Cycling Speed And Cadence Calculator

Work out cycling speed and cadence instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Cycling Speed And Cadence Calculator

Cadence is wheel rpm divided by the gear ratio. At 32 km/h on a 52/15 with a 2105 mm circumference the wheel turns 253 rpm and the cranks 73 — comfortable but on the low side of the 80-100 rpm most trained cyclists prefer.

Formula

Cadence

wheel rpm = speed / circumference; cadence = wheel rpm / gear ratio

Worked example

With the default values below, Cycling Speed And Cadence Calculator returns Cadence required of 73. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Speed: 32 km/h
Chainring teeth: 52 teeth
Rear cog teeth: 15 teeth
Wheel circumference: 2,105 mm

Results

Cadence required: 73 rpm
Wheel speed: 253 rpm
Development per pedal revolution: 7.30 m
Gear ratio: 3.47 :1

Step by step

1Values used
2Cadence
3Cadence required= 73 rpm
4Wheel speed= 253 rpm
5Development per pedal revolution= 7.30 m
6Gear ratio= 3.47 :1

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cadence should I aim for?

80-100 rpm suits most riders for endurance work. Lower cadence loads the muscles more, higher loads the cardiovascular system.

Why does cadence matter?

At a given power, higher cadence means lower pedal force, which reduces muscular fatigue and knee loading at the cost of higher heart rate.