Road bike 101

[The Moose1]

I've been hearing some horror stories from a large group that includes alot of newish riders.  Seems they're not necessarily teaming up with experienced riders for their long rides and are committing some fairly basic errors because of their lack of knowledge.  I thought I'd offer a list of basics and would like some contributions please.
I'm just looking for easy and basic stuff like:   
1)Keep your cadence (rpm) between 80 and 100.
2) Stay seated as long as you can when riding uphill, and shift before your rpms drop below 80.
3) Never spray a pressure washer into your bearings.

etc.

All these things seem so basic to me, but, like everything else, if no one teaches you, you'll never know.

Mike

[Newt]

G'day Mike,

Why is it important to keep your cadence above 80rpm????

Peace
Peter

[Newt]

The reason why I ask is here are a few clip/pastes from le Tour some mountain some sprint check more out at the SRM website.

These are the best cyclist in the world in argueably the most important race of the season and they rarely avg above 80 rpm let alone 80rpm being a minimum.

I'm just curious what your think on it is not trying to start an argument.

Tour De France, stage 12
  J. Voigt  C. A. Soerensen R. Pauriol   C. Horner 
distance [km]  206.5  206.3 206.1  207
time [h:min:sec]  5:08:51  5:02:51  5:01:46  4:58:16
power [w]  289  263  269  249
speed [km/h]  40.1  40.9  41.0  41.7
cadence [rpm]  78  80  81  75
altitude [m]  2.933  2.924  2.921  2.919
energy metabolism [kJ]  5.363  4.779  4.862  4.446

Tour De France, stage 16

Kristijan Koren R. Pauriol  C. Horner  R. Nocentini
distance [km]  199.5 199.5 199.5  199.5
time [h:min:sec]  6:04:58  5:55:46 5:31:43  5:54:54
power [w]  231  225  267  245
speed [km/h]  32.4  33.2  35.7  33.3
cadence [rpm]  64  68  72  64
altitude [m]  4,280  4,185  4,173  4,196
energy metabolism [kJ]  5,063  4,810  5,308  5,218

Tour De France, stage 17

K. Koren R. Pauriol  C. Horner  C.A. Soerensen
distance [km]  174 174 174  174
time [h:min:sec]  5:10:40  5:18:36 5:05:13  5:15:09
power [w]  301  296  265  275
speed [km/h]  33.3  32.4  34.1  32.9
cadence [rpm]  80  76  71  77
altitude [m]  4,148  4,172  4,161  4,172
energy metabolism [kJ]  5,619  5,650  4,844  5,195

Tour De France, Stage 18

D. Oss R. Pauriol  D. Monier
distance [km]  197.4 197.2 196.3
time [h:min:sec]  4:38:47  4:37:21 4:37:21
power [w]  294  178  187
speed [km/h]  42.5  42.6  42.5
cadence [rpm]  87  78  68
altitude [m]  653  634  647
energy metabolism [kJ]  4,918  2,961  3,108

Peace
Peter

[Sandy]

I think a few more questions have to be answered before advice can be given.  I'm not sure where or how the horror comes in but when you say newish riders, how newish.  Unfortunately riding a bike is a childs skill that most people think they have mastered and rightfully so, let's face it some of us have been riding since we were kids.  As adults we may come back to riding and think it's like well like riding a bike...you never forget.  The problem is our intentions may have changed.  We have gone from tooling around town, one place to the next, with no eye on performance, comfort or efficiency to triathlons or group rides.

So back to the newish riders.  What are their intentions?  Do they WANT to know what their cadence is?  If not there are some physical ques they can rely on to know when they are getting close to 90ish give or take.  Is there a perfect cadence?  Yes but you have to find what it is for you and your goals.  If you are riding an IM you don't want to pre-fatigue your muscles and you can't draft so you may want to be closer to 90 (insert tons of studies that show this is to be true if it were relevant).  If you are pack riding then you may want to ride with a lower cadence so that you don't spend as much time coasting (which is annoying if you have spent the winter on your trainer and have muscle memory that wants you to do anything but coast.)  Ultimately just because we as more experienced riders think we know how it should be done doesn't mean we should expect newer riders to get the hang of it right away. 

