Slow rpm's - Triathlon Week

garrett333 · 04-21-2006, 07:43 AM

I dont have a bike computer so...i dont know what my actual rpm's are...i can just tell or feel that my legs seem to pump slowly on the peddles. I am aware of it so i try it just seems that to ride somewhat far i have to go at a certain rate. I also find myself shifting gears all the time to find a gear that i can pump at a regular rate while going up inclines. So my question is should i just suffer in tuffer gears? Or should i be changing gears to help my rpm's. HELP

Spike10 · 04-21-2006, 10:25 AM

First of all a bike computer is a great investment, I use a Cateye Astrale that I love and it's now very cheap to buy, your LBS should have quite a variety for under $30. When I started using a computer I never looked at the cadance function, I was only interested in speed, time, and distance, I found out later (on this site I think) that cadance is very important in both training and racing. Cadance will let your head know what your legs are doing with a number, and it's a great pacing tool, you can find lots of information about where your cadance should be at any given time for gearing and terrain, then you can just glance down and know if you need to gear up or down to stay in your zone, the only time you should "suffer in tuffer gears" is when you are building power over speed, or you just need some pain to round out your day :)
Just remember that our sport is all about endurance, speed is a byproduct of fitness and determination, so if your legs can crank from 80 to 100 rpm's for several hours (cycling and runing) your will not only be fit, but you will be fast as well.
I hope this helps, happy training.
Spike.

garrett333 · 04-21-2006, 10:59 AM

Yea that makes since. So what i gather from your remarks is that just keep on pumping at a given rpm and dont shift to an easier gear unless you fall below what your normal rpm's would be for that kinda terrian. I guess the next step will be a computer. The guy at the lbs said it would take roughly 100 for a computer and installation. My wife is already flipping out on how much i spent for the bike and getting into the sport. So i guess i will just go with out until after this first sprint tri in about a month then see if i can soften her up! thanks for advice

Spike10 · 04-21-2006, 02:49 PM

Trust me when I say that I understand about the wife going berzerk about our toys, I have been with my wife for 25 years and she still cringes when I come home with a new hobby or sport because I always go all out. I did some research on your behalf and found a cadence ready computer at performancebike.com for under $30, you would have to order it because there are no stores in you area, and as for the lbs that wants to charge you $100 for the computer and mounting, ask them if you get dinner with that :)
The only other thing I can say is get one when you can because they do help.
Spike.

sfricks · 04-22-2006, 06:28 AM

Great advise Spike! My $.02 for what it's worth... Spike is absolutely right. Cadence will make a dramatic difference in your rideing and racing. The rule of thimb for Tri is >85 RPM. You should be running at this cadence too. For comparison Lance A. pumps out 100-112 on average. Personally, I NEVER drop below 85 RPM unless I'm on a steep climb and mostly ride th 90-100 RPM range.

There are appropriate times for lover RPMs especially in training. I regularly slow to 50-55 RPMs in a rediculasly high gear on hills to build muscle.

As far as shifting... Unless you're on flats with no wind, you should be shifing (early and) often. Cadence & heart rate (or RPE - rate of percieved exertion) should be your guide, not gearing. My mantra is, "if it feels like you're working too hard, you probably are".

$100 for a simple cyclo computer??? It better come with Body Glide :)

Lastly, high cadence feels funny at first and does take practice to master. The drill for this is to "spin" in an easy gear as fast as you can WITHOUT bouncing in the saddle. The great benefit to this drill is it encourages proper leg muscle rotational memory. In other words your legs will learn to use the entire pedal rotation instead of just pushing down.