spent the first 2 years at my Cycling club (about 4 years ago) desperately trying to Spin like Lance with poor effect (everybody told me I should), one day I gave-up and slipped up a couple of cogs and lo and behold, I could now keep-up with the changes in pace much more easily and ascend the short sharp climbs much quicker with a quick honk. I suspect there are many of us out there who's natural pedaling style is more torque than revs, if it suits then use it, don't get bullied into having to use anybody else's cadence. Experiment by all means, but don't feel pressurised.

 

[Young Un]

I think I am a grinder aswell and I find that grinding is what suits me best - altough it may have just destroyed my knee

Steve

 

[RedBike]

I tend to spin on the flat but on hills for some reason I always end up mashing the gears up them.

The steeper the hill the more I mash/grind the gears, even if I have lower gears available to use.

 

[dudi]

what is the 'perfect' rpm? is it still 90?

 

[andrew-the-tortoise]

I tend to 'grind' up hills as well..

 

[snorri]

what is the 'perfect' rpm? is it still 90?

That is the figure "they" quote. I can only attain that rpm by staying in the granny ring and sweating like an ox.

 

[Fab Foodie]

what is the 'perfect' rpm? is it still 90?

No, the perfect rpm is what works for you after you've experimented with the options.

 

[Ravenz]

What cadence are you doing when 'grinding'? ... imo going down to 60 is no issue.. I think any slower tho' could possibly be detrimental in the long term for joints .. i.e. stressing them as opposed to creating overload to strengthen ligaments and tendons which have a poorer blood supply but help to stabilise those critical areas.

 

[jimboalee]

Fab Foodie is correct.

My story.
Back in the sixties and seventies, a tripple was very rare, and the small ring on a road race bike was usually 39. The big sprocket was 22 or 23 on a five block. If you needed any lower, you were considered a nancy.
My Pug has 38 x 23, and I have adapted to be a 'grinder'.
On the flat, a lot of the Solihull club spin along on the small ring while I pedal big gears slowly.
I have taken a lot of stick from the younguns, while the older chaps don't say anything.

Do what feels natural.

 

[HLaB]

My cadence sensor is fitted to my summer bike but I don't really pay too much attention to it. Looking back at my figures I average around 68rpm for leisure cycling (I like hills) but I don't like pedaling down hill that's bound to affect it. It rises slightly to 75rpm on average for flatter routes but even then I like freewheeling so I wouldn't pay much attention to it.

 

[Joe24]

When im on the fixed i do whatever cadence i can. I cant just change gear when i start spinning fast, and if its a strong headwind, i cant keep the speed going because its strong then my cadence is going to drop.
I can spin fast aswell as grind a gear. Which is something i like
I found that if i went from grinding on a ride, to dropping it down a gear to spin more, then when it should be easier it just isnt and i lose speed, so i go back to grinding.

 

[Will1985]

I'm a spinner at around 98-105rpm. I'll spin up short hills but inevitably it drops on the longer steeper inclines.

I find grinding can hurt my knee, but that may be due to an old injury which doesn't like lots of force put through it.

 

[dudi]

No, the perfect rpm is what works for you after you've experimented with the options.

that's what i was inferring by the quotation points around 'perfect'

 

[BentMikey]

I'm a spinner at around 98-105rpm. I'll spin up short hills but inevitably it drops on the longer steeper inclines.

I find grinding can hurt my knee, but that may be due to an old injury which doesn't like lots of force put through it.

I've noticed that I not only love spinning, but I'm noticeably faster on my recumbent at above 95rpm. OTOH I'm pretty happy rolling along on my fixed wheel at uber low rpm. That's only uphill though, as I ride 66", which seems to be a tiny gear compared to most on here.