wattage, MTB on road

gingaman
gingaman Posts: 576
edited September 2013 in MTB general
Hi everybody. First time poster here. A question to Strava users about wattage (or anyone who can answer it!). http://www.strava.com/activities/84665455 this ride shows an awful lot of watts being laid down, but I dont have any sort of power meter/sensor attached. How does Strava guess the watts?

Also, my power is over double that of the people nearest to me, am I working too hard for my result or am I too inefficient or what?

Thanks,

gingaman

Comments

  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    gingaman wrote:
    How does Strava guess the watts?gingaman

    It uses a random number generator :wink:
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    gingaman wrote:
    guess
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

    London Calling on Facebook

    Parktools
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    It does some VERY rough guesswork, one of the parameters is your weight & your bike weight. Are you a fatty?
    The guestimates will be even further off if you're draughting.

    I've taken a reading from my CX bike (with power meter) for a stretch on clear road, probably on the tops.
    225 watts for 37 km/h

    A sample from the track you've given gives an estimated 350 watts for 30 km/h

    So quite a large discrepancy
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • jds_1981
    jds_1981 Posts: 1,858
    & I think it is vey unlikely the output is anywhere near 350 watts.
    FCN 9 || FCN 5
  • gingaman
    gingaman Posts: 576
    @jds_1981 yes, i am a recovering fatty... far too many beers &c. One of the reasons i got the bike in the first place was to get fitter and lose weight, and i have gone through 3 chains and cassettes attempting just that (since feb!).
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    The problem is that you're using Strava. An app for people who want to compete against strangers without the risk of any social interaction
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • gingaman
    gingaman Posts: 576
    I was using mapmyride but found I was getting erroneous readings in some categories, so switched. Whichever app I do use is mainly to record and (try to) improve on my previous times/ average mph etc, while at the same time working on my general fitness.
  • gingaman
    gingaman Posts: 576
    ...And of course,
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    to compete against strangers without the risk of any social interaction
    :mrgreen:

Categories