Bike Cadence and Speed Calculator

Cadence is the rate at which a cyclist is turning the pedals in rpm unit (revolutions per minute). There are many cadence sensors on the market nowadays, but you don't need that gadget for a rough estimate. The only thing that approach requires is a watch, timer, or another time-measuring device. You can do it in different ways:

• Count the revolutions of the pedals in 10 seconds and multiply it by 6;

• Calculate the revolutions in 15 seconds, then multiply by 4; or

• Count the revolutions of the pedals in one minute – the most accurate from all presented

Remember that the longer the period is, the better the cadence estimate obtained. Practice makes permanent, and after some time, you can make a good guess of your cadence.

Have you ever wondered what the best cyclist cadence is when they are taking part in Tour de France, e.g., chasing the peloton? Or maybe you want a rough idea of how fast you were going on your bike trip? Let's check it:

1. Determine your bike parameters, such as wheel and tire size. That may be equal to 27" and 1.5".

2. Choose the chainring and cogs values, for example, 50 and 14. The ratio between them is called gear ratio (for more, see the bike gear calculator).

3. The table and chart appearing below the calculator show the speed in km/h and mph for eight chosen cadences. The formulas used for speed and cadence calculations look as follows:

   speed = π × (diameter + (2 × tire_size)) × (chainring/cog) × cadence

   cadence = speed / (π × (diameter + (2 × tire_size)) × (chainring/cog))

What's next?

4. Use it as a bike cadence calculator: if you know your speed – for example, from a GPS device – you can calculate the cadence.

5. Use it as a bike speed calculator: if you know your cadence – for example, from a cadence sensor or rough estimation – you can find your speed.

If you want to determine average speed based on distance and time, use our speed calculator.

💡 You might also be interested in the cycling breakaway calculator.