# Should I get a computer with cadence?



## Tim Red Beard (May 1, 2010)

Just picked up a left over 2009 Cervelo RS at my LBS got a sweet deal on it with some nice Bontrager Race X Lite rims. I'm selling my other 2010 Specialized Sectuer Elite on Craigslist.

My question is should I drop the money on say a Garmin Edge 500 with cadence HR and all the other features while I still have a Bontrager computer and Polar F7 Heart Rate monitor. Only thing I'm missing is cadence and from what I'm reading it's a good thing to have to build up a steady rhythm while riding.

Any suggestions / opinions?


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## jsedlak (Jun 17, 2008)

Cadence is useful if you do not know how fast you are spinning.


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## ziscwg (Apr 19, 2010)

I would even take cadence over speed, IMHO. When you start seeing how cadence helps you, hurts you, you get a better idea how to handle things on the road. 

I can get by without it now because I know what 90 vs 70 rpms feels like. It will help you find your "sweet spot" on pedaling. Some people do well at 75 like my riding buddy. I struggle at 75. 85 is more to my liking


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

it will also help if you're trying to increase your cadence. If you're not looking for all the features of the 500, the edge 305 is available, factory refurbished, for under $200 off amazon.


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## aengbretson (Sep 17, 2009)

I think they're a good idea. I look at my cadence and HR way more than speed. Also, when I first started being serious about biking I realized that I was riding at 70rpm and mashing instead of spinning more efficiently. Now that I know my "sweet spots" I don't look at the computer that much, but I still have my computer set to speed and cadence (HRM is a wrist band style, with its own bar mount).


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

Tim Red Beard said:


> My question is should I drop the money on say a Garmin Edge 500 with cadence HR and all the other features while I still have a Bontrager computer and Polar F7 Heart Rate monitor.


If the Bontranger has all else you want it would probably be a waste of money to get the Garmin just to get cadance considering you can get a separate cadance computer for like $40.


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## drdiaboloco (Apr 10, 2010)

dysfunction said:


> it will also help if you're trying to increase your cadence. If you're not looking for all the features of the 500, the edge 305 is available, factory refurbished, for under $200 off amazon.


It sounds like the OP is looking for all those features, even though s/he has some of them already... Perhaps it would be nice to have them all in one unit, but only the OP knows if the investment is worthwhile.

As per your mention of the refurb Edge 305, a new 500 with the speed/cadence sensor and the heart rate strap is under $250 from PBK. I'd go for a 500 for the small additional investment, both for the size of the unit and for the longer warranty (aren't refurbs limited to 90 days?).

Of course there are stateside shops that sell the 500 for closer to full price and have a satisfaction guarantee, like Performance and REI. That's another question only the individual can answer, if they want to save the money up front or have the option to trade it in down the road if they're unhappy with it.


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## dysfunction (Apr 2, 2010)

1 year on factory refurbs, or so the statement that came with mine says. As far as I can tell, the biggest functional difference in the 500 and the 305 is a temp sensor? Could be very wrong, I really don't require much more than speed/distance/time/cadence/hr.

REI and Performance are great ideas, and as far as I've seen.. trading up would not be a problem from those sources.

edit: Ok, the 500 has heartrate based calorie burn computation... but the 305 actually has more features. fun to go look


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## Tim Red Beard (May 1, 2010)

Thanks for the feedback everyone, I really do want to get cadence on my bike so I do know what my RPM's are cause I do want to get to a comfortable pace.

I've been eyeing the 500 for awhile now and PBK has the best deal on it. Really good prices on that site. I'm probably going to go with one of those in the long run a friend I ride with has one and he loves it. Has all the features I need and it will only be one thing on the bars rather than 3.

Still wanted opinions on if cadence was worth having.
Thanks!


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## terbennett (Apr 1, 2006)

Being that this is in the beginner section, I'm assuming you're a beginner. To answer your question, yes. It will help you improve your cadence. Being new means a lot of trial and error. You can learn to spin at a cadence that is comfortable for you. The cadence computer will help you with that.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Tim Red Beard said:


> from what I'm reading it's a good thing to have to build up a steady rhythm while riding.


Agree with that, but only to a point. Once you begin to test your strength against yourself and others on spirited rides, that "steady rhythm" needs to be put aside every so often. As an admittedly extreme example, consider climbing a short, but very steep hill. You can certainly shift into a gear that'll allow you to climb that hill at your flatland cadence, but you'll be climbing it very slowly. Those who muscle their way up and over the hill in a bigger gear at a lower cadence will leave you behind.

Don't misunderstand this—nothing wrong at all with a high, steady cadence under the right conditions. But the claim that a rider _always_ needs to ride at a certain cadence ignores the fact that staying with the group, or winning an informal sprint, sometimes means turning a cadence very different from what you read in books and see on the web.

/w


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## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Without a doubt get cadence; I use it more than MPH; just want to make sure I am spinning at a consistent rate.

I have a Cervelo RS as well, didn't Vroom tell you that a computer with cadence was a requirement for a Vervello owner.

Sounds like you are set on the Garmin 500.


