What is Cycling Cadence — Why is it Important

Cycling Cadence Explained

When cyclists want to improve their cycling they are often perplexed as to what to change in order to improve.

Change is indeed essential to improvement. What can you change? Of course, you can change bikes and components, they may make some difference. That is not the first place beginning cyclists should change for improvement.

As one of my cycling mentors told me long ago,

It is not the mechine that makes the difference, It is the Motor

It is you, the cyclist, who needs to make some changes in order to improve your cycling.

There are some basic changes that you can make that will improve your cycling. Good nutrition, weight loss, and more time in the saddle will all help you improve. All such improvements will be helpful.

Many cyclists are unaware of how cycling cadence affects speed and comfort during long rides.

As I write this post the Tour de France is steadily approaching its halfway point. I am always impressed how most of the time members of the pro peloton seemingly fly down the road without showing a whole lot of effort.

I have also noticed that even when the pro peloton is racing hard some of the riders are peddling fast and others noticeably slower, yet they are all going at the same speed. They are peddling at different cadences.

What is cycling cadence?

The definition of cycling cadence is the number of revolutions per minute (RPM) that you turn the crank (turn the peddle).

How is Cycling Cadence measured?

It has only been in the last few decades that cyclists have been able to precisely measure their cadence.

Today cadence, in terms of RPMs, is measured by cyclocomputers. These mini-computers measure more than their forerunner, the cyclometer which basically measured speed.

Cyclocomputers record various, basic cycling metrics including speed, average speed, maximum speed, trip time, total distance rode, and the current time. High-powered models add altitude, grade of a climb, heart rate, navigation (via GPS), and cadence.

To measure the cadence you need a cyclocomputer and cadence sensor. The cadence sensor is attached to the crank (arm from the peddle to the front chainring set). Via Bluetooth, it communicates with the cyclocomputer.

The cyclocomputer itself is mounted on the handlebars so you can easily read it while on the road.

There are several brands of cyclocomputers on the market. The favorite over many years has been the Garmin. Recently, Wahoo has begun to grab a large share of the market. It is even used by many of the riders in the pro peloton.

What is a correct cadence? Are You a Masher or a Spinner?

As mentioned in the beginning, in pro ranks you will see some riders turning the peddles very quickly and others much slower.

Those peddling faster are often called spinners. The riders who are peddling slower are called mashers.

Cadence sensors and the cadence measurement only tell you how fast you are turning the crank. Obviously, the higher the gear you are using the easier it is to produce a faster cycling cadence.

We cannot talk constructively about cadence without also talking about the gear you are in.

Mashers normally turn a low gear. Due to the effort to turn that low gear, these mashers peddle slower. Yet, they strive to be in the lowest gear that they are able to peddle at their desired cadence.

Whether you are a masher or spinner, for a normal training ride you should be in a gear that you can maintain, with a comfortable cadence over a long duration.

Researchers have found that a cadence of 100 rpm results in less fatigued muscles than turning only 60 rpm at the same wattage output.

For most club riders an average cadence between 85–95 has shown to be optimal for long rides. What is a long ride? That all depends on your own desires and abilities. If you think it is long, then it is long for you.

If you are open to and interested in a long, technical study of cadence, here is a major study.

Cyclocomputers

As mentioned above, these days cadence is most often recorded by cyclocomputers.

The top two cyclocomputers are made by Garmin and Wahoo. I will cover these and others more in-depth in an upcoming article.

For most club riders the Wahoo will serve you best. It is simple to use and has a large display. (click on the image for a closer look).

Garmin’s array of cyclometers are the most well known due to their long history of being the first full-function cyclocomputer. For many years, Garmin had no real serious competitors. It is still very popular. (click on the image for a closer look)

If you already have a cyclocomputer, but have not been monitoring your cadence, you will need a cadence sensor to attach to your bike’s crank. (click on the image for a closer look).

My experience

I began riding a bike with my club more than ten years ago. I have only paid attention to cadence in the past three to four. Prior to that I simply monitored my speed and which gear I was in.

Of course, I noticed the mashers and the spinners. I would experiment with each. I peddled a low gear as a masher and peddled a higher gear with a much faster cadence.

It was not until the past two years, after buying a Wahoo Element, that I have monitored and recorded my cadence.

I have increased my comfort and average speed by maintaining an average cadence between 80–90 rpm on rides of 20 miles to 70 miles.

Even when climbing hills I spin at a higher rate than I did in the past. Surprisingly, I am not as exhausted carrying this large body of mine to the top of a 5 to 8 percent grade. On steeper hills, I like everyone else, laboriously peddle much slower to get to the top of some of our 10 to 15 percent hills here in North Texas.

Our 5 Key Elements to Comfortable Cycling discusses factors other than cadence.

I would love to hear about your experience with monitoring cadence on your rides. Contribute to all of our education by leaving comments.

Originally published at https://cyclingseniors.com on July 14, 2021.