Mar 12, 2026 at 02:56 PM
this has been interesting. Thanks @KevinWomack for starting the discussion.
I was thinking about this on my ride yesterday. I used to be a lower-cadence rider, possibly because of age, posibly because of the limited gear options (a 42x21 was my daily low gear--watch the Tour in the 1980s, those guys had 42x24 as their alpine gear low), maybe because I was young, whatever. I could grind away on hlls and climb them pretty fast and comfortably. I even spent maybe 7 winters exclusively riding a fixed gear, with 42x16 as that gear (like a 36x14). Just about every uphill was a power workout, every downhill a cadence workout. I could be riding 30-50 rpm up a hill and then 120-150 rpm down.
I was thinking about this on my ride yesterday. I used to be a lower-cadence rider, possibly because of age, posibly because of the limited gear options (a 42x21 was my daily low gear--watch the Tour in the 1980s, those guys had 42x24 as their alpine gear low), maybe because I was young, whatever. I could grind away on hlls and climb them pretty fast and comfortably. I even spent maybe 7 winters exclusively riding a fixed gear, with 42x16 as that gear (like a 36x14). Just about every uphill was a power workout, every downhill a cadence workout. I could be riding 30-50 rpm up a hill and then 120-150 rpm down.
Yesterday, I was fatigued, trying to hit my threshold power, and definitely doing it at 90ish rpm was more difficult than it was at 100ish.
One of the good things with gears is that you can frequently find a gear that allows you to put out power at a comfortable cadence. But a way of getting stronger overall is expanding the range of what "comfortable cadence" is.
So, to Roadman's theories, there is something about being able to ride well at a lower cadence, as sometimes the hill will be too steep, sometimes your body will be so fatigued, there will be no choice but to ride at that lower cadence. And to get there, yes, low cadence efforts in training, particularly when you're short on time and/or stuck on the trainer, probably has value.
For me, I find that when I pedal at a super-high cadence, like 150rpm and above, I feel the effort in my hamstrings, as it seems the difficulty is starting at around 7 o'clock in my pedal stroke, as in on the way up. When I do low cadence efforts, I feel the effort more in my calves and hip flexors and glutes, as it seems the difficulty is from 3-6 o'clock and 10-1 o'clock.
For me, I find that when I pedal at a super-high cadence, like 150rpm and above, I feel the effort in my hamstrings, as it seems the difficulty is starting at around 7 o'clock in my pedal stroke, as in on the way up. When I do low cadence efforts, I feel the effort more in my calves and hip flexors and glutes, as it seems the difficulty is from 3-6 o'clock and 10-1 o'clock.
