Random Comments 4

Some other items from the book by Allen/Cheung book. Re: Non-circular chainrings: No long-term studies have been done to determine their effectiveness Non-aligned crank arms: There are a few options including crank arms that change length during the pedal stroke, off-center attachment at the bottom bracket (essentially the same as non-circular chainrings), and cranks not affixed at the usual 180 degrees. Without getting into the varying ventilatory thresholds associated with each when compared to power output it is safe to say that there is increased torque, faster 1k tt times, better distribution of force over the pedal stroke, etc. It was noted that the benefits of using these types of cranks can be quickly lost (2 weeks) when going back to standard cranks. the adaptation tine can also be significant. In the end there is support for the potential of improved pedal dynamics with these. Cadence: Is there a recommended cadence that we should use? Cadence is in the end a very individual preference. It is pretty easy to test to find optimal cadence. A 20 minute test at a cadence that you feel is optimal when compared to a cadence 10 below and 10 above when looking at average power and average HR will likely lead to some conclusions. You may find better power with little change in HR in one of the trials. I've found that the cadence that I hold in a 10 mile tt, about 105-107, produces my best power (360-365) than a lower cadence of 95-100 or over 110. For those riding road races or crits it may be that a lower cadence earlier in the event would allow more power at the higher cadence for later efforts.