Cadence affecting power

[WaveyDavey]

Hello - newbie here, so apologies if this is an idiotic question!
I’m training on a Kinetic Road Machine, with a speed sensor. To generate more power, I understand that I need to ‘go faster’ but here’s my question: if I need to generate 175W, I can either grind away at a fairly normal cadence on the largest chainring, or can spin at a very high cadence on the inner ring. Kinetic/TR tells me that I’m generating the same power, but commonsense tells me that the spinning option will be simpler - or will at least feel less fatiguing.
I’m going crazy trying to get my head around this - can someone unpack this mystery for me?

[mcneese.chad]

On a Dumb Trainer, When Do I Increase Resistance? (Virtual Power)

This is highly dependent on your trainer and the gearing on your bike. For example: If the step requires an increase of 10 watts, you may need to just add 5 rpm cadence, because a rear shift might result in a 20-30 watt increase if you hold the same prior cadence. If the step requires an increase of 100 watts, there’s little chance you can hit that with a cadence change, so a one shift or more would be required. You have to learn your specific setup through experimentation and see what amou…

@WaveyDavey

Kinetic/TR tells me that I’m generating the same power, but commonsense tells me that the spinning option will be simpler - or will at least feel less fatiguing.

• The power is “the same” meaning the energy required to make that wheel and resistance unit move as fast as it is.

• The question about the demand on the body is good.

  • Lower cadence leads to more muscular demand and fatigue.
  • Faster cadence leads to more cardiovascular demand and fatigue.

• You need to look at your riding and determine what cadence range you need (max, min, average) and decide your gearing to address those needs.

[bholmlate]

Depending on how feel I often mix the intervals up meaning one interval i spin and a high cadence and the next one I will spin at a lower cadence if i find i am in between gives for a given output. It has been determined its beneficial to have a wide range of cadence you are efficient at while out riding and knowing how each ranges effects you physically

[WaveyDavey]

@mcneese.chad

Hello - newbie here, so apologies if this is an idiotic question!
I’m training on a Kinetic Road Machine, with a speed sensor. To generate more power, I understand that I need to ‘go faster’ but here’s my question: if I need to generate 175W, I can either grind away at a fairly normal cadence on the largest chainring, or can spin at a very high cadence on the inner ring. Kinetic/TR tells me that I’m generating the same power, but commonsense tells me that the spinning option will be simpler - or will at least feel less fatiguing.
I’m going crazy trying to get my head around this - can someone unpack this mystery for me?

Thanks - I’m trying to calculate my FTP with a few ramp tests, so wonder whether I should try to maintain more or less the same cadence (+/- 10?) for the entire session

[mcneese.chad]

In the Ramp Test, it is usually best to use your “self selected cadence”, which is the one you currently default to if you ride without thinking about it.

The test is not a place to try and work on your cadence range. You want a repeatable evaluation that is a rough representation of your fitness at that moment. Ride what “feels good” and try not to overthink it.