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Slow1972
Joined: 29 Dec 2008
Posts: 227
Location: Manchester
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 Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 4:59 pm |
If you're doing 20 mph on a triple, shouldn't be any need to get out of the middle ring
Why do you ride such a big gear at 20 mph usually anyway? Slightly higher cadence and a smaller gear won't do you any harm and as you've found you can go just as quick.
As some posters have said, your technique will probably be smoother turning a gear at 85 rpm than turning a bigger gear at 70 rpm, particularly if you're finding the bigger gear requires more effort.
Try adding some variety to your commute, big gears, lower cadence one day for strength, smaller gear higher cadence on another for technique. Somewhere in the middle for a sustainable speed.... as you found
Trolling around at 70 rpm / 20 mph all the time doesnt sound the best for improving speed or technique.
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sarajoy
Joined: 14 Jan 2009
Posts: 1232
Location: Totterdown, Bristol
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 5:00 pm |
Makes sense, you drop a gear in a car to overtake, as the engine finds it easier to accelerate at a lower gear... less torque, more spin.
More on swing dance in Bristol, & the Facebook group |
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snailracer
Joined: 23 Jun 2009
Posts: 133
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 5:02 pm |
Not sure why, but I found that lowering my saddle a few mm helps me stay comfortable at a higher cadence.
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itboffin
Joined: 05 Jun 2008
Posts: 4885
Location: Marlborough, Windshire
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el_presidente
Joined: 02 Feb 2007
Posts: 1182
Location: London
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 5:33 pm |
| DonDaddyD wrote: | | el_presidente wrote: | | in general higher cadence is supposed to be more efficient |
So what your saying is easier gear inch, higher cadence is the way forward?
Interesting... |
hat was basically Lance Armstrong's rationale for how he won 7 TdeFs
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brownleather
Joined: 03 Nov 2009
Posts: 107
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 5:37 pm |
| el_presidente wrote: | | DonDaddyD wrote: | | el_presidente wrote: | | in general higher cadence is supposed to be more efficient |
So what your saying is easier gear inch, higher cadence is the way forward?
Interesting... |
hat was basically Lance Armstrong's rationale for how he won 7 TdeFs |
In reality he never really pedalled faster than anyone else in the Peloton.
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PBo
Joined: 04 Mar 2009
Posts: 223
Location: Sheffield
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 5:40 pm |
| brownleather wrote: | | el_presidente wrote: | | DonDaddyD wrote: | | el_presidente wrote: | | in general higher cadence is supposed to be more efficient |
So what your saying is easier gear inch, higher cadence is the way forward?
Interesting... |
hat was basically Lance Armstrong's rationale for how he won 7 TdeFs |
In reality he never really pedalled faster than anyone else in the Peloton. |
This isn't meant to sound arsey, honestly - just wondering if you can "prove" this? Not because I don't believe you, but because I always found it a bit unbelievable that the high cadence thing was Lance's discovery, and no-one else did it....
FCN = 8
[chandler bing] Could I BE any more of a commuter???[/chandler bing] |
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brownleather
Joined: 03 Nov 2009
Posts: 107
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 5:59 pm |
| PBo wrote: | | brownleather wrote: | | el_presidente wrote: | | DonDaddyD wrote: | | el_presidente wrote: | | in general higher cadence is supposed to be more efficient |
So what your saying is easier gear inch, higher cadence is the way forward?
Interesting... |
hat was basically Lance Armstrong's rationale for how he won 7 TdeFs |
In reality he never really pedalled faster than anyone else in the Peloton. |
This isn't meant to sound arsey, honestly - just wondering if you can "prove" this? Not because I don't believe you, but because I always found it a bit unbelievable that the high cadence thing was Lance's discovery, and no-one else did it.... |
Just watch videos of him riding.
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prj45
Joined: 08 Aug 2006
Posts: 1217
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Posted Wed Nov 4, 2009 6:39 pm |
| DonDaddyD wrote: | | 20mph ain't all that fast. |
No?
Try riding into a wall at that speed and then say that!
http://prj45.blogspot.com/ |
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Oddjob62
Joined: 28 Jun 2008
Posts: 383
Location: London
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MatHammond
Joined: 10 Nov 2007
Posts: 524
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Wrath Rob
Joined: 04 Dec 2006
Posts: 351
Location: United Kingdom
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 12:20 am |
[quote="will3]I found increasing the cadence reduced the whining noise from the rear of the tandem.[/quote]
Your partner or your drive chain?
