I'm not ready for a power meter yet, but......
Comments
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ADaleLover wrote:If though your focus is as you say "I have no interest in racing. Weight loss probably, overall fitness and the ability to ride distance ", then get some _heavier_ wheels for non-distance rides so you work harder on regular rides. Switch to the lighter wheels for bigger rides.
The only meaningful difference that this will make is to make the ride a little bit less enjoyable.0 -
pbassred wrote:
So the question was really about; when will the bang-for-buck ratio be more favorable.
You need to specify a figure then, relative to your bike would £50 be about right?
This is a fair point, what are you classing as a good bang for your buck? You can already pick up cheaper options such as PowerPod and (eventually!) Limits. I doubt that the price is going to be driven down much below a couple of hundred pounds/dollars in the next few years.
If you are talking about crank based power meters, and whether the technology will trickle down into cheaper options from the likes of SRM and Quarq I would say it's pretty unlikely, certainly can't see it happening any time soon.0 -
Bill B wrote:How are recreational and competitive long distance runners able to make the most out of their workouts and continue to train and improve without the true equivalent of power meters?
Yet some recreational and amateur cyclists swear they can't live without them?
I understand the compulsive need for some people to crunch numbers part. Just don't get the inability to improve without it part
Has anyone claimed that you can't progress without a PM?
Intensitry running is pretty well correlated with pace, less so with cycling.
A power meter is a training aid. It's pretty simple really and very well established.0 -
gaffer_slow wrote:who needs a bike? I find that i can just go out for a brisk walk and head towards an uphill bit of road - i can judge how fast to walk by how out of breath i am getting! A push bike is totally unnecessary when you have legs, ok maybe if you are going to try and enter the Tour of France then getting a bike is worth it - but have you seen the price of them? A decent pushbike will cost you about £150 in Halfords, but you can get a pair of trainers from Asda for less than £20!!!
Good point
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I have a fairly simple maxim when it comes to my own cycyling habit. It I want it and can afford it I buy it or save for it (remember saving, we used to do it once!). My work confines me to cyclying at weekends and while I absolutely don't needs a powermeter, I am going to purchaes a Stages PM in early 2017.0
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DavidJB wrote:AK_jnr wrote:philthy3 wrote:AK_jnr wrote:What cracks me up is seeing data from 90% of riders that I follow with a PM that spend a third of their rides free wheeling!! They go home thinking they can pig out as they rode for 3 hours when in reality it was a hell of a lot less.
That's a bit of an assumption. Having a power meter doesn't mean you have to be on it all ride long. How do you know what their intentions were for the ride? If all you're interested in is average watts for a ride, it will be less than it could have been for the overall distance if they've been freewheeling more than you would.
Of course. But check out any pro rider that shows their data and they barely freewheel. Soft tap between intervals maybe. Freewheeling is for races.
Confirmed...no good rider freewheels unless the road conditions demand it.
This just confirms how useful a power meter is. You can go out on a club ride, sit at the back but do a steady 23mph for 30 miles, get home and think you're a hero. But with a PM it's the opposite - you can see that actually you spent half the time freewheeling or putting out <100w, and your big turns on the front only amounted to 5 minutes above threshold for the ride.
Whereas, a quick 60 min hilly solo ride can be tailored to fit exactly with my training requirements - proper measured intervals no matter the terrain (OK, downhill is tricky to keep the power up).
In races, it was great comparing power profiles and time in zone data with my team mate - he was a stronger rider but I was much better at doing nothing for longer
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DavidJB wrote:AK_jnr wrote:philthy3 wrote:AK_jnr wrote:What cracks me up is seeing data from 90% of riders that I follow with a PM that spend a third of their rides free wheeling!! They go home thinking they can pig out as they rode for 3 hours when in reality it was a hell of a lot less.
