What drives your bike cadence?
Spending 3hrs on the trainer today gave me time to contemplate the world's mysteries. One of these was where the impetus for my cadence was coming from. Is it your feet, knees, quads, hips?
I myself found, especially for higher rates, that focusing on my ankles enabled the most consistent fast and relaxed rhythm. When I'd focus on my quads/knees it got harder to be quick or consistent. Kinda makes sense...a tensed muscle is slow muscle...just do the ball rolling off the table experiment. Plus it wastes energy keeping it tense as well. When I would focus on my quads, they would start to tense as I forced the cadence. Now focusing on my ankles didn't tense any muscles. Just thought of those two driving up and down.
As a newer cyclist just wondering if there is a widely accepted cue for driving the rate or if it's just find what works. Also any mental cues that have worked for others?
Comments
Not an answer to the question but something to think about as I have noticed this as we are finally getting outdoor cycling weather outside Chicagoland...
What is your naturally selected cadence outside vs. trainer?
I find that outside low 90's feel right where inside is closer to mid 80's. As a weaker cyclist I seem to be able to push the cardio and spin to keep power VS. dropping to the mid 80's where outside it feels like I am mashing.
One other minor difference is riding aero vs. hoods. In aero position my cadence drops and lower 80's is what I tend to self select.
On the technique side I focus on staying quick/light at the top of the stroke as that can become a "dead spot". 3 hours on the trainer provides AMPLE opportunity to overthink these things :-)
More practical advice: I try to create a feeling of floating, equal pressure all around both legs. Specific body focus for me is a feeling of lightness underfoot on the upstrokes.