Cadence and what does it mean??

Fender76

So I only recently started using a Garmin 500 cadence meter and I'm aware I'm probably asking an incredibly silly newbie question but, how should I interpret the data and what can I gain from it? What should I be aiming for?
Cheers all in advance!

vermin99

It's the speed at which you turn the pedals, everyone has a different preference for cadence...too low and you'll do damage to your knees..too high and you'll spin out..it has been shown that you last longer at a higher cadence rather then grinding in a big gear.My personal preference for cadence is around 70-85.Don't take too much notice of it.Do what your comfortable with.

Fender76

Great, thanks for that, that pretty much sums it up... I guess I thought there was more to it than that..

Harrybelafonte

There is more to it than that. You've only had one reply so far.

Harrybelafonte

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/technique-cadence-matters-16394/

onmebike

I think in recent years (open to correction) it has become more recommended and fashionable to try to cycle at a higher cadence - e.g. 85 or 90+. 100 or more if you can do it. AFAIK, the thinking behind it is that your heart rate will increase a little, but your leg muscles will have less strain/effort on them. This has the overall effect of letting you go for longer.

Chris Froome has a very high cadence when he attacks. I'm not sure what it is, but I'd imagine it's 110+. I saw an article recently that suggested that if us mortals try that sort of cadence, it will be very wasteful of energy and isn't the optimum cadence for a lot of us.

What I've found in practice is that I feel more natural at a lower cadence (say 75), but I've practiced and up my natural feel to more like 85. This is for general conditions on the flat. If I pedal faster, it feels difficult to me and more wasteful. I'm more likely to cramp if I keep a very high cadence - for reasons I don't know.

I think it's probably individual for everybody's own physiology - legs, heart, lungs etc. Now that you have this information at hand, try different cadences out and see how you feel. Do a spin at your normal/natural cadence and see how you get on. Do the next spin at a higher cadence and see how you feel.

Beasty

Higher cadence has certainly been the trend for competitive cyclists over recent years. I don't think it's something non competitive cyclists need to worry too much about though unless they have a particular issue it could benefit such as knee problems.