A question regarding cadence numbers and ERG mode

I had a Fuji Gran Fondo road bike dialed in as best I could manage, with 165mm cranks. My reach was a bit short as the bike was 2cm too small (50cm). With that bike I joined the 200 rpm club.

I replaced it with a new 52cm Trek Domane SL6 (Ultegra) 2nd January 2020. It was last years model so it was 40% off list price, but it had 170mm cranks. And even with a bike fit, the saddle height was always off. I could never find an optimal height. And I could only hit 180rpm on cadence drills.

This summer I found 160mm 105 cranks, and just hit 203rpm last week while seated. For me at least opening my hip angle at TDC vastly improved both my comfort and pedal stroke. Huge discussion here

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