I have put a cadence sensor on my fixed gear. I got to 142 rpm on my 42x16 with 172.5 crank arms. I felt a little out of contro,l but it was quite a rush! I have read of people spinning alot faster than this and was wondering how fast other people get?
I will have to check how fast I was going on some hills yesterday on my commute home. Was trying to beat the rain and on a few downhills my legs were hammering like they have never hammered before.
I've got 175 cranks and when I spin up to 145 I'm about as smooth as the time the bowl of eggs slipped from my arm and I almost caught 5 of the eggs before I bumped into the door and stepped on the garden rake.
About 150-160 with a fixed gear bike on the track. Felt out of balance at that top number. Like a bad propeller blade spinning quick but not moving enough air.
On my ride today I hit 31 mph which would mean my cadence was at about 141 RPM given my gearing. On the topic, anyone have techniques/strategies to help spin faster?
I got the genetics and the athleticism, its the coaching aspect I lack. Soon I will be venturing to the drome and plan on using a coach to get me into racing but until then...
I have the next couple weeks off of school so I'm good for all out training. The things that take the longest to learn are usually the thing most worth while so I' willing to commit to the effort. I'm actually a photographer And I think the porn industry has capitalized on the SFV already ...
Rhythm: I'm no sprinter but have done a bit of work on indoor tracks in the winter under the instruction of men who know this game. If you only have a few weeks do not expect a great increase in leg speed. The best result you will be able to obtain is in the healing stages of the kind of leg soreness sprint training will bring. This is not to discourage you. But to start sprinting or seeking a faster turnover has its price at the outset. Still, getting a jump before real indoor work starts is better than not. Pick a stretch of road free of traffic because it's easy to get unglued and wobble a bit when first cranking very high revolutions. Plus a rider tends to look down at the feet and this is all it takes at 35 mph to get your front wheel cockeyed and you out into the main flow of traffic. Or into the bushes. (I've done this myself.) Don't worry about a big gear. Go down on the small ring and spin whichever gear is easy. From a roll crank up to the fastest cadence you can and hold that for no more than 15 seconds. Do this several times with whatever rest you need between intervals. You are not training your lungs so no need to get right back at it. It's the legs' ability to move quickly you are working on. They move faster when fully rested. Later you can kill yourself with shorter rest times. Experiment with gearings. Use the gear you can get to 140 rpm or better. This kind of speed will not come immediately. Or I should say it did not for me. Work on keeping the bike somewhat straight. Not to worry so much when sprinting your bike is wobbling a bit. Nobody sprints with a smooth bike attitude. Just stay on the road. This is always the best. Simply try various sprint times starting at 15 seconds and lengthening them out to 2 minutes. At 2 minutes you are apt to slow but it's still a good goal time. The whole point of this kind of thing is to tear leg muscle on a microscopic level. This is how you build specific muscle that is tailored for cycling. Weight lifting with the legs helps but does not teach the leg tissue to fire in just the right sequence. Specific training at its best. Do this kind of training a little at first (10x15 seconds first day) and slowly increase as each day goes by. Do not do a whole bunch at first unless having a mate help you get a leg over is what you're after. This kind of thing can make you very sore. Ride your usual distance and add the sprints sometime in the middle. Use the last half to warm down and disperse lactic acid. All coaches have their own patterns of training. Mainly they vary by target cadence times and work times. But if you simply get out and practice spinning faster by the time you get indoors you'll be a lot better off. A coach is very handy too. Hope this is of some help.
Very helpful, thanks for the tips on specifics. I have a bigger cog coming my way so once its here I'll have to put it on and try your training strategy with intervals.
When I lived in Westlake Village, I worked as a photographer, and had a very lucrative client base. People out there love to spend money, especially on vanity portraits.
I used to live in TO .... creepy. I also used to work in Westlake, although not as a photographer back then. I know what you mean by the clientèle. Update: Just got done doing the intervals and I'm dead... these legs barely made it up the hill to my parents house. But even during the training I felt an "improvement" albeit a mental one.
