Missed connection

[KLizotte]

To the lady on the CaBi on the MVT on Sunday who hand signalled to those behind when she was going to pass a runner. Awesome!!!

[oldbikechick]

To the guy who said “work on your cadence” as he passed me, I was mystified until I got home and googled it. All these years of commuting and I never knew “cadence” was a thing! While my poor cadence is apparently obvious to my fellow trail users, i have no idea how to work on it though. Do I pedal faster or slower, or just more consistently? And more importantly, why? By the way, now that I’ve read all about “drafting” on here, maybe I’ll stop pedaling altogether and just get someone to draft me all the way home.

[oldbikechick]

To the guy who said “work on your cadence” as he passed me, I was mystified until I got home and googled it. All these years of commuting and I never knew “cadence” was a thing! While my poor cadence is apparently obvious to my fellow trail users, i have no idea how to work on it though. Do I pedal faster or slower, or just more consistently? And more importantly, why? By the way, now that I’ve read all about “drafting” on here, maybe I’ll stop pedaling altogether and just get someone to draft me all the way home.

[rcannon100]

He may have been right. It is a huge error I see on the trail. Think of it this way – YOU are the engine, but the BIKE should be doing the work.

Okay, how do you do that. Well others on the forum can describe it better and you can read about it online – but pedaling should always be easy. Get a good rhythm up and then keep it. Probably as a commuter you might want to be hitting 60 to 70 rpm. But put it this way, if you are pedaling slowly, and trying to MUSCLE you way along – you’re doing it wrong. You are making your legs do the work – when the bike should do the work. Use you gears. Shift down. Shift down before you have to strain. Hit the incline with a good cadence. And keep that cadence up.

You dont need to pedal faster. Well maybe it will feel like its faster at first. But mainly you need to just pedal – freely. If your feet arent going round and round and round at a good cadence, then down shift and then down shift again. You should not be getting a lot of resistance.

There are so many reasons for doing this. It’s more efficient. You are using your strength better. But most importantly – at least to me – you are protecting your knees. This is MUCH better for your knees.

While you are at it, the second error I see on the trails is under inflated tires. And of course if your tires are mushy, you will be pedaling harder – which brings us to the first point.

[OneEighth]

@rcannon100 43933 wrote:

Use you gears. Shift down.

Does not compute.

[Terpfan]

Sadly I did not bike in today despite this beautiful weather, but I did almost spill coffee all over myself as one of our decided that riding up the sidewalk on M (no helmet of course) at full speed was a great idea. I watched him for a second to see if he stopped somewhere nearby thinking maybe it’s only half a block sort of thing, but no, he kept going up at the circle. It’s those idiots that give the rest of us a bad name.

And to the two turning vehicles at 15th and Constitution last night, thanks for blocking any ability to get around you while you sat in traffic. I hope you sat in that traffic for hours longer.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@oldbikechick 43931 wrote:

To the guy who said “work on your cadence” as he passed me, I was mystified until I got home and googled it. All these years of commuting and I never knew “cadence” was a thing! While my poor cadence is apparently obvious to my fellow trail users, i have no idea how to work on it though. Do I pedal faster or slower, or just more consistently? And more importantly, why? By the way, now that I’ve read all about “drafting” on here, maybe I’ll stop pedaling altogether and just get someone to draft me all the way home.

This is where buying a cheap entry level cycling computer can help you with efficiency. Your cadence should never drop below 60 unless you are: 1. not working hard, 2. standing up on the pedals going up a hill.

Your knees will pay the price if you slog the pedals; not to mention your speed on the bike. Some guy had computed the torque put into the knees while maintaining the same speed & power into the pedals, but at 90rpms vs. 60rpms, and the torque over doubled. Just something to think about.

Most cyclists try to maintain 80RPMs or faster. I tend to cadence pretty quick, as I have a tear in my right knee and can’t handle much torque; so I keep it around 85 to 90. Cadence is probably the most important and unrecognized aspect of cycling that can transform how you ride.

