Increasing cadence

[maxfox44]

Good Evening All

I'm looking for advice/links to help me pedal faster.

Currently, I pedal at a natural 75 revs, I just seem to stick to that unless I really focus on the Garmin.

I know that the pros spin 100+ and I'm lead to believe that I'd be more efficient at higher revs than I am now.

Any info would be greatly appreciated

 

[Milkfloat]

It will take time. Ignoring the question if it will be of any help to you, If you really want to increase then aim to raise your average 5 or so RPM for a ride and ignore all other metrics, after a couple of weeks of riding raise it again.

 

[MikeG]

Ride a gear down from the one you would normally use. I ride at a much higher cadence than others in my club, and I'm always in a lower gear than them. The two go hand in hand. Riding is an endurance event, not a test of strength.

 

[maxfox44]

It will take time. Ignoring the question if it will be of any help to you, If you really want to increase then aim to raise your average 5 or so RPM for a ride and ignore all other metrics, after a couple of weeks of riding raise it again.

I’ll try that, thanks!!!

 

[maxfox44]

Ride a gear down from the one you would normally use. I ride at a much higher cadence than others in my club, and I'm always in a lower gear than them. The two go hand in hand. Riding is an endurance event, not a test of strength.

It's odd, I shift down and unless I keep looking at the screen I slow down to 75 again.

 

[Spoons47]

I’m only a beginner but cadence is my thing, just drop down a gear, it may feel like your going knowhere if your on an incline but just enjoy the ride, the fresh air and the feeling of your heart getting healthier day by day.

 

[Spoons47]

I don’t even use a computer. Once I have counted how many times my knee comes up in 15 secs with the help of app on Apple Watch, I instinctively know the rate I should be at.

 

[Venod]

Get rid of your higher gears, I use a 46/36 with 11--32 cassette, my times are no different to 50/34 but I think my average cadence has risen.

 

[Tin Pot]

Good Evening All

I'm looking for advice/links to help me pedal faster.

Currently, I pedal at a natural 75 revs, I just seem to stick to that unless I really focus on the Garmin.

I know that the pros spin 100+ and I'm lead to believe that I'd be more efficient at higher revs than I am now.

Any info would be greatly appreciated

I did it on a turbo trainer. Intervals at over 100rpm on up to 120rpm. Once you do that for a few months, keeping a steady 90-95rpm doesn’t seem nearly as hard as it did originally.

Only tip would be to be patient. If you’re losing form, ease down a bit. I think it’s easier to monitor on a turbo, plus you can keep the resistance low unlike outdoors.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The reason pros ride at high cadences is exactly the same reason a F1 racing car engine will rev much higher than the engine in the car you do your shopping in. Power is Torque x Speed, so for a given leg strength the faster you can pedal the more power you can develop. For a non-competitive cyclist there is no benefit to pushing your cadence outside the range at which it is naturally comfortable. "Efficiency" is not really important unless you wanted to ride the maximum possible distance on the minimum amount of food intake. The human body is not very efficient at converting food into energy anyway. In energy conversion terms a low cadence is likely to be more efficient than a high one, because spinning your legs takes energy regardless of whether you are producing any useful power. Disconnect your chain and spin your pedals at 100+ RPM with no load and see how long you can keep it up for before you tire of it! You'll soon get fed up with it.

 

[Seevio]

I seem to recall GCN doing a marginally scientific experiment where they concluded that the best cadence is the one that feels natural to you. Having said that, I have no idea whether your cadence increases as you get fitter and faster or you just select a higher gear.

For comparison, in this years Tour de France, Chris Froome, who spins like a hamster on speed, was beaten by Geraint Thomas who pedals a whole lot slower.

 

[derrick]

I seem to recall GCN doing a marginally scientific experiment where they concluded that the best cadence is the one that feels natural to you. Having said that, I have no idea whether your cadence increases as you get fitter and faster or you just select a higher gear.

For comparison, in this years Tour de France, Chris Froome, who spins like a hamster on speed, was beaten by Geraint Thomas who pedals a whole lot slower.

Yes we all have a speed we are happy to spin at.you just have to find yours.

 

[Sharky]

Try this technique that I sometimes use to keep my speed up:-

Starting with either leg, really push down hard once. Then count 123 and on the third rev, push down hard with the other leg and repeat.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I seem to recall GCN doing a marginally scientific experiment where they concluded that the best cadence is the one that feels natural to you..

Agreed. We are not all the same....
Ditch the garmin.
If you want to go faster, do intervals and/or join a club.

 

[Tin Pot]

Good Evening All

I'm looking for advice/links to help me pedal faster.

Currently, I pedal at a natural 75 revs, I just seem to stick to that unless I really focus on the Garmin.

I know that the pros spin 100+ and I'm lead to believe that I'd be more efficient at higher revs than I am now.

Any info would be greatly appreciated

Ignore the discouraging posts - you’re doing the right thing in learning to spin faster and easier.