I don't believe there are any hard and fast rules, as with anything you have to find what works best for you.  Jeff, Peter and Jan Ulrich all ride with lower cadences while Dennis and lance (sorry Dennis ) ride with higher cadences.  Arguably all good riders!  Stand, sit...again it's where you are comfortable.  low cadence (60-70) riding up a hill is a great power workout.  I like to sit throughout a climb no matter the speed or cadence where Jeff likes to stand and give his girlie parts a break. 

I think the best way to help newer riders is to encourage them to go for a ride and talk to them about trouble areas (if they see them as trouble) and only work on one or two areas per week.

[Newt]

Sandy,

Excellent response, and was kind of where I was going to the lead the discussion with Mike that never happened. I have read a boat load of articles and studies on cadence, ones showing the benefits on reduced muscle fatigue of a high cadence and ones showing the increased efficiencies of low cadence etc. etc. What it seems to come down to is, like you mentioned that is very individual or like Jeff has mentioned before "more than one way to skin a cat". (poor kitty). I am personally a believer that it is good to be comfortable/powerful through a full range of cadences as there is a time and place for all of them. I also agree with Mike that most "newer" riders don't shift into an easier gear soon enough when approaching a hill. It's nice to be lumped with Jan Ullrich and Jeff, though I'm a little jealous of the Dennis/Lance match up.

Peace
Peter

[The Moose1]

That's the kind of info I'm looking for.
The group is going for an extremely long ride in a pack, including mountains.
I was always taught that you only coast going downhill (to correct that slightly, you always keep your pedals going around, even if you are coasting).  I was also taught that under 80 rpm was bad.  I suspect that the under 80's are the exception and not the rule.  And I know there are exceptions to every rule, and any advice I offer should not be followed if there is a physical or medical reason not to.  That goes for everything I say btw..
That all being said, I always thought everyone knew how to do up a quick release so the heaviest point of the rim would still spin slowly to the bottom, but it turns out that's not true either.  I'm just trying to get together some basics that you may think everyone does know, but might not...

Mike

[Kate]

Ummm ...
This is all very interesting information.
But as someone who only now leisurely rides and hopes maybe to someday take bike riding up a couple of notches ... what is a "cadence"?

[QATS3]

Kate,
Your cadence is the number of repetitions/revolutions of the pedal per minute as you ride. (I am pretty sure)
The faster you pedal the higher the cadence...same as running the number of strides you take per minute is your cadence, to go faster you increase the cadence.
There is a comfort zone for each person where the cadence is most efficient and will conserve energy during the ride....the idea is to stay in a range close to the cadence by changing gears to accommodate to the terrain you are riding on so the cadence will be maintained.
Some of the more experienced riders can probably add to this, but I think this is what they are talking about.
Cheers,
Bryan

[Craig]

Cadence also plays a role in how we apply the power to the pedals.
To put out 200 watts at 75 rpm will require a great deal more force(torque) be applied to the pedals than 200 watts at 100 rpm.

Basically you are pedaling faster but not pushing as hard on the pedals with a higher cadence.

I personally find low rpm hard effort pedaling much harder on my joints and tendons especially my knees, so for harder efforts I prefer a cadence of 90-110. Even as high as 140 during a sprint effort.

What an individual finds to be a comfortable cadence can be gradually increased with training if desired.

Like Peter mentioned above, it's nice to have a supple pedaling style and a range of cadence that can be varied according to terrain, speed etc.

Playing "Devil's Advocate" I will mention that Armstrong has won an awful lot of races utilizing a high cadence.
Contrador seems to favour a fast cadence. Cancellara turns the pedals pretty quick on the TT's also.

[Newt]

G'day Guys,

Good explanation of cadence.

