Why do you need cadence??

[rouxtjie]

Now i am really confused..............  i am doing the slow HR thing (180-age) on the IDT and to keep in that zone my cadence is 70-75. So if i read here i must rather drop a (few)gears and pick up the cadence and then "balance" it with the HR?? and i thought cycling was easy...........

Try and stay at 90rpm without burning matches(going over 85% of HR max). That way you ensure you are spinning comfortably

[SwissVan]

Now i am really confused..............  i am doing the slow HR thing (180-age) on the IDT and to keep in that zone my cadence is 70-75. So if i read here i must rather drop a (few)gears and pick up the cadence and then "balance" it with the HR?? and i thought cycling was easy...........    

 

You should rather do a 20 - 30 minute TT on your IDT to determine your LTHR (lactic threshold heart rate and work out your training zones from that.

 

Pedaling at a higher than normal cadence (normal being what you are naturally used to doing) will result in a slightly higher HR but less muscle fatigue in the long run. Yes you will need to decrease the resistance if you want to stay within your desired HR zones...thats why its important to make sure you are using the correct HR and not assuming the formula is correct.

[Wez-O]

I use to "grind" the pedals with low cadence until I picked up a knee injury (not particularly as a result of the cadence). Upon coming back onto the bike, I began training with a higher cadence as it felt easier on the tender knee and grew to really like the new style and switched to become a higher cadence rider.

 

It is worth noting that cadence is all a matter of preference and even at the top level of the sport, there are riders who grind the pedals and riders who spin a high cadence.

The cadence sensor is extremely helpful for finding you sweet spot and keeping you in it while training or racing.

[Tothehills]

Upping my cadence has changed the way I ride.  I climb faster and my legs stay fresher.  At first I felt stupid spinning away while the "big boys" attacked the hill standing but it works for me.  I don't have a sensor, but I have a few songs I sing in my head to keep the tempo up. 

 

What made a big difference for me too, was one session on the watt bike, and analyzing my pedal stroke.  The graph visually gives instant feedback, and I now know what "right" feels like. 

I have often wondered about HR vs Cadence and the relation to effort if the rate of work (intensity) is controlled.

Cycling in a manner that feels comfortable/sustainable VS uncomfortable and possible faster. A weekend warrior with 5-7 hours riding time/week, were around 50% of the time is done on a spinning bike.

Until I stumble upon the latest lung coughing, liver tasting instrument AKA WATT Bike.

This instrument confirmed what I expected long ago.

1. I’m lazy
2. I need to spend more time in the saddle to improve my fitness/endurance

Over time I have develop a cadence of around 74-78 rpm. This feels comfortable to me, defiantly not the best, but comfortable.

Firstly I wanted to determine what my sustainable output would be over 45min. With a 240Watt output (and some settings on the magnet and wind resistance) over 45min, cadence between 74-78 rpm, my average heart rate = 85% of max

With a decrease in resistance, increase in cadence 80-85 rpm I could still maintain an output of 240Watt over 45min but with an average heart rate of 91% of max

So if the intensity is controlled/constant at 240Watt, I will recover quicker and be more efficient with a higher heart rate, right?

What about oxygen uptake then?

Got this quote from the internet:

In general, the higher your heart rate during physical activity, the higher the exercise intensity.

Studies show that your perceived exertion correlates well with your heart rate. So if you think you're working hard, your heart rate is likely elevated.

[Paul Ruinaard]

I have often wondered about HR vs Cadence and the relation to effort if the rate of work (intensity) is controlled.

Cycling in a manner that feels comfortable/sustainable VS uncomfortable and possible faster. A weekend warrior with 5-7 hours riding time/week, were around 50% of the time is done on a spinning bike.

Until I stumble upon the latest lung coughing, liver tasting instrument AKA WATT Bike.

This instrument confirmed what I expected long ago.

1. I’m lazy
2. I need to spend more time in the saddle to improve my fitness/endurance

Over time I have develop a cadence of around 74-78 rpm. This feels comfortable to me, defiantly not the best, but comfortable.

