Mashing

[martinrjensen]

Pretty strange thread if you ask me. Medium long, totally "on" topic with no mud slinging. What's up with that!

Great thread, I just learned a lot. Thanks!

[robdamanii]

Pretty strange thread if you ask me. Medium long, totally "on" topic with no mud slinging. What's up with that!

Don't be a jerk.

[BostonG]

"Why do they put all these gears on a bike?"

I say who cares what everyone else is doing. I'm going to do what's comfortable and what works for me.

I'm a beginner and a spinner because it feels right!

I'm going to assume the gearing question is rhetorical and that you know the answer. But I do think it’s worthwhile to address the statement of “who cares what everyone else is doing” just because I hear that a lot.

It’s OK (and really very good) to care what others are doing, and maybe you and I can even learn something from it. I’ve learned a lot from people with more experience than me because I cared about what they were doing. There are plenty of guys who ride the same amount of time but perform very differently because they are either doing different things or their goals are different. And know that just because it feels right, doesn’t mean it’s the best way to go about things.

Most of us are here to learn, which means caring about what others are doing. I absolutely care about (but don’t necessarily adopt) others’ methods. I just want to know about them so I can make better decisions for what works for me.

BTW, sounds like you hit your plateau, which is a milestone. Depending on how long you’ve been there however, I bet you are a little bored. That is actually the point where a good amount of the fun starts if you care to progress. There are ways you can move beyond where you are if you want to perform better (go faster, ride longer, climb better, etc.) and use some of those other gears.

[Peanya]

Pretty strange thread if you ask me. Medium long, totally "on" topic with no mud slinging. What's up with that!

But no response from the OP. Must have been scared off. Scarred, for life!

[Drummerboy1975]

Is it mashing when your standing and pedaling?

[JCavilia]

Is it mashing when your standing and pedaling?

People use the term differently, but generally the answer to your question is "no." Mashing usually means pushing hard at a low cadence seated. At least, that's how I use the term, and how I usually hear it.

You can stand at various cadences, too. Many riders only stand at pretty slow cadence, but lightweight climbers often "dance on the pedals" (as Phil Liggett puts it) at pretty high rpm's.

[MrTopher]

This past weekend I was riding with a friend, and he happened to start a conversation with another ride along the ride. I was more keen on riding that chatting (they were doing a leisurely pace of 15ish), so I passed them.
Once they had caught up to me at the next rest area, where my friend and I had planned to turn around and head back. He said, “Dude, you where mashing! What was your cadence?” And I responded with, “about 85 on average, I just feel comfortable in the range of 85 RPM”. And I did have a mild tailwind and was maintaining about 25ish MPH, but at no time did I feel I was mashing. I have gotten and been in the 90+RPM range, but sometimes I just feel like I am bouncing, and I am sure as I progress as a rider my average will increase from 85RPM to 90RPM and so on.
But is 85RPM average so bad? I am a larger rider (6’4” 250lbs) with more muscular legs (had them my entire life, used to squat 400lbs in high school) than most the other riders I ride with.

[cxwrench]

This past weekend I was riding with a friend, and he happened to start a conversation with another ride along the ride. I was more keen on riding that chatting (they were doing a leisurely pace of 15ish), so I passed them.
Once they had caught up to me at the next rest area, where my friend and I had planned to turn around and head back. He said, “Dude, you where mashing! What was your cadence?” And I responded with, “about 85 on average, I just feel comfortable in the range of 85 RPM”. And I did have a mild tailwind and was maintaining about 25ish MPH, but at no time did I feel I was mashing. I have gotten and been in the 90+RPM range, but sometimes I just feel like I am bouncing, and I am sure as I progress as a rider my average will increase from 85RPM to 90RPM and so on.
But is 85RPM average so bad? I am a larger rider (6’4” 250lbs) with more muscular legs (had them my entire life, used to squat 400lbs in high school) than most the other riders I ride with.

i ride at the same cadence as you on the road, but i don't have any problem w/ going a lot quicker on the track. 85ish just feels good on the road.