Remember, just like a car, your gears only exist to enable you to maintain the same cadence over all types of terrain. You wouldn’t try to go up a hill in your car in 5th gear while doing 25MPH, your car’s cadence would be WAY to low, and it would dog out completely.

God bless and safe cycling!

[sjclaeys]

@oldbikechick 43931 wrote:

To the guy who said “work on your cadence” as he passed me, I was mystified until I got home and googled it. All these years of commuting and I never knew “cadence” was a thing! While my poor cadence is apparently obvious to my fellow trail users, i have no idea how to work on it though. Do I pedal faster or slower, or just more consistently? And more importantly, why? By the way, now that I’ve read all about “drafting” on here, maybe I’ll stop pedaling altogether and just get someone to draft me all the way home.

If the guy was riding what appears to be a new Cannondale road bike with green trim, he said the same thing to me a few weeks ago. I completely agree with having the right cadence, but telling someone riding a bike that weighs 50 lbs. counting the panniers to work on their cadence while you scoot by on your 17 lbs. road bike is a little snarky.

[thecyclingeconomist]

@sjclaeys 43992 wrote:

…telling someone riding a bike that weighs 50 lbs. counting the panniers to work on their cadence while you scoot by on your 17 lbs. road bike is a little snarky.

AHahahah! Too funny. I do get irked by some of the “commuter-cat-6-racers.” It makes me laugh when they roll up on my wheel, then zing past as if to put an exclamation mark on how fast they can be. If I were on my road-bike with no gear/laptop/food/change-of-clothes/lights/locks/tools/water etc., then I could be just as “elite” as you.

My ride this AM weighed in at a hefty 62lbs. Honestly though, back on the cadence subject, that is when cadence matters most; when either you or your ride are weighed down a bit more than they should be.

Admittedly, it can be frustrating to put the same power/cadence into a bike, but go 3mph slower… but then you just have to do as Dirt does… and smile and enjoy the journey.

[baiskeli]

Dear black SUV entering Washington Circle with me,

Yeah, those pedestrians crossing in front of us when we had the green were jerks. Good for you for honking at them. But don’t pass me and then cut me off on a right turn right in the intersection, because, unlike them, I had the right of way over YOU.

[rcannon100]

@OneEighth 43941 wrote:

Does not compute.

Fixie Weenie!

[OneEighth]

@rcannon100 44088 wrote:

Fixie Weenie!

You do realize the obvious retort is “oxymoron”…

[arlrider]

To the punk with the ski mask and spandex shorts, riding the black-and-white striped road bike bike, who cut me off at 7 PM last night going up the Custis, only to then cut in front of another rider, cut across the entire trail, and with no warning slam to a dead stop blocking the exit where I needed to get off (onto 20th road). Who then proceeded to yell the most vulgar curses I have ever heard at me for 30 seconds straight when I hollered for him to not block the exit. Just keep on doing what you do and see how it works out. I don’t know where you got your sense of entitlement; probably from mommy and daddy or from having some fancy job. But someday you’re going to act out on someone who is not as civil as I am, and you’re going to get smacked upside the face. You might want to see a counselor.

[baiskeli]

@ShawnoftheDread 43606 wrote:

You: fixie rider on the Custis, exited near Washington & Lee.

It’s great your bike handling skills allow you to ride no hands all the way down the trail (though the fact you often needed both sides suggest your skills aren’t quite what you think they are), but keeping your hands in your pockets the whole time just seems foolhardy. Pick up some gloves. Oh, and your chain seemed way too loose.

I think I saw this guy on the W&OD on Friday, headed west. Hands in pocket; helmet strapped to his backpack to protect it in the event of a fall.

[lordofthemark]

Dear cyclist riding southbound in the northbound travel lane on Hummer Road – its good you were wearing a helmet, but you should realize there are a lot of bad things that can happen to you as a result of riding the wrong way that the helmet will not protect against (usually here in Annandale the cyclists who salmon or who ride the (far from empty) sidewalk in preference to the bikeable LRT service lanes, or who ride at night without lights, are NOT helmet wearers – so this one took me aback)

[Author]

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