FCN 4 now that I've got to the dark side |
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Onan
Joined: 15 Oct 2008
Posts: 260
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 2:19 am |
| will3 wrote: | So today's lesson is that we can sometimes go faster using a lower gear than a higher one? Hoodathunkit.
Dont tell the fixie pixies. |
That makes no sense to be honest. 39/12 is around 86 inches. Most people who ride fixed spin a significantly smaller gear than that.
Drink poison. Wrestle snakes. |
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rake
Joined: 12 Oct 2009
Posts: 195
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 8:20 am |
80 rpm is a fairly efficient cadence to sustain. never mind these people on about spinning huh i pedal at 160rpm everywhere. yes we all know your legs are like lightening. too fast can dent efficiency as well.
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MikeEye
Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 18
Location: Leicestershire
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 8:39 am |
| DonDaddyD wrote: | | I think I need to go back to the cranks and cassette and figure out the gear inches for all the gears. |
If you're going to do this, then you might be interested in Mike Sherman's Bicycle Gear Calculator.
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Rich158
Joined: 20 Nov 2008
Posts: 1634
Location: Kent
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 9:07 am |
| rake wrote: | | 80 rpm is a fairly efficient cadence to sustain. never mind these people on about spinning huh i pedal at 160rpm everywhere. yes we all know your legs are like lightening. too fast can dent efficiency as well. |
It's a balance, too slow taxes your muscles too much and leads to tired legs, too fast and you tax your aerobic system too much. However what is too fast and too slow is down to the individual. We all have a different mix of fast and slow twitch fibres in our muscles which ultimately determine where our best cadence lies.
DDD, simply knowing the gear inches for every gear on the bike won't help you. I used to ride with the gear inches for every gear taped to my top tube. Did it help me, did it hell, all it told me was there was some cross over between the gears. What you've discovered is that spinning faster is a bit more efficient. Fine, experiment with different cadences, see what works for you and take it from there, don't get bogged down in too much theory.
I consider myself a pretty good, and fast cyclist, and I've got to this point in just over a year by using one matra. Get on the bike and ride hard  and above all there's no shortcut, time spent on the bike is what counts
pain is temporary, the glory of beating your mates to the top of the hill lasts forever.....................
FCN 4 - Fixie
FCN 5 - Mad one |
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JonGinge
Joined: 04 Jan 2008
Posts: 1787
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will3
Joined: 16 Jun 2008
Posts: 1132
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 9:49 am |
| Onan wrote: | | will3 wrote: | So today's lesson is that we can sometimes go faster using a lower gear than a higher one? Hoodathunkit.
Dont tell the fixie pixies. |
That makes no sense to be honest. 39/12 is around 86 inches. Most people who ride fixed spin a significantly smaller gear than that. |
Are you sure that's not because otherwise they'd have to push up hills?
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Harry B
Joined: 15 Jan 2008
Posts: 894
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 9:57 am |
Cadence is the way to go. I try to keep mine between 90 and 100rpm. Once I get to 100 i change up a gear and if I go below 90 I change down a gear (Have I got that the right way round??). It seems to work for me. Rolling along at 20mph plus is not too much of an effort.
On the subject of Lance he was well known for using a high cadence in the mountians and it certainly worked for him
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freehub
Joined: 25 May 2009
Posts: 1453
Location: Manchester/Selby
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Posted Thu Nov 5, 2009 10:12 am |
I find on my commuter Im lucky if I reach 20mph yet on my propor bike in propor kit I could probs average 20+, if I'm commuting or on my propor bike I'm always stuck in the big ring, I have a compact, allthough on my commuter I have a 36/50, so it'd be interesting if I found I'd be able to keep 20mph easier on the little ring of a double rather than a 50 ring. I went on this intro chaingang the other week, we where told to stick to the little rings, so I went to my 34 ring, 34/14 doing 23mph lol, was not comfy, I found going to the big ring at anything over 19 I found it easier, I find if I spin fast I get tired out faster and can't go as fast.
In certain situations 20mph must be fast tbh, depends what sort of hill you where going up, on a good day I'm sure plenty of people could do 20mph up a steady 3-5% gradient, into a headwind 20mph would be fast, into a tailwind 20mph would be slow.
My Bike
Winter bike
bookface
My name is Will, not Freehub. |
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