Have you ever glanced into an indoor cycling class and been mesmerized by the blur of legs spinning at lightning speed? Scenes from online platforms often depict participants in “Spinning®” classes pedaling with a frenzy that rivals a cartoon roadrunner. While the energy seems palpable, the reality is often far from productive, especially for those on their Indoor Cycling Bike at home. Many riders, particularly beginners, lack the technique to maintain such high cadences effectively, resulting in wasted energy and uncontrolled bouncing.
It’s easy to mistake rapid pedaling for hard work. Instructors sometimes encourage even faster leg speeds, pushing participants beyond 140 rpm. The combination of elevated heart rates and profuse sweating creates the illusion of an intense workout. However, this common perception of indoor cycling is often misleading and hinders true progress.
If we could pause those classes and speak directly to both instructors and participants, we could demonstrate a crucial point: they might not be working as effectively as they believe. Consequently, they may be missing out on the full spectrum of benefits that indoor cycling bike workouts can offer, including genuine aerobic development, muscular endurance, strength gains, enhanced leg speed, and improved anaerobic threshold. For the majority, slowing down the pedal rate and increasing resistance would yield significantly better and faster results.
The Illusion of Speed: Why We Pedal So Fast Indoors
One primary reason behind the tendency for excessive cadence in indoor cycling lies in the mechanics of the indoor cycling bike itself. It’s inherently easier to pedal quickly indoors compared to outdoor cycling. Most indoor cycling bikes are designed with a fixed-gear system and incorporate heavy flywheels, sometimes weighing up to 45 lbs, often with weight concentrated on the circumference. This flywheel design creates inertia, which is responsible for the smooth, continuous pedaling sensation. While this feature offers advantages, it also has implications for optimal pedaling speed and whether high-cadence pedaling truly translates to improved neuromuscular skills and faster outdoor cycling cadences. Experienced cyclists often notice they can sustain a much higher cadence on an indoor cycling bike than on their road bike outdoors. This difference is largely due to the weighted flywheel, which, in a way, provides artificial momentum.
To illustrate this point, try a simple experiment if your indoor cycling bike has a weighted flywheel (common brands include Startrac Spinners and older Schwinn models). Stand beside the bike and completely reduce the resistance by turning the knob counter-clockwise. Grab a pedal and manually rotate it rapidly for about 7-8 forceful turns, accelerating the pedals and flywheel to well over 100 rpm. (Exercise caution to avoid finger injuries from the pedal axle and stay clear of the moving pedals). Now, observe. You’ll notice the flywheel continues to spin for a surprisingly long time before gradually slowing down. This prolonged rotation demonstrates how the inertia of the weighted flywheel contributes to the drivetrain’s momentum.
This inertia explains why riders pedaling at high cadences with minimal resistance, often bouncing in the saddle, can maintain such speeds. They are, in essence, being carried along by the bike’s flywheel. Without sufficient resistance engaging the flywheel, they aren’t exerting significant effort to sustain those high cadences. They are, to a degree, being “ridden by the bike” rather than actively riding it. While their heart rates might elevate, leading them to believe they are working intensely and burning substantial calories, the reality is often different.
Unfortunately, this misconception can hinder progress and explain why some individuals don’t achieve the desired outcomes from indoor cycling bike classes. It’s crucial to understand that heart rate alone isn’t always a reliable indicator of workload. Power measurement provides a far more accurate assessment. While power meters are becoming increasingly common in fitness facilities, their adoption is still ongoing.
The key to effective indoor cycling bike workouts lies in utilizing the resistance knob effectively.
Bridging the Gap: From Indoor Cadence to Outdoor Performance
The disconnect between perceived effort and actual output becomes even clearer when considering outdoor cycling. Imagine putting those high-cadence, low-resistance indoor cyclists on a road or mountain bike and asking them to maintain 120-140 rpm. Except for highly skilled cyclists, very few could sustain such a cadence outdoors for any extended period. On flat terrain, achieving such a cadence would likely require being in a very low gear, often referred to as the “granny gear.” Pedaling at 120+ rpm in such a low gear would result in a very slow speed – easily overtaken by a child on a tricycle. Again, heart rates might be high, but the lack of forward progress would clearly demonstrate the minimal actual “work” being done. Outdoors, when your legs are spinning rapidly but you’re not moving forward effectively, it’s a clear signal to shift to a higher gear. Increasing gear resistance naturally slows cadence, typically below 100 rpm, but significantly increases speed, reflecting a higher power output. Indoors, the absence of forward movement obscures this feedback, making it harder for riders to recognize that excessive cadence with no resistance translates to minimal real work.
Finding Your Optimal Indoor Cadence
Instead of prescribing a fixed “acceptable” cadence range for indoor cycling bike workouts, the more accurate answer is, “it depends.” Optimal cadence is contingent on individual rider skill, fitness level, and the amount of focused practice. Simply letting legs spin uncontrollably fast, as often seen in many classes, isn’t productive practice; it’s simply wasted effort. This reinforces the adage: “Practice doesn’t make perfect; perfect practice makes perfect.” Prioritize refining technique before focusing solely on leg speed.
For the general population using an indoor cycling bike, a practical upper cadence limit is around 100 rpm. Many individuals in indoor cycling classes find cadences above 90 rpm challenging, particularly when proper form is emphasized, bouncing is minimized, and sufficient resistance is applied to the bike. This approach more closely simulates the demands of outdoor cycling.
If you are a cyclist with a refined pedal stroke who is accustomed to pedaling at 100 rpm or more outdoors, you can certainly replicate higher cadences indoors on your indoor cycling bike. The crucial element is maintaining control over the drivetrain at all times and ensuring adequate resistance. You can recognize when you are being pulled along by the flywheel – it feels like being tugged by a dog on a leash. To counteract this, concentrate on refining your technique through “spinning circles.” Reduce focus on the downstroke (something most people naturally excel at) and consciously engage the bottom and top portions of the pedal stroke. Relaxing the upper body and hips while maintaining a stable position in the saddle facilitates quicker leg muscle contractions. By learning to “spin” rather than “mash” on a flywheel-equipped indoor cycling bike, you become less susceptible to being driven by the bike’s momentum.
Utilize a mirror, if available, to self-assess for bouncing. If no mirror is present, request feedback from someone behind you, as bouncing is often more noticeable from that perspective. Once bouncing begins, it signifies exceeding your cadence “threshold.” Reduce cadence and/or slightly increase resistance until you find the right balance – a combination of resistance and cadence that pushes you just beyond your comfort zone. For optimal results, aim to maintain this intensity without crossing your anaerobic threshold, meaning you remain aerobic and in control of your breathing.
These adjustments are key to effectively enhancing leg speed indoors and ensuring that these gains translate to improved outdoor cycling cadence. Without dedicated focus and mindful practice on your indoor cycling bike, simply participating in typical, high-cadence, low-resistance indoor cycling classes may not yield significant benefits for your off-season training or overall cycling performance.
Here’s to more effective training and faster riding, both indoors and out!
