Help improving

[andrich]

Hi Guys,
i'm not really new to cycling but since March i had really stepped up the amount of riding i do.
I know ride to work 4 times a week (13km each way) and at least once on the weekend.
Since March i have done 1584km (AT) an average of 28.5kmh which im pretty happy about.

What im interested in is if i am doing the right thing in order to improve (and if so what am i doing wrong).
Generally on my way to work i will average around 25-27 depending on traffic and weight in my bag and go a little harder on weekends. I generally go at 2min/km on a training ride around homebush bay.

I guess my question is should i try and mix it up between long endurance (2hrs plus) and short faster rides or maintain what i am doing? I have been reading that cadence is an important factor to look at. Currently i find that i sit around 70-78 on a cruise (AT) 30-33kmh. Should i try and get it up a little?
My bike is a Giant TCR Advanced SL

Sorry for the confusing post.Just trying to give some info on what i normally do at the moment.
Cheers

[g-boaf]

Nice bike!

I started doing longer rides so I could get used to doing them. And was riding with people who were quicker than I was. I had no other choice but try to ride faster or end up a long way behind them.

I also did some sprints from a start, those seemed to help. Apart from that, high intensity intervals seemed to give me the best results for relatively small amount of time (1 hour sessions).

Your mileage may vary.

[Derny Driver]

Hi andrich
1. Don't worry about your average speed. Just ride.
2. Your cadence is too low, try to keep it around 90.
3. Yes throw in a longer ride occasionally, again, forget how fast or slow you are going.

[Alex Simmons/RST]

Hi andrich
1. Don't worry about your average speed. Just ride.
2. Your cadence is too low, try to keep it around 90.
3. Yes throw in a longer ride occasionally, again, forget how fast or slow you are going.

4. ride more and more frequently to improve fitness
5. include some hills on some days
6. consider at some stage riding with others fitter than you (help in other ways, improves skills, motivation, safety in numbers etc)
7. keep it fun

[andrich]

Hi guys,
thanks for the replies.
thanks for the tips.
I have been making a conscious effort to increase my cadence over the last week. I find that I get more tired/fatigued when keeping my cadence high (say around 90 @30kmh). I realize not to focus on speed but its just odd to think I can maintain that fairly easy when in a higher gear and lower cadence. It might be weird but I find it difficult to spin a lower gear at a high cadence, for me im more comfortable in a higher gearwith a lower cadence (around 77-84). Is that normal?
If I keep my cadence high and increase that fitness aspect I will eventually be able to keep it up there in a higher and higher gear, thus increasing speed. would that be correct thinking?
I am enjoying it which is the main thing. Just trying to improve and get better.
Thanks gain
Michael

[Xplora]

Depending on how strong your legs are, you might be more comfortable grinding because it puts all the effort into your muscles and not your heart and lungs. This is a baaaad way to approach things in the long term unless you're training for Ironman triathlons (180kms on a flat course on a TT bike is different to riding hills on a road bike) - even then, 90 is better.

The reason for spinning higher is because your 13km ride is a nightmare if you're riding 130, or even 230kms. Your legs will not survive 80rpm at that distance, you need to be able to make your heart do the hard work once you're riding 2-3 hours. Otherwise, you hit the wall and will struggle to pedal 20kmh as you're totally depleted. Bonk. The Man With The Hammer.

[Derny Driver]

It might be weird but I find it difficult to spin a lower gear at a high cadence, for me im more comfortable in a higher gearwith a lower cadence (around 77-84). Is that normal?

Yes that is the norm with untrained cyclists /beginners /novices

If I keep my cadence high and increase that fitness aspect I will eventually be able to keep it up there in a higher and higher gear, thus increasing speed. would that be correct thinking?

Exactly mate, that is how you do it.

