Cycling Cadence Calculator
Calculate your cycling cadence in revolutions per minute (RPM) from your riding speed, wheel circumference, front chainring size, and rear sprocket size.
What this calculator is doing
Cycling cadence describes how many complete pedal revolutions a cyclist makes each minute. It is normally expressed in revolutions per minute (RPM).
The selected front chainring and rear sprocket determine how many times the rear wheel rotates for each revolution of the pedals. The bicycle gear ratio is:
\[ G = \frac{N_f}{N_r} \]
where \(N_f\) is the number of teeth on the front chainring and \(N_r\) is the number of teeth on the rear sprocket.
If the wheel circumference is \(C\), the bicycle travels the following distance during one complete pedal revolution:
\[ d = C \cdot G \]
The bicycle speed can therefore be used to determine the required pedaling cadence. For a speed given in kilometres per hour, the cadence is:
\[ n = \frac{v \cdot 1000} {60 \cdot C \cdot G} \]
where \(n\) is the cadence in RPM, \(v\) is the cycling speed in km/h, \(C\) is the wheel circumference in metres, and \(G\) is the gear ratio.
Cadence is useful when comparing different bicycle gears or estimating how quickly you need to pedal to maintain a certain speed. A larger front chainring or smaller rear sprocket produces a higher gear, meaning a lower cadence is required for the same bicycle speed.
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