Liezel Panda Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 I'm guilty of grinding as it feels the most comfortable to me (also I go faster ). I've been trying to ride at a higher cadence, but lose my power output and I feel like a Duracell duck pedaling in water . Any tips on improving this? I feel like I'm going nowhere slowly with this high cadence thing...
Brickleberry Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Agree with you. Got a cadence sensor and up my cadence to 90rpm and within 2 rides I had massive pain in my knee. Taken weeks to get it sorted. Grinding seems to work well for me and yes it's fast.
V12man Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Set alarms on your computer for a minimum cadence - say around 80 - and go from there - takes a while to get used to higher cadences - as in some months. The other thing to do is get a proper bike fit - if your position on the bike is not perfect, then you tend to bounce a lot and/or feel very uncomfortable with thigher cadence.
Vinnydabutcher Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Pedaling efficiency - google it. Because you are use to slow grind - you are more than likely mashing the pedals. Smooth out your pedal stroke and that should sort out the problem. Good luck - its worth it!
SwissVan Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Like everything related to athletic performance, if you want to change or do something different then you need practice it until it becomes natural. Start off gradually during training rides on flat routes (otherwise you might strain something) by increasing your cadence for short intervals (< 5 minutes) using a variety of different cadences, for example: 1 x (1 min @ 85, 1 min @ 90, 1min @95, 1min @ 90, 1min @ 85)3 - 5 minutes at a easy pace natural cadence1 x (1 min @ 90, 1 min @ 95, 1min @100, 1min @ 95, 1min @ 90)3 - 5 minutes at a easy pace natural cadence1 x (1 min @ 90, 1 min @ 95, 1min @100, 1min @ 95, 1min @ 90) Keep your effort low to medium using your gears to increase cadence if your HR starts to increase above a medium effort.
Karman de Lange Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Funny enough, doing low cadence drills (strength training) at the moment and my knees are suffering badly after second set. My cumfy cadense is about 100 on cruise, sprints, about 120-130, indoor I can do 180 for few seconds.. then my wife starts laughing and thats the end of it. Best is to as other state, make sure bike is fitted properly, then just hit the road and drop few gears and spin the peddles. Soon 90 will feel very slow and difficult. EDIT: one leg drills helped a lot to get my spin smoother..
GAP Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 How far do you grind a day and what is your average speed??
SwissVan Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Like everything related to athletic performance, if you want to change or do something different then you need practice it until it becomes natural.
Guest DieBees Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 If you are of a small built, concentrate on high cadence. Your cardiovascular system will carry you because of the smaller build. If you are larger, use larger gears (lower cadence) this will save your lungs and work the big strong muscles. Use your body and the way you are built. Sometimes cyclists try to push large gears, but they are better off to go for higher cadence. Likewise with larger riders. They want to hit high cadence and are not using their assets to their best ability.
NotSoBigBen Posted January 2, 2015 Posted January 2, 2015 Just wondering if a single speed for training influences this? With a 'light' gear of course .....
Barker Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 i am very comfortable at the moment at a cadence of 96 but wernt always. I have also found that longer rides cause my cadence to drop - not on the day but the next rides.. for example on monday i was doing an avg of 96rpm, i have done 3 rides since then. Today my cadence is down to 85rpm. I find for me the best way to bring my cadence backup is to do short nightly rides of 10-15km. Then for 500m push yourself to do a cadence of 100rpm +. If you can do 110rpm+. Then rest for 500m and pull back to a slow cadence and slow speed of 70rpm. Rinse repeat. I use distance not time as the 500m rest distance should take longer to do than the high cadence interval giving you enough time to catch your breath again. If you bounch move up to a tougher gear and keep the cadence high. It will be uncomfortable the first time. The next day you will feel tired but keep it up. Around day 4 you will notice that the higher cadence almost comes naturally. If you are a masher there is also a good chance that your bike setup is wrong. Specifically your seat height might be to low.
Prince Albert Cycles Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 Improving power and improving cadence require different tecniques at different times .
blondeonabike Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 I've discovered that when riding singletrack with tight corners, keeping off the really hard gears is key. It is easier to accelerate quickly coming out of a corner if you are in an easier gear. Fast and light.
Bianchisti Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 I find my power output actually increase when I up the cadence. Just do what comes naturally init? If your knees hurt when you gring you are definately over-gearing.
Spoke101 Posted January 4, 2015 Posted January 4, 2015 Ride a track bike. Then you have no option, you have to push big gears and you have to spin like crazy.
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