Cadence has gotten complicated with all the advice flying around. As someone who spent years grinding away at 70 RPM before a coach finally straightened me out, I learned everything there is to know about why your pedaling speed matters—and how to fix it. Today, I will share it all with you.
What Cadence Actually Means (And Why I Ignored It)
Cadence is just how fast your pedals spin—measured in revolutions per minute. Simple, right? Except I spent my first three years of cycling completely misunderstanding what that number should be.
I came from a weightlifting background, so naturally I mashed big gears. Felt powerful. Felt like I was really working. And I was—my quads would be screaming by mile 40 while the old guys spinning away next to me looked like they were out for a Sunday stroll.
Low cadence grinding uses your muscles as the engine. Each pedal stroke takes real force, builds up lactate fast, and leaves your legs trashed. Your heart rate stays relatively low, but your muscles pay the price.
High cadence spinning shifts the work to your cardiovascular system. Your heart and lungs do more, but your muscles stay fresher. Recovery between rides is faster. That’s what makes higher cadence endearing to us cyclists who actually want to ride tomorrow—you can do it again.
The trick is finding the balance. Too low and you’re grinding yourself into the ground. Too high and you’re just burning matches without going faster.
The Magic Number (That I Resisted for Way Too Long)
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. Most coaches will tell you 85-95 RPM is the sweet spot. I thought they were insane.
When I first tried riding at 90 RPM, it felt like I was pedaling a sewing machine. My heart rate spiked. My breathing went ragged. This was supposed to be more efficient? But here’s the thing—I was fighting years of muscle memory.
The research backs up this range. At 85-95 RPM, your muscles recruit efficiently, blood flow stays adequate, and your cardiovascular system runs in a sustainable zone. Drop below 80 and muscular fatigue accelerates. Go above 100 and you’re spending energy without getting proportional power back.
Pros spin even faster—many cruise at 100+ RPM like it’s nothing. That’s years of adaptation. For most of us, 85-95 RPM delivers the best efficiency without requiring a professional training schedule.
Finding Your Real Cadence (Not What Feels Comfortable)
First, go ride without looking at any numbers. Just pay attention to what cadence feels natural. If you’re like most people who haven’t trained cadence, you’ll probably settle around 70-80 RPM. Feels comfortable because it’s what you know—not because it’s optimal.
Then run an experiment. Pick a flat section and ride it at different cadences: 75, 85, 95, 105 RPM. Not just what your legs feel like—pay attention to your breathing, your heart rate, the overall sense of effort. When I finally did this test properly, 88 RPM felt right in ways I couldn’t explain. It just clicked.
Your background matters here. I came from strength sports, so lower cadences felt natural initially. Friends who ran before cycling adapted to higher cadences faster—their cardiovascular systems were already trained. Everyone’s starting point differs, but everyone can improve.
The Drills That Actually Fixed My Pedaling
Single-leg drills were humbling. Unclip one foot and pedal with just the other for 30-60 seconds. You’ll immediately discover all the dead spots in your stroke—places where you’re just along for the ride instead of applying power. I had a massive dead spot from 5 o’clock to 7 o’clock. These drills exposed it brutally.
Spin-ups taught me to pedal faster without bouncing. Start at your normal cadence, then gradually increase over 30 seconds until your hips start bouncing in the saddle. Note that max number, rest, then try to beat it. First time I tried this, I bounced at 102 RPM. Six weeks later, I could hold 115 smooth.
Cadence intervals build range. Alternate one minute at 60 RPM (grinding) with one minute at 100 RPM (spinning) while keeping similar power output. Sounds simple. It’s not. But it teaches your body to produce power across different cadence ranges.
Fixed-cadence rides develop consistency. Pick a target—I used 90 RPM—and hold it for an entire ride regardless of terrain. You’ll shift constantly. Wind comes up? Shift. Slight grade? Shift. This trains you to use your gears instead of just muscling through resistance.
Your Gearing Probably Needs Help
My old bike had a 53/39 crankset and an 11-25 cassette. Great for flat roads. Terrible for maintaining cadence anywhere else. I’d hit a 6% grade and watch my cadence drop to 55 RPM while grinding myself into oblivion.
Wide-range cassettes (11-34 or wider) give you options. Compact cranks (50/34) make easier gears available without needing massive cassettes. When I switched to a compact with an 11-32 cassette, suddenly I could hold 85+ RPM on climbs that used to destroy me.
Learn to shift before you need to. See a climb coming? Shift easier before the gradient forces you. Cresting a hill? Shift harder before you spin out. Proactive shifting keeps cadence steady. Reactive shifting creates those jarring moments where you’re suddenly in the wrong gear.
Electronic shifting makes this easier. I resisted for years—seemed unnecessary. Then I tried SRAM AXS on a demo bike and the difference was immediate. It removes the mental overhead of managing front and rear derailleurs separately. Not essential, but if you’ve got the budget, it helps.
When the Rules Change
Climbing throws the 85-95 rule out the window. On steep gradients, I typically drop to 70-80 RPM. That’s fine for climbs. What’s not fine is grinding at 55 RPM because you’re too stubborn to shift. If you’re below 60, you’re going to blow up. Shift easier and accept moving slower—your legs will thank you at the top.
Sprinting naturally pushes cadence high. Short accelerations might take you to 110+ RPM as you wind up speed. That’s appropriate for 10-15 seconds. Not for sustained efforts. I learned this the hard way trying to chase down a break—spun myself into exhaustion in two minutes.
Endurance rides are where the 85-95 range matters most. On century rides, every time you grind, you’re depositing fatigue you’ll pay back with interest later. At mile 60, the difference between 85 RPM and 75 RPM is whether you finish strong or limp home.
Headwinds and rough roads sometimes benefit from slightly higher cadence. The quicker turnover helps you adjust to sudden resistance changes. When I’m fighting a 20mph headwind, I’ll bump up to 95-98 RPM and feel more in control than grinding at 82.
Get a Sensor (Trust Me on This)
You can develop cadence by feel, but a sensor accelerates the learning curve dramatically. I wasted months guessing at what 90 RPM felt like. A $30 cadence sensor told me I was consistently 12 RPM lower than I thought.
Most cycling computers support cadence sensors. Basic ones attach to your crank arm with a magnet or accelerometer—they’re cheap and accurate enough. Power meters include cadence measurement, so if you already have power, you’re set.
Watch trends, not instantaneous numbers. Cadence fluctuates—that’s normal. What matters is your average over time and whether you can hit target ranges when you choose to. I set up alerts to buzz me when I dropped below 82 or went above 98. Trained the habit without staring at my computer.
Making the Switch (It’s Going to Feel Weird)
If you’ve been mashing gears for years, transitioning to higher cadence takes patience. I averaged 73 RPM for three years before I started working on it. The first week at 85 RPM felt absolutely terrible—like I was pedaling frantically to go the same speed.
Increase gradually. I jumped straight from 73 to 90 RPM and bonked on a ride that should have been easy. Back it off. If you’re at 75, target 80 for a few weeks. Then 85. Let your cardiovascular system adapt.
Your performance will temporarily decrease. That’s expected. You’re reprogramming neuromuscular patterns—it takes time. I got slower for about three weeks, then suddenly everything clicked and I was riding faster at lower heart rates than before.
Eventually it becomes automatic. Now I don’t think about cadence unless I’m doing specific drills. My legs just find the right rhythm. I reach for gears instinctively to maintain smooth pedaling. It stops being a technique you’re practicing and becomes just how you ride.
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