I am trying to improve my cycling and have a strange notion (dunno where from) that i should be spinning as much as possible when riding, obviously not for technical sections but for general riding and for climbing, to try continously spinning and not the normal massive power and coast appoach, so to this end i am thinking of getting a cadence bike computer so i can try and keep my level constant, anyone got experience of these? any advice?

get a fixie and ride to work… 😉

single speed improves cadence 😉

For MTB, cadence computers are (IMHO) totally worthless since there’s so much freewheeling or half pedal turns as you drop a heel for cornering.
On road some people like them, personally I’ve never seen the point in them. Ride what works for you, concentrate on smooth spinning while still getting the power down, that almost automatically forces you into a higher cadence.

concentrate on smooth spinning while still getting the power down

That’s the truth – a nice even spin is one thing, whirring away like a hamster in a wheel and going nowhere is quite another.

There’s an article in last month’s Cycling Plus suggesting high cadence is not as effective in achieving maximum power and speed. Agree with Crazy Legs re: value of cadence for Mtb.

Thanks for replies, have got a ss to try and force myself to pedal more rather than use the torque of gears.

I have the same notion as dr_adams that I’ve seen somewhere that a higher cadence is supposed to be more efficient. Mainly out of interest i bought a cadence sensor for my turbo trainer and it seems i spend most of my time at only 70-75rpm when I believe that ideally it should be 90rpm+. Pedaling at 90rpm feels a bit strange.

I’d agree that for MTB it won’t make a difference, but just out of interest do I have my numbers wrong or am I a very slow peddler?

pointless on an MTB but worth it on a road bike.

75-120rpm on a road bike is most peoples most efficient- re cardiovascular effort, zone. No point with it off road, just train your recovery.

it seems i spend most of my time at only 70-75rpm when I believe that ideally it should be 90rpm+.

There’s loads of stuff in print/online about cadence and a lot of riders seem to subscribe to the school of thought that says if Lance spins up a hill at 90 rpm then they must too. Whatever works for you – my normal cadence on a road bike (flat road, no wind) is somewhere around 75-80 but I’ve been riding with club riders who’ll do anything from 60 to 110 or so.

well par of my plan is that i heard ( idunno where it comes from but it just does) that when your on a climb you’re meant to be low gear spinning rather than big gear powering so is training for that kinda thing?

agree with sc-xc

regularly riding fixed gear will make smooth high-cadence pedalling become intuitive

now anyone know a bike that will make me a better technical rider?

I generally make sure I ride with a fairly high cadence on the road, its what I find the most comfortable.

Off road I spin different all the time, but its always slower then what I do on road. It usually depends on the grip (if climbing). If I’ve got decent grip, I’ll stand and power up with a big gear. If I dont have grip, I’ll sit and spin.

fixed for commuting and winter

Pushing big gears tires your legs, but generally keeps the HR down, spinning will save your legs and push the HR up.

It’s what works for you, it’s certainly not worth worrying about off road IMO, and you’ll find a comfortable rhythm on the road too.

I find I push big gears on the HT, while on the FS I spin more, as it doesn’t respond well to out of the saddle stomping on the pedals.