Bike Cadence Calculator — Cycling Speed from RPM
Enter your cadence in RPM, your chainring and cog tooth counts, and your wheel circumference to see exactly how fast you are riding — plus which cadence zone you fall into.
RPM
teeth
teeth
mm
Riding speed at the entered cadence and gear
- 1
Gear ratio
50 ÷ 17 = 2.941 - 2
Distance per revolution
2.941 × 2,096 ÷ 1 000 = 6.165Metres the bike advances per full crank revolution. - 3
Speed
90 × 2.941 × 2,096 × 60 ÷ 1 000 000 = 33.3
How does this calculator work?
Speed equals cadence in RPM multiplied by the gear ratio (chainring ÷ cog) multiplied by wheel circumference in mm, times 60, divided by 1 000 000. At 90 RPM, a 50/17 gear and a 700×25c wheel (2 096 mm) gives about 33.3 km/h. Optimal cadence for most riders is 80–100 RPM.
Formula
How this is calculated
Each time you complete one full pedal revolution, the rear wheel turns a number of times equal to the gear ratio (chainring teeth divided by cog teeth). Multiply that wheel-rotation count by the wheel circumference to get the distance travelled per crank revolution. At a cadence of N RPM, the bike covers N times that distance every minute; scaling by 60 and dividing by one million converts the millimetre-minutes result into km/h.
Gear development (metres per pedal revolution) is the distance the bike advances with each full stroke of the crank. A higher chainring or smaller cog increases the ratio, raising development and speed at any given cadence. The calculator also shows the gear ratio — the direct chainring-to-cog fraction — as a reference for comparing gears across different drivetrains.
The cadence zone scale reflects the sports-science consensus: below 70 RPM is considered low and mechanically stressful on the knees; 80–100 RPM is the optimal range favoured by most road and endurance coaches; above 100 RPM is high but practical for trained riders on flat terrain. Actual optimal cadence varies by fitness level, terrain and riding style — these zones are approximate guidelines, not clinical thresholds.
Frequently asked questions
Cadence is the number of complete pedal revolutions per minute (RPM). A higher cadence means you are spinning the pedals faster — typically in a lighter gear — which most coaches associate with greater cardiovascular efficiency and reduced knee stress compared with grinding a heavy gear at low RPM.
Most road-cycling coaches recommend 80–100 RPM for sustained efforts. Professional riders commonly average 90–100 RPM in races. Beginners often settle around 60–75 RPM, which is not harmful but can increase muscular fatigue over long rides. Mountain biking and sprinting have different optimal ranges.
Mark the tyre sidewall, roll the bike exactly one full rotation, and measure the distance on the ground. Alternatively look up your tyre size: 700×25c is typically 2 096 mm, 700×28c about 2 136 mm, and 26×2.0 MTB about 2 026 mm. The number is often printed on the tyre or in the tyre manufacturer's chart.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Bike Cadence Calculator — Cycling Speed from RPM [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/bike-cadence-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Bike Cadence Calculator — Cycling Speed from RPM." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/bike-cadence-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Bike Cadence Calculator — Cycling Speed from RPM," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/bike-cadence-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_bike_cadence_calculator, title = {Bike Cadence Calculator — Cycling Speed from RPM}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/bike-cadence-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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