Too high RPM with mountain bike

General Discussion
1

Hello Friends,
i am very new to Zwift, and i am wondering about the following:
I have mounted my Mountainbike on the Zwift station, and doing workouts.
The workouts ask me to pedal 90-110 RPMs.
This feels very unnatural, since my normal cadence is 75.
If i try to get to 90+ my pedals keep losing resistance, because at this rpm speed i cant really keep a steady pace.

Do you think this is because im on a MTB, not a racing bike?
Maybe by seat is not positioned correctly?

Thanks!

2

Your twitch fiber distribution (the proportion of slow-twitch vs. fast-twitch fibers) can affect which cadence feels more natural and efficient. More slow-twitch fibers, You may find that a lower cadence feels easier and more sustainable. More fast-twitch fibers, You might prefer a higher cadence, especially during high-intensity efforts. However, overtime with dedicated training, higher cadence might feel more natural.

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3

Many years ago when I first joined a cycling club, I was told to use lower gears and higher cadences (spinning) and it felt very, very unusual and counterintuitive to me. But after some time I gradually got used to it and now it feels quite normal. I think there’s a psychological element to it not just physical ones. Using higher cadences do bring their benefits, so just keep at it. It will feel and function much better eventually.

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4

MTB riders I see using some very high cadences. It may be your fit, but more likely is just training. You can absolutely train to use faster cadence. Learning to spin faster is typically making your pedal stroke smoother as well.

5

Hi @Maximilian_Reischl welcome to Zwift forums.

Shuji at Zwift HQ here. Unlike the community members helping you, I can see your server logs and noticed you’re using a Zwift Hub trainer and (sometimes) use a Zwift Click shift controller.

If you use the Click controller, that will allow you to use enable Virtual Shifting. What that means is it won’t matter that you’re riding a mountain bike with a 32 tooth chainring or a road bike with a 53 tooth chainring. You’ll start out with the same level of resistance either way.

Please see the Virtual Shifting FAQ for more details.

Note:

  1. Pair your Hub trainer’s Power, Resistance and Cadence signals. Must use Bluetooth (not ANT+).
  2. Then pair your Click controller.
  3. Heart rate monitor is next if using.
  4. Log in to game, and go to Settings > Hardware tab.
  5. Toggle Enable Virtual Shifting on. This option will not show if you haven’t done steps 1-4.
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Then - when your avatar spawns in a world - your trainer will stutter a bit while it calculates what physical gearing is on your bike by comparing flywheel speed to pedal cadence. It will start you in an easy to spin Virtual Gear 8. << This process happens only once, when your avatar spawns.

Then - use the Click controller to adjust your resistance when in SIM mode.
If in an ERG mode workout - resistance should adjust automatically. Does it respond quickly enough?

LEt us know if riding with Virtual Shifting enabled makes this easier for you.

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