What Is The Most Efficient Cadence? GCN Does Science

Which cadence or how many RPM should you use on a bike? We took a look at what is the most efficient cadence.

So, what works best? In the latest of our visits to the treadmill in Bath we attempted to find out if a high cadence, a low cadence, or simply what feels right to you is best? Simon Richardson is the guinea pig, whilst Dan Lloyd will attempt to analyse the results with the help of Bath University’s in house scientist Jonathan Robinson.

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[durianriders]

Simon should do this test each day for 3 days in a row but each day you swap out what cadence goes first. This can eliminate the variable that fatigue/warm up could create regarding heart rate and lactate. Also no caffeine should be used before the test. Stimulants can spike HR and that can in turn spike lactate levels creating warped data.

Love the idea of using the treadmill for testing. Makes it more real world. The Cosmed makes this possible and much more enjoyable. Also good to see the compacts on the Colnago.

[boogersnut]

This video literally changed my riding style.  I've embraced riding a slightly smaller gear, lower cadence, which has dramatically affected my riding in a very very good way.   Thanks guys.

[kurihara]

Really loving the GCN Does Science series. Regarding the linear relationship you saw between cadence, heart rate, and lactate levels I suspect that may be a result of increased muscle perfusion with the higher cadence "flushing out" lactate into the blood thereby increasing measurable levels vs a lower cadence --> lower heart rate --> lower perfusion so more lactate stays in the muscle with less being measurable in the blood. Would be interesting to do separate tests over days to see if the post-ride day lactate level is increased with the lower cadence (finally flushed out of the muscle) and how much muscle soreness the rider feels on the post-ride day with the different cadences. Great video & thanks guys.

Achilles tendon inflammation was causing delays in my training and physical impairment for common tasks like stairs. I thought, and others told me I was just getting old. A Garmin watch, Wahoo cadence and CycleOps power plus extensive research forced me to train above 80rpm. All my problems disappeared as long as I stayed above 80rpm. Amazing! I am 67 and just kicked out another century ride. If caadence>80 then injury=0...a nice formula! Biking, lifting & stretching will keep you young, I am evidence.

[SSstyles]

Something about grinding & churning the big gears at a low cadence makes me feel like a V8 driving, steak eating, poly womanizing, weight lifting, beastly man. But Lance went high cadence so I go high cadence.

[Yasu-na]

I'm just going to share my personal preference in cadence, as a ~120 lb endurance climber. 
I grew into a cadence of around 60-80 rpm. This is because I found that my heart gives out long before my legs do. So, I put more strain on my legs than my heart at the lower cadence. At least in the groups I've cycled with, this is unique to me, so I've sometimes had to explain this. I don't know the science behind it, however, but it definitely made a difference once I realized my issues.

[markreedy]

For myself, I had always found that high cadence was less efficient until because of a knee injury, I couldn't push a "big gear" and had to spin higher. I actually trained for a higher cadence (95) and after 3 months begin hitting PR's on a regular basis riding over 50 miles (80K).

[scotth]

@ 3:50 there's a common and notable error in their understanding. He thinks because he's pedaling slowly he's using slow twitch fibers, but that's incorrect. At lower cadences there is more force on the pedals, and more force engages the fast twitch fibers. Slow twitch fibers will do all the work until such time as they can't provide the force required, then fast twitch come into play. Fast twitch fibers fatigue more easily and do not recover from the effort as fully as slow twitch fibers. #spin2win

[biranfalk-dotan]

I wonder if doing the high-cadence test before the self-selected test influenced Si's cadence selection. Maybe once he is used to working at a high cadence for a few minutes his self-selected cadence rises?

[peterodonnell]

From a purely mechanical point of view, irrespective of the training and conditioning of the athlete, higher cadences are less efficient, owing to the need to overcome the inertia of the reciprocating mass. The more frequently the legs have to change direction, the more energy required to do it.

[dreamchaser]

i think higher cadence reduces muscle damage, which would result in faster recovery for stage races. just my layman theory.

[klaasdeboer]

In periods when I run a lot and ride little, I can only produce power by spinning the pedals fast. Same for climbing, living in Amsterdam there are no climbs, so when I have the climb, I stick in the saddle and spin myself upwards.

[MrFerkles]

Since getting my Garmin for Christmas, this is something that's been crossing my mind a lot. Thanks guys!

[AbhishekS]

I kept waiting for the Darth Vader bit. Almost gave up hope, but you never disappoint XD 7:38

[jameshone]

I cant do high cadence as I find it very hard on my mucles but I can clime hills at low cadences

[ScottyCycles]

I found myself a few years ago while training for a Time Trial (flat course) that instead of pedaling 105-110 rpm that if I dropped it to 75-80 and used a much bigger gear (Ulriching it) I gained 1-2mph avg speed and HR dropped by 5 beats or so. The trade off is your leg muscles being able to maintain the exertion long enough to finish before failure.

[ITsupportian]

You have to think what muscle was develop by a rider... If a rider is a spinner then his muscles are developed for spinning. If a person is a masher then he will have a hard time spinning with those big thighs... for me, I think spinning is the best. I use to be a masher until I car hit me and I can't put too much weight on my knee. Long story short, I found spinning, and now I found it less tiring than mashing.

[EatSleepTrainSmart]

Cadence is one of the metrics I look at to determine optimal crank length.  A rider's self selected cadence varies on different crank lengths.  When my cranks were too long, my self selected cadence was about 80rpm, but when I shortened them by 7.5mm, my self selected cadence rose to 95rpm.  My average heart rate also dropped 17bpm and I'm riding significantly faster.  I have chart comparisons on my blog showing this if you're interested in seeing it.  Maybe something worthwhile to investigate in the future?

[BeamRider]

For really steep sections or at the end of sprints I like high cadence 90-100 rpm. For long climbs 80-90 rpm and 70-80rpm for flat sections. I discovered lower cadence works better for me on flat sections when I was keeping up with some faster guys at lower cadence, but then they started walking away whenever I went to a faster spinning gear, but I was a bit fatigued that day so I'll check it out again.

[ziggyful]

What about something for the commuter or touring cyclist, not all of us are riding bikes to try and join the tour. Ideal cadence data appears to be based on a very high power output, not something the average commuter or touring cyclist maintains. Perhaps some data on what is the most efficient cadence to maintain 15, 20, 25, 30 km/h on level ground would be useful. Its possibly like the engine in a car, sure to most effectively use 80-90 % of the rated power the revs have to be right up there 3000+ rpm, but for light cruising, light throttle loads rpm is <1500 rpm.
My own experience: just rotating the crank with no load at 80 rpm for 5 mins leaves me feeling somewhat fatigued! whereas I can cruise at 25 km/h all day and never go past 55 rpm