Finding the right pedal stroke, or cadence, and getting a feel for what gears suit you best can have a huge impact on your comfort and efficiency levels.
How cyclists should choose the right gears and cadence
No matter what your goal in cycling – be it elite stage races or riding local sportives – developing the confidence to use all of your gears regularly and getting the feel for what cadence suits you best can make your cycling much more comfortable and efficient, writes cycling Paddy Doran of www.peakendurancecoaching.com
Whether your goal is to ride the An Post Rás stage race or take part in some of the great sportives now part of the Irish cycling scene, your efficiency will be improved if you understand how to best use the gears on your bike.
It’s like driving a car; there’s always a gear choice and certain revs per minute that delivers optimum efficiency and gives more kilometres per litre of petrol.
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Driving in too low a gear wastes petrol. Chugging along in too high a gear puts immense strain on the engine parts as well as using fuel very inefficiently.
How does gearing work?
Each gear will give you a specific distance travelled for one revolution of the pedals, depending on wheel size.
It’s simple enough; the larger the chain ring at the front and smaller the sprocket on the back wheel used together, the further the wheel will travel for each revolution of the pedals.
For example, using standard 700c racing wheels; a 39 tooth chain ring and 24-tooth back wheel sprocket travels 3.47 metres for each pedal revolution.
This travels a shorter distance and needs less force to cycle than a 53-tooth chain ring and 12-tooth back wheel sprocket, which travels 9.4 metres for each pedal revolution.
The 53x12 travels much further, but it needs more force to push it around.
Most road racing cyclists use chain wheels with 39 tooth and 53 tooth options and a block of sprockets on the rear wheel from 12 tooth to 23 tooth.
This gives them a large range of gears for most of the conditions they are likely to meet; from riding on the flat and downhill, to pushing their bikes up climbs or into strong winds on the flat.
Sportive riders sometimes use smaller chain rings (compacts) and/or bigger sprockets at the back to give very low gear ratios to deal with major climbs.
Which gears to choose?
Your choice of gear should always be dictated by your fitness, the road conditions and the speed you are travelling at.
A simple rule to follow is; if you speed up - because of a tailwind, for example, or slow down because of headwind or hills - you need to change gears up or down accordingly and maintain a cadence that is suitable for you and the conditions.
Always try to make gradual changes as speed and conditions change.
Tap into how the bike feels under you. Are the pedals going too fast and running away from you?
This usually results in more demands on breathing and means your cadence – the rate at which your legs are pushing the pedals around – is too high.
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On the opposite end of the scale; if are you using too much force to push on the pedals your leg muscles will become fatigued more quickly than if using an optimum gear. This means your cadence is too low.
Cadence is an individual thing and depends on fitness and cycling experience. Every rider must decide what gear best suits the circumstances.
Avoid extremes of either spinning too fast or slogging a big gear unless doing either is part of specific training sessions.
Experienced cyclists’ cadence
Well trained racing cyclists usually cycle at a cadence between 90 and 100 RPM on the flat and 70 –90 RPM on hills.
However, there will also be times when they must pedal at higher or lower than 70 to 100; when climbing or with tailwinds or during sprints.
These cadences are only achieved following a reasonable period of training on the bike and must be acquired. High cadence is a habit best formed between the ages of 8 to 14 years.
Beginners
It’s best for the first few weeks training to think in terms of what gear feels most comfortable and what gives you best speed for the effort you’re making.
A pedalling rate of between 70 to 90 RPM will probably be most comfortable.
As you’re cycling mileage and cycling fitness increases, you’ll progressively be able to pedal comfortably at a higher cadence.
Simply counting the number of full revolutions of the pedals for thirty seconds and multiplying by two can check this. Or a cadence meter can be fitted to the bike.
Practice
Practice changing gears regularly. Within a few weeks you should know exactly what gear you’re using by the pedalling rhythm. This could be practiced a little on a turbo trainer if you’re a beginner cyclist.
Chain Alignment
Become familiar with the gear ratios on your bike. You should know what the best combinations are to use at any given time.
Always use the appropriate chain ring and sprocket combination for the conditions and the one that gives you the best chain alignment for your chain to work most efficiently.
Chain alignment is the line your chain travels from chain ring to rear sprocket.
For example, if the big chain ring and the biggest sprocket (the one closet to the rear wheel spokes) are used together, this produces a sharp angle for the chain as it travels from chain ring to back wheel.
And the same will occur if you use the small chain ring and the smallest sprocket at the back (furthest away from the spokes). Try both and note the severity of the angle of the chain.
The small chain ring should mainly be used with the middle to inner sprockets (bigger sprockets) and the outside chain ring should usually be used with the middle to outside sprockets (smaller sprockets)
Safety
- Always look where you are going
- Do not Look down at the chain rings or sprockets while changing gears
- Practice plenty and once you are confident changing gears and get the feel for what combination of gears and what cadence suits you best, it will be more comfortable and will help get you from A to B as quickly and enjoyable as possible.
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