[andrich]

Thanks for the replies.
I get what you guys mean and i have been keeping up 85-95 over the last week and abit and it does seem abit easier.
I do have strong legs so i think thats why i found it OK to grind away at lower rpm (i could do it for 2.5hours without to much trouble) but i think if i increase my spin rate i can do it easier.
My current setup is 53/39 chainrings and 11-28 cassette. Is this set up OK? would i benefit from a change at all?
cheers

[Derny Driver]

My current setup is 53/39 chainrings and 11-28 cassette. Is this set up OK? would i benefit from a change at all?
cheers

Thats fine but you might want something different when you wear it out and need to replace it.
Its easier to control your cadence when the ratios are just one tooth jumps. For example 12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21
However in order to have easier gears for hills, some of those cogs must be sacrificed. If you want a 23 and a 25 cog then you cant have the 18 and 20.
But 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25 is still an excellent combination with one tooth jumps where you really need them.
With 11-28 you have to sacrifice more of those nice middle cogs like the 16 in order to have the extra easy and extra hard ones on the ends.
11-28 being such a large range must compromise in the middle with lots of 2 tooth jumps. 2 tooth jumps between gear shifts dont worry most people but you would understand that the cadence difference is also double that of a one tooth difference in cog size.
So its easier to keep your cadence in that perfect range with a close ratio cassette.
Personal preference really.
For me I would use an 11 and a 28 only rarely and would rather a 14, 16 or 18 instead as they are in the middle of the cassette and are used more.

[Xplora]

Keep at it, andrich, and don't cut yourself short on pushing the pedals quicker. Each time I've practiced my spinning on the trainer, I rev it up as fast as I can go and it maxes out at 140rpm. Lame. I rest for a couple minutes spinning 90rpm, then I try again. 150rpm. rest. 160rpm. rest a while longer. 180rpm. A lot of this stuff is teaching your nerves and your brain how to even consider doing this. I'm warm when I hit 140... I'm a bit of a fan of the nervous system theory stuff, and it definitely rings true on the bike. You need to learn to spin; it's not just willpower or better cardio alone.

[andrich]

My current setup is 53/39 chainrings and 11-28 cassette. Is this set up OK? would i benefit from a change at all?
cheers

Thats fine but you might want something different when you wear it out and need to replace it.
Its easier to control your cadence when the ratios are just one tooth jumps. For example 12-13-14-15-16-17-18-19-20-21
However in order to have easier gears for hills, some of those cogs must be sacrificed. If you want a 23 and a 25 cog then you cant have the 18 and 20.
But 12-13-14-15-16-17-19-21-23-25 is still an excellent combination with one tooth jumps where you really need them.
With 11-28 you have to sacrifice more of those nice middle cogs like the 16 in order to have the extra easy and extra hard ones on the ends.
11-28 being such a large range must compromise in the middle with lots of 2 tooth jumps. 2 tooth jumps between gear shifts dont worry most people but you would understand that the cadence difference is also double that of a one tooth difference in cog size.
So its easier to keep your cadence in that perfect range with a close ratio cassette.
Personal preference really.
For me I would use an 11 and a 28 only rarely and would rather a 14, 16 or 18 instead as they are in the middle of the cassette and are used more.

Cool i thought it seemed to be OK.
Yeah i can see what ya mean about controlling the cadence and have a bigger jump between gears. Its easy to forget and changeup thinking itl only be a small difference but its actually quite abit (say 86 in one gear drops to mid-high 70s in the next gear for the same effort).
I tend to like the gears i have at the moment, it gives me a good spread i think
thanks for the reply
cheers

[andrich]

Keep at it, andrich, and don't cut yourself short on pushing the pedals quicker. Each time I've practiced my spinning on the trainer, I rev it up as fast as I can go and it maxes out at 140rpm. Lame. I rest for a couple minutes spinning 90rpm, then I try again. 150rpm. rest. 160rpm. rest a while longer. 180rpm. A lot of this stuff is teaching your nerves and your brain how to even consider doing this. I'm warm when I hit 140... I'm a bit of a fan of the nervous system theory stuff, and it definitely rings true on the bike. You need to learn to spin; it's not just willpower or better cardio alone.

Oh na im definately not giving up on pushing quicker over the last 2 weeks or so iv made a conscious effort to increase my cadence and it has made a difference. Can hold it quite well now
Guna try and keep going
cheers