Originally Posted by Dan333SP

You're overthinking it.

Originally Posted by MyTi

Well let's say the goal is 24mph for a 20 mile stretch. With a power meter I can take the bike out on flat lands on a day when it's not windy and find out how many watts it takes to maintain 24mph on my bike. If I am simply relying on speed, there are too many variables in play, such as headwind. If I'm in a headwind it will obviously take more watts to maintain 24mph. So a power meter helps you to train a lot smarter in that regard from what I see, holding 300 watts in a headwind, rather than blowing yourself up trying to maintain 24mph in a headwind makes more sense. For a distance rider being able to maintain constant power, rather than constant speed also makes more sense. I do wish there was a way to get real time power readings, without having to buy a power meter of course. Is there anything that will give me a ball park power reading real time during the ride, without getting a power meter? I have no desire to shell out 1k on a crankset with a power meter. I really don't like the 1 year warranty on something that costs $1k either. The P1 pedals, stages all only have a 1 year warranty. Seems a bit ridiculous to offer a 1 year warranty on such an expensive product. I would think offering at least a 3 year warranty is reasonable. In the end it's the bad warranty on these devices that has me questioning on whether to get one or not.