[Alanis27]

Lately I have been trying to increase my average cadence to at least 90. (Comfortable for me seems to be about 80.) I've found that my heart rate really goes up with the higher cadence, even on the flats. I've tried using an easier gear, but my heart rate is still high. From what I've been reading this doesn't seem right. Am I doing something wrong, or still trying to push too high a gear?

[BigDumbBear]

With the faster cadence, your heart has to pump faster to keep those muscles going. A faster cadence is good to use less muscle power, but will only help to a certain point. Your cadence is a lot higher than mine. I can only maintain about 65-70 rpm, but I'm a large guy with a lot of power in my legs. If I get my legs moving that fast, I will be bouncing all over the place and my heart can't pump enough blood to fuel those muscles. The idea behind the faster cadence is to use less muscle power and more mechanical advantage from your gears so you can ride longer. You're just going backwards if you're trying to pedal too fast and can't feed those muscles.