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## Peanya (Jun 12, 2008)

I've got a different thought when it comes to cadence. I've always spun 80's to 90's typically. When I got a comp with cadence, I realized I spent a lot of time watching it vs. enjoying my ride. After a while, I stopped using the cadence display, because I know when my RPM's drop low without a computer telling me.


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## tallcyclist (May 31, 2010)

Yes thats like asking yourself should i breath


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## JimT (Jul 18, 2007)

For me I have been riding on and off for almost three years and I am just getting serious. I definately use the cadence and HR the most if either go too high then I toast early. From that info I can adjust to higher gears normally I find myself sinning at 95 RPMs which means I can go up a gear and keep the same speed more efficiently. When I am climbing and my HR hits 185 or on flats I am in the 170s I have to back down and try to conserve just a hair...
I have the 305 but if I didn'tI would go for the 500.
When I get home I have fun looking at the speeds elevation and comparing ride data to see if I had improved....


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## Tim Red Beard (May 1, 2010)

Tommy Walker said:


> I have a Cervelo RS as well, didn't Vroom tell you that a computer with cadence was a requirement for a Vervello owner.


Ha ha, thanks Tommy....nobody told me that. But I'm for sure getting one.



tallcyclist said:


> Yes thats like asking yourself should i breath


Thanks for your negative comment TROLL! Beginner section means I'm a beginner, always a troll around to have a smart A$$ remark.


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## Clueless Morgan (Mar 27, 2010)

BTW, thanks for the question. I've had the same question, so followiing along. My sense is to want heart rate, cadence, and speed, and also found the Garmin 500 as a leading candidate. I can image with experience, being able to do away with them, but learning and training, I want to know. Right now I'm using Cyclemeter on the iPhone for over all speed and distance, but it doesn't offer these key measurements. There is another app that does using the same sensors as Garmin, but I'm not sold based on what I've read.


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## laffeaux (Dec 12, 2001)

Yes. When I ride I normally have my computer setup to show speed and cadence, and I wear a heart rate monitor to show BPM. Cadence and heart rate are the two things that I pay most attention to - especially while climbing.

Cadence allows you to see what your body naturally does well. I downshift and see my cadence go up, I feel like I'm working less hard, and then I see the speed increase. This lets me know what my body is comfortable doing. In conjunction with heart rate, cadence can tell you where you are efficient and when your body is working too hard. From past experience I know that for me I need to keep the cadence above 80 rpm on a climb in order to not "blow up." I'm better off at 90, but I survive at 80. The cadence function allows me to see where I am, lets me know if I need to shift (even if I'm feeling okay at the moment), and tells me when I need to back off in order to survive a long climb.

So yes, get it. You'll like it.


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## hawkman71 (Apr 20, 2010)

dysfunction said:


> it will also help if you're trying to increase your cadence. If you're not looking for all the features of the 500, the edge 305 is available, factory refurbished, for under $200 off amazon.


...and the 500 was on sale for 267 with heart rate band I believe for 267 on pbk awhile ago...(iirc).

I wish:

a) i knew better how "cadence helps me".
b) I had cadence on my Cateye wireless.


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## cxwrench (Nov 9, 2004)

i've never had one in 30 some years of road riding and racing, but i recently got a garmin 500 w/ the cadence/speen sensor and i love it. i can't wait to put a sensor on my track bike and see what kind of cadence i do in different race situations w/o having to do the math! it's cool to upload the info to the garmin site and see maps and graphs and lots of colors and numbers. do it. you'll love it.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

hawkman71 said:


> ...and the 500 was on sale for 267 with heart rate band I believe for 267 on pbk awhile ago...(iirc).
> 
> I wish:
> 
> ...


I have a 305, and while it's really nice - get the 500. It's a few years newer in design, and for an electronic device that makes the 305 ancient in comparison. The mount is better and it also has some advanced stuff (talks to some sort of watt meter that a buddy has, I don't remember the details...). 

Cadence will help your knees. Slow cadence pushing big gears (aka "mashing") can cause knee problems down the road, for one. There are cheaper ways to get cadence, like the approx $50 Cateye Strada Cadence. But no HR with that... I know some of the Polar computers work with a cadence sensor, might want to look into that before you decide on a Garmin.


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## Clueless Morgan (Mar 27, 2010)

kykr13 said:


> ... it also has some advanced stuff (talks to some sort of watt meter that a buddy has, I don't remember the details...). ...


I'm a beginner at this stuff, but from what little research on power metering I did, it looked like you need to spend something like $3k or more on the crankset, which I immediately eliminated form my list of features.


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## kykr13 (Apr 12, 2008)

It's called an i-_something_... (like that helps) and about $300. It works differently than the ones that are part of the crank or rear hub, more indirect in how it measures but supposedly still pretty accurate. As you can tell, I'm not much of a techno guy...


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## Clueless Morgan (Mar 27, 2010)

i-something? Like something on an iPhone maybe, like iPRM+? That supposedly reads out watts.


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## twinkles (Apr 23, 2007)

Years ago, I had computers with cadance. Now I just count how many rpm I do in 15 seconds and multiply it times 4. Gives you're brain something to do a couple times a ride.


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## milkbaby (Aug 14, 2009)

Cadence is nice if you are trying to change from being a masher; the numbers don't lie. It can be a nice tool to have. On the other hand, on group rides, I find cadence data to be useless.


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