Glossary: Cadence (bike and run)

What cadence is

Cadence is the frequency of leg revolutions per minute.

• Bike: pedal revolutions per minute (rpm).
• Run: strides per minute (typically counted as ground contacts on one foot times 2, so the total number is full-cycle steps per minute).

How the Hub captures it

• Bike activities: avg_cadence (rpm) and max_cadence per Activity.
• Run activities: same fields with the run convention. Stryd and Garmin pods deliver more granular cadence streams.

What good looks like on the bike

• Sub-LT pedaling: 85 to 100 rpm for most athletes.
• Hill climbing: 70 to 90 rpm depending on grade and gearing.
• TT or tri position: 80 to 95 rpm for sustained efforts.
• Race-pace bike leg: most age-group athletes do well pedaling 85 to 95 rpm.

Below 70 rpm at sustained power is a strong predictor of leg fatigue that will hurt the run. Above 100 rpm for sustained periods is a strong predictor of HR drift and energy waste.

What good looks like running

• Easy aerobic running: 160 to 175 steps per minute.
• Tempo and threshold: 170 to 185.
• Race pace short: 180 to 195.

The classic "180 cadence" target is a useful default for many runners but not universal. Tall runners can hold slightly lower cadence (170 to 175) with no penalty; shorter runners often run 180 to 190.

The number that matters more than absolute cadence is cadence + stride length balance. Two runners at the same speed can have very different cadences.

How cadence interacts with training

• Higher cadence at same power: lower force per pedal stroke, less per-stroke muscle fatigue, more cardiovascular load. Useful late in long efforts.
• Lower cadence at same power: higher force per stroke, builds muscular endurance. Useful in early base blocks.

Where cadence shows up in the Hub

• On every activity detail page.
• On the sport analytics page for trend over time.
• On the Technical Run Assessment as a logged value.

See also: Activity FIT parser metrics, Technical Run Assessment.