Cadence - Speed Calculator
Enter your chainrings and sprockets, and generate a table of speeds at given cadence and gear ratio.
Gear Ratios, Cadence and Speed
The speed you travel on a bicycle is determined by three things: how fast you turn the cranks (cadence in RPM), which gear you are in (the ratio of chainring teeth to sprocket teeth) and the size of your rear wheel including the mounted tire. This calculator combines all three to produce a complete speed table so you can see exactly what speed each gear delivers at every cadence.
Gear development - the distance the bike moves per crank revolution - is the core of the calculation. A 52/11 combination on a 700x25c wheel gives roughly 9.96 meters of development, meaning one full pedal stroke pushes you almost 10 meters forward. Shift to 36/34 and that drops to about 2.23 meters - a huge difference that matters on steep gradients.
Most road cyclists are comfortable between 80 and 100 RPM, with professional riders often sitting at 90-95 RPM on flat terrain. Higher cadence places more load on the cardiovascular system while sparing muscle force; lower cadence does the opposite. Knowing the speed each gear yields at your preferred cadence helps you plan shifting strategy for races, group rides or hilly routes. For example, if you need 40 km/h to stay in a paceline and your comfortable cadence is 90 RPM, the table instantly shows which chainring-sprocket combination gets you there.
Tire width affects the result because a wider tire increases the effective wheel circumference. The difference between a 25 mm and a 32 mm tire on the same 622 mm rim adds a few millimeters per revolution - small but noticeable over a long ride. If you ride gravel or mountain bikes with significantly wider tires, make sure to adjust the tire width field for accurate numbers.