Effort/power metrics

Dizzy12

Hi All,

I think my ability is a little below a valid justification to invest in a power meter. However, in the interim, are there any ways to measure total effort/output on a ride?

Recently, I came back from a local solo loop and avg. speed was the same as the last time I did it, but I know I had to work harder because of headwinds.

Anyway that I could confirm power output at different levels?

/

d

Alex_Simmons/RST

The choice of means of measurement of effort comes down to the level of precision you are after and what you intend to use the information for (and budget of course).

How you feel is a measure of effort. e.g. the Borg scale and of course it's free. You could also use heart rate. There are tools that attempt to estimate power or energy metabolised, but they are usually unreliable.

These are fine for broad general guidance on intensity. It's when you want to start doing other more detailed assessments of performance and training that power starts to come into its own.

Speed is a pretty poor indicator in general since there are so many other factors that influence it. The one exception is climbing speed, which is a bit more reliable, but of course that's not likely to cover your entire ride. It is however helpful as a means to measure progress with your fitness.

JayKosta

Perhaps see if a local 'fitness center' / gym has exercise bikes that display power (watts), and heart-rate - and if they have some sort of 1-day trial fee, or some low cost option.
That can at least give you a quantified power number.

I use such an exercise bike and find it very useful to gauge my performance.

Using a difficult climb is good way to measure performance change from session to session.
And it will also help you improve doing that climb!

Jay Kosta
Endwell NY USA