Firstly I wanted to determine what my sustainable output would be over 45min. With a 240Watt output (and some settings on the magnet and wind resistance) over 45min, cadence between 74-78 rpm, my average heart rate = 85% of max

With a decrease in resistance, increase in cadence 80-85 rpm I could still maintain an output of 240Watt over 45min but with an average heart rate of 91% of max

So if the intensity is controlled/constant at 240Watt, I will recover quicker and be more efficient with a higher heart rate, right?

What about oxygen uptake then?

Got this quote from the internet:

In general, the higher your heart rate during physical activity, the higher the exercise intensity.

Studies show that your perceived exertion correlates well with your heart rate. So if you think you're working hard, your heart rate is likely elevated.

The comments i have heard wrt the high cadence is to shift the load from your cardio vascular system to your muscle system and back, thereby reducing the fatigue of one system being used predominantly. That made sense to me.

 

So spinning = higher CV load. Grinding = higher muscular load.

[MrJacques]

I'm a hill grinder. It feels like I'm getting nowhere when I spin up a hill in a easy gear, but grinding up does come back to bite me later as my legs are tired quicker. 

 

I remember years ago when I used to cycle to school I rode behind someone else the one day back home. He used a higher cadence and it was an easier quicker ride back. I'll definitely try a higher cadence approach and see how it goes.

 

Seems like there isn't a cheap way to get cadence info? It seems to be a premium feature only available on more expensive cycle computers and GPS. Anyone know of a decent affordable sensor system?

[Help.Me.]

You should rather do a 20 - 30 minute TT on your IDT to determine your LTHR (lactic threshold heart rate and work out your training zones from that.

 

Pedaling at a higher than normal cadence (normal being what you are naturally used to doing) will result in a slightly higher HR but less muscle fatigue in the long run. Yes you will need to decrease the resistance if you want to stay within your desired HR zones...thats why its important to make sure you are using the correct HR and not assuming the formula is correct.

 

Hi SwissVan

 

I have done that hour training session on Trainer Road and its shows my LTHR as 150. So i must use this value to determine my Zones? 85% of that gives me 127.5 so i must stay below that figure with a cadence of say 90 and adjust the gears accordingly.

[rouxtjie]

Hi SwissVan

 

I have done that hour training session on Trainer Road and its shows my LTHR as 150. So i must use this value to determine my Zones? 85% of that gives me 127.5 so i must stay below that figure with a cadence of say 90 and adjust the gears accordingly.

No, LTHR is about 85% of max...give or take. Stay just below 150HR at 90 cadence...

[SwissVan]

Hi SwissVan

 

I have done that hour training session on Trainer Road and its shows my LTHR as 150. So i must use this value to determine my Zones? 85% of that gives me 127.5 so i must stay below that figure with a cadence of say 90 and adjust the gears accordingly.

 

Yes you use 150 instead of whatever figure you got from the 180 formula method (note, they might even be the same....). The HR you train at would depend on your program if you following one requirements / goals.

 

If you want to incorporate cadence into the equation then yes you will need to use your gears and choose your terrain (flat or hills) to ensure your HR does not exceed your programs required HR while maintaining a specific cadence.

 

Typically you could use the following zones with 1 being easy / recovery / LSD base and 5 being approximate race pace (depends on race duration).

 

90 rpm is the cycling industries magic number for the most efficient rpm and is just a basic starting point, everyone is different and for you 90 might be what 100 is for me. If your average cadence is as low as 75 (i think you mentioned this earlier) then you might want to start off aiming for say 80 -85 rpm. Once you get used to spinning more you most likely will naturally gravitate to a higher cadence in situations that are likely to cause fatigue i.e. race pace situations or hill climbs

 

Zone 1 less than LT (150) x 79%  i.e. 150 x 79% = < 118.5 bpm

Zone 2 between LT x 80 – 89%

Zone 3 between LT x 90 – 93%

Zone 4 between LT x 94 – 99%

Zone 5 between LT x 100 – 102%

 

You can go beyond zone 5 but with HR it becomes somewhat worthless as the duration is likely to be to short to see higher heart rates on your device.