An exercise bike offers a weather-free activity that improves your cardiovascular system and strengthens your legs. You can cycle alone or in a class setting. When you use an exercise bike, you can change your pace and resistance level to mimic a change in outdoor terrain. If you pedal too fast, such as close to 200 rpm, you might be risking injury.
Revolutions Per Minute
Your speed or cadence when pedaling an exercise bike is measured in rpm, the number of revolutions your wheel makes per minute. Many exercise bikes have monitors on them that digitally show your cadence. You also can measure rpm by cycling with your hand held over your leg at the top of your pedal. As you cycle, count the number of times your leg hits your hand in 60 seconds.
Recommendations
Experts recommend a cadence range between 60 and 110 rpm. You pedal at 60 rpm when you are in a higher gear and working on climbing a hill. You use the higher rpm, such as 90 to 110, when you cycle in a lower gear and are working on flat roads, sprints and speed rides.
Cautions
When you cycle at a pace over 110 rpm, you rely on the momentum of the wheel to turn the pedals instead of the muscles in your legs. If the pedals turn too quickly, they can pull your legs, which could lead to knee, hip or ankle discomfort. Too fast of a pace also might affect your posture and cause you to bounce in the saddle, which can be harmful to your hips and spine.
Cardiovascular
When your exercise bike cadence reaches nearly 200 rpm, the potential to increase cardiovascular health is limited. Since momentum begins to take over the motion of the wheel at the higher speeds, your body does not have to work as hard to pump blood and transport oxygen to your working muscles. You might believe that the faster you pedal, the more of a workout you will receive, but that isn't true on an exercise bike. The better option is to increase your resistance so that you slow your cadence to 90 to 100 rpm and maintain that pace for your workout session.
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