Craig, some of the studies I've seen is that as power increases in highly trained individuals cadence naturally increases. If I remember correctly that the conclusion was there was a naturally selected maximum MAINTAINABLE torque. So if the Wattage was increased inorder to maintain that same torque/force the cadence had to increase, so I guess it is only reasonable to assume that the guys putting out the most watts in the field (Lance in his day, Cancellera) would naturally have a higher cadence then the rest of the field. Agreed it is highly trainable, and typically more experienced riders have a higher cadence than inexperienced riders which is what Mike was getting at. I was just surprised at how low the "randomly" selected pro cadence data was that I posted. I had suspected high 80's low 90's but to see most riders in the 70's or low 80's to me was shocking.

Peace
Peter

[Craig]

Peter, The low average cadence is very surprising. Possibly more coasting/descending?  I wonder if they are just not working hard enough at those wattages to justify the faster cadence and spend a lot of time in "conserve energy" mode.


Mike, In terms of list items newer riders might not know:

1. Bicycle tires are not airtight and require frequent top up.
2. A dropped chain can usually be pedaled back on.
3. Touching tires with the rider in front can often result in a spill.

[Sandy]

I'll take it one step farther and suggest the low AVERAGES include a bazillion (more than a trillion but less then a gazillion) of miles pack riding where they probably increase gearing to allow for continued pedaling motion plus one or two moments of coasting.  All would cause lower averages.

In terms of Craigs tips which were awesome I would add:

1.  Pump EVERY time you ride.  If you ride daily this may not be necessary but if you ride a couple of times a week it is a must.
2.  Very cool trick but must be shown or talked through when it happens.  I find most newbies don't comprehend the movement when just explained.
3.  It ALWAYS results in a spill...don't do it and if you do protect the bike!! (just kidding)
4.  ALWAY, always, always work at your own level.  If you ride so hard that your heart rate is elevated to keep with the group you will forget and/or won't be able to drink or eat and that will make it harder, less enjoyable and less likely you will group ride again.
5.  Every body type has a specialty so if you are heavier and don't climb well you will fall faster when decending so don't be afraid of the speed, learn to handle the bike within your comfort level.
6.  Newbies usually ride with hard gear low cadence.  I usually start with the instruction of go light enough that you are bouncing in your seat a bit.  Then gear up by one.  This will put the rider close to 90 rpm to give them a feel of higher cadence then they can work on optimum gearing.
7.  If you don't know how to change a flat ride with someone who does or bring a cell phone.
8.  It's always a good idea to carry a cell phone.

Finally...where the hell did they find mountains?     

[Newt]

Craig and Sandy good points though I disagree with point 3.

Touching wheels is to be avoided but does not always result in a spill pro riders are touching frequently, as the bunch is riding  SO close together. When I did a learn to race course (many, many, years ago) we did drills where we intentionally rode with a partner and practised coming on to his rear wheel with your front and then coming off again. It was a hoot to do but should be done at low speeds and on something like a soccer field. I'd recommend newer riders to practise this with a buddy and even experienced riders should do this practise once or twice a year. Again on a flat grassy area. The main reason most people fall when touching wheels is they panic and over react. Bob and Wayne are often touching my rear wheel without mishap (though I am waiting for a crash to happen).

My take on the lower averages are it is what it is, the pro pack is just an advanced level group ride, and just like in all group rides there are times you coast, times you sprint to catch up, times you grind up a hill and times you spin up a hill. I'd bet TT cadences would be generally higher as you rarely stop pedalling though the intial discussion was about cadences in group rides. Even though my cadence seems low, typically between 72-85 rpm Avg on a group ride there are times it's over 120. My averages on a tt are between 85-95 rpm. Also the easier the group ride the lower my avg cadence unless I'm really forcing myself to spin.

Peace
Peter

[tire guy]

Pete you are a fountain of information I truly do learn something new every day although I do not have the brain power to remember any of it, just smile & nod 
 

Apology excepted Sandy you have compared me to a lot worse things 

[Craig]

When I was a kid I would regularly rub tires with whoever was in front.
As Peter mentioned, it is something that can be practiced. Which I should do.
Sort of like practicing skid control in the car on snowy roads. Hopefully you won't need to use it but good to have some skills just in case.

Mountains!   I'd swear there were some in Warkworth. Just ask the local Sherpa  Peter.