Which gear to use - Triathlon Week

ddguier · 06-13-2006, 04:21 PM

After reading about training in the big ring on the front, I tried it. My question is, is it better to stay in the big ring on the front and back off on the back, or go to the middle ring on the front and a smaller ring on the back. I am real new at this. On my last couple of rides I tried to stay in the big ring on the front and I was faster, but I know I was working a little harder and using more energy.

sfricks · 06-14-2006, 08:07 AM

Your question is an excelent one. The answer is a little tricky though. The span or range of gears crosses greatly through the chain rings (front gears) and cassette (rear gears). In other words, you may find similar gear ratios on a smaller chain ring and smaller cog (cassette gear) as you might find on a larger chain ring and larger cog. At first this doesn't make sence. Why waste weight and energy by duplicating gear ratios? To understand the duplication you need to think about power transfer and cadence. (See my post on Cycling Cadence at [Only registered and activated users can see links. ])

There is a range of cadence when our legs produce power optimally. A low, slow cadence recruits muscle fibers at a tremendously high rate thereby "burning you out" faster. A rapid, high cadence won't burn you out as fast but is inefficient by nature. Unless you race and train with a power (watt) meter and a heartrate monitor, you can't know your own optimum cadence. The general rule of thumb for most of us is 85 RPM. I usually cycle at 85-100 RPM whick looks fast to many but is slower than Lance Armstrong's 100-120 RPM.

Now, obviously many things affect our cadence, right? Terrain (hills), fatigue, wind, the peleton (group of cyclists)? Here's the trick... The change in gear ratio is greatest for the chain ring (ergo 2-3 gears) and least for the cassette (ergo 8-10 gears). Unless the terrain changes rapidly or you turn into the wind or move positions in the peloton, the changes necessitated by cadence/power needs is typically minor. Therefore the majority of your shifting will be done on the cassette. Ideally, you'd be riding in whatever chain ring gives you the ability to ride with the chain in the middle of your cassette. This way you can make minor adjustments (on the cassette) up and down to give you the optimal gear. Ah..... So now the question is, "what is the optimal gear?"

To know what that optimal gear is, you need to know two things. 1) your cadence and 2) your heart rate (or at least rate of percieved exertion - RPE). I could write another thread entirely on Lactate Threshold. (LT) RPE and Heart Rate. Suffice it to say that there are many factors that go into calculating your "burn out" point. In an Olympic distance race or shorter, this is less important than on 70.3 or 140.6 races. So, the optimal gear is the gear that lets you go as fast as you can while maintaining optimal cadence (85~ RPM) and maximum power without exceeding your LT or burnout point.

So, this leads me to say, if your bike doesn't have a cadence sensor on your cyclo-computer, find a new one. They're relatively cheap. Once you become accustomed to what 85-90 RPM feels like, you won't need to look at it as much.

One final thing. There are many uses for a cadence sensor outside optimal racing cadence. My computer lets me put either cadence or speed in the large display. It's always set to cadence. When training I occasionally do leg strength building by mashing (hard pedaling at slow cadence) at about 50 RPM and/or high cadence training (spinning) at 100+ RPM. When I race, how fast I go is a product of cadence and LT.

I hope I presented my thoughts clearly. If not, please feel free to ask.

hmullett · 06-14-2006, 04:04 PM

Scott,
You are the man! Let me tell you though, that I don't have a cadence cyclometer. But, I keep meaning to buy one. I just go with what feels right and I know when to downshift and give my legs a break.

ddguier~ there is no magical gear. Some cyclists race on the small ring, and they do great. Lance, in one of his books, talks about Jan Ulrich as being a big ring guy. It all depends on you and your body. Like Scott said, once you find "your" gear, any adjustments will be minor. Good luck!

Heather

ddguier · 06-15-2006, 12:26 PM

Thanks guys. Last night I did 46 miles with some real experienced riders. They really put it to me. I stayed in the big ring as much as possible and in 6-7 on the back. They would power away and they come back and get me. I was dead by 25 miles, but made the workout. The big ring helped, but I need to ride with them more often. I ave 17.5 for the workout, but died the last 15 miles. I felt fast at times.

sfricks · 06-15-2006, 03:12 PM

Great job. You've picked the best way to learn. I caution you against "big ring mentality" though. Ride what's most efficient, big or small ring. 85 RPM give or take a little is proven to be most efficient. Heather cites Jan Ulrich's big ring approach. I believe Jan also rides a compact crank (50-34) and did see he turned a lowly 90-100 RPM on his TDF time trial which is still kickin! I have several race titles won on line sprints where, like you on the last 15, my opponent was toast and couldn't hold on to me because they felt it necessary to "mash" their way through the race. Good luck!

hmullett · 06-16-2006, 08:43 AM

dd~
try "spinning." What is this? It's pulling up on the pedals instead of mashing them down. It takes less energy and you'll be faster.
I was thinking of you on my ride yesterday. I have to ask how long you've been riding, because it sounds like you're doing well. I would just start (on a flat course) shifting gears around to see where yours is . The day that I found mine was the day that I knew I could go a lot faster and take less energy. Really look at your cadence too, though.

Heather

ddguier · 06-16-2006, 09:44 AM

Here is a little personal background info - I am a 53 year old male teacher and girls HS distance coach who has been a runner all my life with a lower calf injury that I have been fighting for about 5 years. I had a MRI down in Feb and found out it is just a bad strain. I started swimming right away ( couldn't do one hard length). Started indoor biking and took a few spinning classes in March. I bought a Hy-bred to train on and liked it. The first of June I got a Gaint ORC 1 road bike for my birthday. This week I have a 46,40,30, and a 25 mile bike rides. I can now swim a mile in under in the low 39's, and just started to get the running going 3-4 days a week. I am trying to keep my cadance at above 80 when I bike , but when I check I find myself between 76 and 84. I am working at keeping it in one gear lower to keep the RPM's up. I know I am really new at this. I am planning on my first sprint TRI on July 8.

hmullett · 06-16-2006, 10:00 AM

Sounds like a good base. You should do well in your first race, let us know how you do!

Heather

sfricks · 06-16-2006, 02:24 PM

dd,
Sounds like you're there. Try these drills to improve power and cadence:
1) Ideally you want to pedal in a complete circle rather than just down. To get a feel for what circular pedaling should feel like try this. Dead Leg Drill: best on a trainer. If on a trainer, you simply unclip one foot and rest it on a chair. As you're pedaling with the clipped leg you should feel equal torque through the complete rotation of the pedal. If there's a "dead" spot, you're not applying energy efficiently. Alternate legs for 2 minutes. If you don't have a trainer, on your next ride try just letting one leg "rest" while pedaling with the other. Alternate legs every thirty seconds. Don't unclip, just rest the leg.
2) Spinning Drill: Do a road ride in the lowest gear you can while still maintaining some resistance on the pedals. Your cadence will be super high. Keep it as high as possible (100-130 RPMs are possible for a novice) without bouncing in the sadle for the entire ride. This will give you a similar effect to the dead leg drill. You'll "feel" the dead spots in your stroke. This has a secondary benefit of training your legs to accept a higher cadence. BTW... I do this drill for some part of almost every training ride. Good Luck!

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