Don’t be intimidated by the name. A cadence is simply the cadence or the number of pedal revolutions per minute.

A distinction is made between low cadence, high cadence and optimum cadence.

A low cadence is a slow cadence where you have to put more pressure on the pedals to turn them. A low cadence will cause your leg muscles to get “hammered” and become “wobbly” faster. Even worse, riding with low cadence leads to knee joint disease.

High cadence is when the cyclist resembles a rabid squirrel in a wheel. A high cadence is a waste of energy. But in some cases high (but not excessive) cadence is even useful. At the start of the ride (and for a few minutes afterwards), while your muscles warm up, it is better to keep a moderately high cadence. This same way of warming up the muscles works great in cold weather, when the outside temperature cools the muscles. Cold muscles are easier to damage, and you should warm them up with either a little warm-up before a ride or just a high cadence.

Little by little we get to the optimal cadence. The optimal number of pedal revolutions per minute strongly depends on the size of the cyclist himself, on his physiological characteristics, the type of pedals and other factors.

For an abstract average cyclist in a vacuum on a dirt/asphalt road, the optimal cadence will be in the range of 80 to 110 rpm.

How do I know my cadence?

The most convenient way to find out your cadence is to ask your bike computer. And if you don’t have one, you’ll have to time a minute and calculate how many pedal revolutions you have time to do.