Cycling Cadence: Here’s Everything You Should Know about it

Are you a beginner cyclist just now familiarizing yourself with all the different terms and rules? Or are you an amateur cyclist trying to get into the pro circle. Either way, if you want to be a successful cyclist, you need to know about cadence. 

To put it simply, cadence is the number of revolutions per minute at a particular speed. It directly impacts how fast you’re going and how energy efficient you’re being. 

Today, we’re breaking down everything you need to know about it. Most of the resources available on this topic target professional cyclists and use a lot of confusing jargon. This guide is different because we’re simplifying all of it. 

From explaining what cadence is to telling you how to measure it, we’re going to give you all the information you will ever need about this topic. 

What is Cadence?

The first thing you need to know is what cadence is in the first place. The easiest way to explain it is to think of it as the number of times your cycle’s wheels turn a full 360 degrees. It is the number of revolutions per pedal per minute while you’re cycling. 

Different cyclists pedal at different speeds. The variation is due to varying cycling techniques, body mass, strength, etc. 

Put a bunch of professionals on a track, and the average cadence will shoot up. It’ll typically be around 100 revolutions in a minute. However, if amateur cyclists were on the same track, the average would drop down to around 60 revolutions per minute. 

As the experience and training of cyclists change, their cadence changes as well. Now that you know what cadence is and have a general idea of the factors that impact it, let’s look at why cadence is important in the first place and how you can measure it. 

Why is Cadence A Vital Part of Cycling?

Cadence is an important part of the power you apply to your cycle. Power is basically just an estimate of how hard you push the pedals into how quickly you are turning them. The former is known as torque, and the latter is cadence. 

Hence in the formula, power = Torque x Cadence, cadence is directly proportional to power. When one increases, the other one increases as well. Hence if you want to optimize your power and apply as much force as possible on the bike, you’ll want to work on identifying and then improving your cadence. 

Moreover, cadence is important because understanding how to manipulate it keeps your body in good shape. While increased cadence is crucial for races etc., because it makes you faster, the same simply can not be said for casual amateur cycling. 

Cycling at a lesser cadence strains muscles, whereas doing so at an increased cadence strains the cardiovascular system. If you have a muscular build, you’ll be more relaxed at a lower cadence. However, a wiry rider will prefer to push a lower gear at higher revolutions per minute. 

Different physiques are suited to different types of exercise. You can only figure out what cadence is suited to you if you understand what it is and how to measure it. 

Measuring Cadence

There are a couple of different ways to measure cadence. Depending on how accurate you want your reading, you can pick any one of them. We’re going to tell you about two of the most common ones. 

Manual 

Count the number of times your legs go upwards and downwards in a minute. The number is your cadence. While it seems simple enough, this method is a little complicated because there is room for error. 

Firstly, you’re counting yourself, so you may miss a number or forget your number. There is a lot of room for human error. 

Second, when you’re consciously counting your legs’ movements, you may impact how you move them. This can lead to errors in your calculations. The fact that you’re paying more attention to the movement when you’re counting than when you’re not means that you may make changes to your movements unknowingly. 

Even so, this method is easy, simple, and super cheap. All you need is five minutes of your time.

Cadence Sensor

The second way to calculate cadence is by buying a cadence sensor. This is way more accurate since a machine does the counting. 

The machine is attached to the chainstay on the left side. A magnet attached to your crank arm passes the sensor. This keeps track of how many times a particular point on the wheel goes past and gives a signal to your bike’s AI. 

Hence you get a record of your cadence over a period of time and are given an estimate. A specific record of it will be provided to your offer, who can analyze the results as a part of your training process. 

There are some sensors that attach to the crank and work as stand-alone units, but these are less common. 

The Perfect Cycling Cadence

There isn’t any particular ideal cycling cadence. It depends on a number of factors and changes from one rider to the next. 

So there isn’t one uniform ideal cadence. However, if you ride enough and put in the work, you’ll find what works best for you very soon. Some people’s optimal range is about 90 revolutions per minute, not as high as that of professional cyclists but is still the perfect number.

Improving Cadence

There are two general ways to improve cadence. The first is building strength, and the second is improving pedaling fluidity. 

For the first, a lower cadence frill with high power output is needed. Do something along the lines of two 15 minute blocks at 50 to 60 revolutions per minute. The lower the cadence is, and the higher the power is, the more torque is created. 

The more you practice, the more control you’ll have over things like increasing power, decreasing cadence, and increasing torque. 

Remember to rest well between each block. Around 10 to 15 minutes should be enough for a full and complete recovery. 

For the second, a twenty-minute routine of 4 minutes of 120 revolutions per minute is ideal. Make sure your upper body is as straight as possible during the block. Allow the power to transfer to come from the waist down. 

Wrap Up 

Cycling cadence is known as the revolutions per minute of your cycle. It can be high or low. 

You have to decide which one is ideal for you according to your physique. Then stick to that one. With all the information we’ve provided, there’s nothing left that you don’t know about cadence. Good luck and have fun cycling!

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