That's a bit of an assumption. Having a power meter doesn't mean you have to be on it all ride long. How do you know what their intentions were for the ride? If all you're interested in is average watts for a ride, it will be less than it could have been for the overall distance if they've been freewheeling more than you would.
Of course. But check out any pro rider that shows their data and they barely freewheel. Soft tap between intervals maybe. Freewheeling is for races.
Confirmed...no good rider freewheels unless the road conditions demand it.
What does "the road demands it" mean?! I freewheel when it makes more sense than to pedal, which might be if I'm cornering, going so fast downhill that pedalling isn't worth the effort, cruising through traffic, riding alongside someone to chat etc etc. What do the pros do differently?0 -
Do you have a PM? If so what % of your ride do you free wheel. By the sounds of it you dont free wheel much anyway.
A nice realisation for me was when I went out for a ride with a pro a few years back. I didnt have a PM at the time but he was going easy between 12 minute intervals. It was nice and steady, even for me, but at the first downhill he left me as he just didnt ease off. He needed to ride at say 200 watts whether that was up hill, down hill or round corners if possible.
Whereas me, I would sub consciously ease off when the road allowed as long as the speed was kept up.
Now my rides will have a few minutes free wheeling per hour with traffic lights etc.0 -
I've no doubt power metering is a good and relatively affordable way to make minimal bike time more productive in terms of increased fitness. Where I remain unconvinced is that it could do more for me than a HRM or even perceived effort. As far as freewheeling and taking it easy goes, that's more a matter of how honest you want to be with yourself. There's still nothing quite like training with a mate who's just slightly better than you are to bring you on.0
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I think the thing with a powermeter is that it is on or off in terms of hitting the numbers. Heart rate drifts towards a number and frequently the max HR is after the effort has finished. RPE is also subjective as the perceived effort varies with what the rest of your day has been like, how you are feeling, etc.0
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MisterMuncher wrote:Where I remain unconvinced is that it could do more for me than a HRM or even perceived effort.
Firstly HR is hugely variable, with an number of factors having an impact:
outside temperature, your temperature, how well your body is shedding heat (your clothing), your hydration, any illness, 'in the moment' fatigue, and cumulative fatigue (over days /weeks).
HR is still useful. Your HR number at a power intensity might be running a little high (you have lost a little fitness and/or becoming a little fatigued) OR your HR number at a power intensity might be running low (indicating illness or cumulative fatigue).
HR is also useful to monitor progression of fitness via Aerobic Decoupling. An example would be "Ride an Interval/Lap of 120 minutes @ 175 watts". If your Aerobic Decoupling is less than 5%, you could consider yourself "trained/fit" (for this interval/ at this intensity), if if is less you have become "fitter" anything over 5% is "an issue" to focus training on (other interval length / intensities it applies similarly) - personally i find Aerobic Decoupling as a measure/ monitor of fitness quite "useful" especially for endurance and anything sub threshold.
Regarding RPE. I find that (in the moment) i def cannot "feel" different intensities +/-10% watts , perhaps even +/-15% watts, even +/-20% is not clear (and you have better days / bad days and this feels different with different leg sensations) ... but a watt is a watt - whatever.
Yes you dont need a PM, and a HRM is fine. But it took me only a few rides after testing / establishing my zones to realise that i had been spending ALOT of time in recovery/zone 1 when i thougth i was in Zone 2 when i was going by HR. Using power zones, and trying to strictly maintain an intensity has resulted in my rides feeling much tougher. As a rough guide post PM a HR Z2/2.5 hour endurance ride feels like a 3.5 hour HR Z2/endurance ride (when just using HR).
a PM is also an incredible pacing tool, you know what you can do - and for how long.
Making progress is very tangible and rewarding. the progress is real.
I have drank the kool aid, it is real.0 -
A power meter is the ONLY tool which you can use to pace yourself accurately. I did a 1 hour Z3 interval in this video in really windy conditions and pacing was only possible with my power meter https://youtu.be/afu5piXmpyI0
