Is it ever wise to crank in a high gear?

[marinyork]

I don't quite understand why that's so. If you're saying you're getting slower and pushing ever lower gears, it simply means you're losing fitness. There are many possibly reasons for that.

I've cycled 5 years, I'm not a newbie. I started off in a big gear very low RPM and then switched to "doing it properly" in a lower gear. I'm not getting slower, I've plateaued because as I've already pointed out, you can't really spin gears those size more than a certain amount which is why I'm slow on the flat and for my very limited abilities against other riders faster up hills. If someone starts saying let's push a gear that's about 60% bigger than you're used to, yeah there are issues.

 

[MacB]

I've cycled 5 years, I'm not a newbie. I started off in a big gear very low RPM and then switched to "doing it properly" in a lower gear. I'm not getting slower, I've plateaued because as I've already pointed out, you can't really spin gears those size more than a certain amount which is why I'm slow on the flat and for my very limited abilities against other riders faster up hills. If someone starts saying let's push a gear that's about 60% bigger than you're used to, yeah there are issues.

No you don't make a sudden big leap but, if you wish progression, then small increases are required. This gives you two options, spin faster or up the gear and spin the same or slightly slower. It sounds very much as if you've reached a level where your cycling is within a comfort zone.

If your basic pedalling is within the realms of acceptable, which I know it is, then there is no right or wrong. There is only finding the balance that suits you. It sounds like you started on too big gears and then went all the way to the other end of the spectrum. There'll be a happy medium in there somewhere. Mixing it up will give you a much better idea. But I'd definitely expect to be able to achieve a ride, without serious hills, in a gear from mid 60's to mid 70's. Below that I'd be going too slow or spinning faster than I like, above that I'd be grinding too much.

As long as you don't go silly, and just build it up at a reasonable pace, then where's the harm in trying?

 

[marinyork]

I'll give it a go. I can't imagine myself spinning more than 65" though but that would give very desirable cruising speeds in itself of around 20mph spinning out at a realistic cadence which I would be over the moon to have.

 

[jimboalee]

I'll give it a go. I can't imagine myself spinning more than 65" though but that would give very desirable cruising speeds in itself of around 20mph spinning out at a realistic cadence which I would be over the moon to have.

On another thread, you give implication you cruise along at about 14 mph.
Increasing this to 20 mph will require DOUBLING the power requirement.

Are you ready to increase your sustained effort by 100%?

 

[sheddy]

As someone with reoccuring knee pain I think it unwise. If it hurts then stop doing it.

 

[tyred]

I get sore knees if I try to spin in a very low gear.

 

[jimboalee]

I never spin until I am properly warmed up and loosened off.

So on my hour commute, I don't spin.

Then again. When I'm warmed up and loosened off, I climb up the hills standing turning the pedals at 60ish rpm, so on a Rando, I don't spin.

 

[marinyork]

On another thread, you give implication you cruise along at about 14 mph.
Increasing this to 20 mph will require DOUBLING the power requirement.

Are you ready to increase your sustained effort by 100%?

No, not really, but I'll be happy to have that one day. On the other hand people do seem to think I'm underdoing it a bit at the moment, the heart rate doesn't go through the roof in a higher gear but the legs hurt.

Average speed is 11mph cruising speed is about 14mph at the moment, the gear I'm working on would be about 16.6mph cruising speed if I stuck to it. Cruising speed on the race bike of 20mph is probably fairly realistic though.

 

[Ian H]

I'll give it a go. I can't imagine myself spinning more than 65" though but that would give very desirable cruising speeds in itself of around 20mph spinning out at a realistic cadence which I would be over the moon to have.

Are we talking about fixed/single-speed? Somewhere between 60 and 70" is what most would consider sensible.

 

[marinyork]

Are we talking about fixed/single-speed? Somewhere between 60 and 70" is what most would consider sensible.

No, I have a hybrid city bike which was 700x37 tyres and flat bars. I think the stats weigh in at 14.5 kg and then a smidge more than that if you add on the M+ and rack etc and usually I carry around 3kg plus of stuff. I always laugh a bit on these forums when people recommend these really nippy hybrids as a beginners bike. Mine's all right, ridden many thousands of miles on it and had great mini adventures.

I'm not sure what F/SS weigh but I'd imagine it'd be about 10 or 11kg and on 23 or 25mm tyres, as that is so much nippier I have no way of really knowing but I don't see why I couldn't handle a bigger gear say 60". I doubt I'd be going 70" around Sheffield straight away.

 

[marzjennings]

That's effectively saying I should go up about 30 gear inches. I just don't think that's very realistic. I'm sure I would get used to it but I'm not sure how many years that would take, 5, 10, 15 doing it straight off like that.

It was tough when I first switched to single speed and to only a high gear. In hind sight I should have done it in stages. After just over a year, it's only in the last few weeks I've really become comfortable with the gearing and able to spin cleanly up from low hill/head wind rpms to high sprinting rpms.

I picked my current single gear based on a target speed of 20mph with an easy cadence of about 80rpm on the flat. At the start I felt it was impossible, but when you've only got one gear to work with you have no easier options to pick you're sort of forced to improve or fail.

A fair amount of time spent on the trainer over this winter, where you can spin faster without fighting air resistance, I think really helped too.

 

[marzjennings]

I've always cycled in low gears at a high cadence with frequent gear-changes to maintain my cadence. I stay in the saddle except for the few second after sprint starts (i.e. at traffic lights).

I have some buddies who have started cycling to improve their endurance and leg strength. They have taken to cycling in very high gears because they feel it gives their legs a better workout. As an old lady*, doing this hurts my knees and I'm sure I've read that this is not a good idea for anyone, even if they're not an old lady like me.

That said, I often see people who look like they know what they're doing (i.e., roadies in lycra) cranking up hills and thousands of gyms across the land run spinning classes.

So - is there any consensus on this? Or it it just a matter of opinion/preference as to whether it's better for your knees to cycle in lower gears at a higher cadence?

*36

For improve length strength and pure power, sometimes you need push those pedals around in a high gear and work hard. It is though important to keep you knees inline with thighs/calf/ankle/foot and not let them stick out or in as sometimes that's where damage can occur.

 

[yumpy]

I use a high gear deliberately quite often as it seems very similar to being at the gym on a leg press. In the same way (as I'm not exactly young and flexible), I'm just very careful to warm up first and only push in a couple of gears up to start with.

If you pick the right small incline, you can gradually increase the gear week on week - I do it around a small circuit, where I know the road and the gear used last time.

The thing is not to go at it hammer and tongs otherwise something will go 'ping' in a nasty way. There's also a difference in that in a gym its just your legs that are working, while on a bike, your torso, back muscles, arms and all sorts are helping your legs. So that's another reason to do it slowly and carefully.

(Really don't like gyms so I use it for training - helps strength when standing up on hills on a 'proper' ride.)