Dude, What's the deal with your speed!?

Somewhere down the line, some indoor cycling instructors have veered off course and taken the liberty to modify cycling cadence for no apparent good reason. Today, there are still classes conducted at unsafe speeds. So let’s revisit the correct parameters and highlight why they are important.

Simulating hills

According to Mad Dogg Athletics developers of the original Spinning® indoor cycling program, hill climb parameters are 60 to 80 revolutions per minute (rpms). Schwinn indoor cycling and Keiser also prescribe hill climbs at 60 to 80 rpms.

Riding at cadences under 60 rpms imply that resistance is too heavy which put undue strain on the knees. An analogy for outdoor riders climbing at lower than 60 rpms would mean that they are in the wrong gear, so shift down! How do you know if you’re riding at less than 60 rpms? Talk to your instructor and ask for a cadence check.

Simulating flats

Madd Dog Athletics and Keiser prescribe cadences  of 80 to 110 rpms for flat roads. Schwinn indoor cycling stretches the cadence to 120 rpms. Why higher cadences are not recommended? These cadences are not arbitrary, they are the result of legitimate studies which have concluded that higher cadences, at least indoors, while attached to a 40-lb. flywheel are not efficient and again, put undue strain on the knees.

A sure sign that you have too much speed and not enough resistance is the bounce test. Bouncing on the saddle is something that we do when we are unable to match our power with the correct cadence, resulting in an unnatural bounce on the saddle that comes from surplus energy from the pedals. This is inefficient and plain painful.

How do yo know if you’re bouncing? Sit close to a mirror and check yourself through out class. Your instructor may also point this out to you.

Why is cadence so important?

Because the risk of injury outweighs any benefit that a contraindicated cadence could possibly provide to us.

Proper bike set up and correct cadence are the two most important things in indoor cycling, if you can master these, you will enjoy the class and see real benefits from it.

Happy Riding!  

Alex~