Posted: 7/13/2010 6:35:31 PM EDT
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Is it better to leave your bike in the hardest gear or to switch gears for a faster speed..... Well better for your physical conditioning.
I've been working out a lot, and a friend told me that it is better just to leave your bike in the hardest gear. I've been trying it out a little but I'm not sure if its helping, I guess it makes it a little harder. What is best for working out? |
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Leaving it in the hardest gear will kill your leg muscles(quads) very quickly. Too easy a gear and you pedal too fast and get nowhere. Shift to a gear that you can pedal with some effort and keep a nice comfortable pace - and adjust as speed increases/decreases for hills, and whatnot.
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keep your bike in a gear that you can obtain the highest speed for the longest time
down shift on hills, but not so far that there is no resistance and your peddling yourself to nowhere alot of it is personal peferance, I peddle slower than most other cyclers and keep at the same speed |
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As said, switch your gears to keep a cadence. For me when I'm riding on a flat surface, that actually is one of the highest gears on my bike (largest front, second-smallest rear), for you it might be different. And staying in the gear you use for flats will straight up murder your legs on a hill. Not fun when you're about halfway into a long ride, take it from me.
Bike riding is an endurance sport, and you want to be able to maintain speed for a good long while to get the best cardiovascular benefit. |
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Quoted: As said, switch your gears to keep a cadence. For me when I'm riding on a flat surface, that actually is one of the highest gears on my bike (largest front, second-smallest rear), for you it might be different. And staying in the gear you use for flats will straight up murder your legs on a hill. Not fun when you're about halfway into a long ride, take it from me. Bike riding is an endurance sport, and you want to be able to maintain speed for a good long while to get the best cardiovascular benefit. This. I started biking myself to work this week in an effort to start turning my butt around - or, well, less round. You know what I mean. I go through a few hills and such, and if you just leave it at a higher gear, you're worthless for the next hill that comes up. |
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Some of us are spinners and some are mashers. I try to keep between 90 & 100 rpm. I never raced.
Most of racers spin at a high cadence. I ride with one former racer that spins around 120. Another guy I ride with is tall and lanky and has long crank arms (185 I believe). He's always pedaling much slower than me and he regularly kicks my butt. But both of there guys are constantly shifting to keep the RPM within their comfort range. When your legs hurt: Go to a smaller gear and spin faster. When your lungs hurt, Go to a bigger gear and spin slower. |