RomeoTango

So I am in the market for a frameset, and or bike (I have other thread/posts on the recent demise of my frame). What value does the power meter add for the average rider? I am trying to learn more and more about my training and fitness on the bike, but I don't compete. I can probably work a power meter into my new budget.

rms13

To me, it seems like a fancy toy that's great if you do have expendable income. If you don't race and power meter costs as much as your bike (like me) I don't think it's worth it. But if I am a non racer and if I could afford one I would certainly get it because I like data from my rides. Of course data is only as good as what you do with it

Heathpack 

The power meter is a training tool. It's primary utility is in helping you train for an event or specific purpose. It is useful for working on specific aspects of your cycling and also for tracking your overall training arc and planning rest vs work periods. All the training that you can accomplish with a power meter can also be accomplished without it. The power meter will just do the same things more precisely.

If by "average enthusiast" you mean a cyclist who just wants to ride however he/she feels like it with whatever friends he/she wants on whatever day he/she chooses in a manner that does not risk overtraining, without prepping for anything or trying to accomplish specific goals on the bike, then I would say the average enthusiast would not particularly benefit from a power meter. If the average enthusiast had cash to burn, there's no harm in getting one, but it probably adds expense & complexity with minimal benefit.

FLvector

Good information above from Heathpack. It's difficult to give advice since we don't know your level of commitment to training, how long you've been riding and what your goals are. Prior to taking the step to get a power meter and realizing you're not putting it to any serious use, I'd suggest you start training with a heart rate monitor. Many train with the HRM and find that it gives them all the data necessary to train and track their improvement. If after training with a HRM for several month you feel like you need something more precise to gauge your efforts, then consider a PM. If you feel like the HRM is providing all you need, you can save a few hundred and buy some other bike bling.

pdedes

I'm a former racer. My competitive days ended before the advent of accessible power meters. Optimizing training loads, periodizing effort was science and art. I used VO2 tests, HRMs and charted and tracked training to achieve beneficial outcomes.
The power meter on its own is a tool but without tracking (easier with software) and a commitment to a training plan that focuses on optimizing training loads based on power scores, it's useless.

RJM

A power meter certainly is not needed if you aren't into data or into using a training plan. If you are, it's a pretty good measuring device that can show you data not affected by temperature, if you are getting sick, if you drank coffee, eat...like heart rate.

Silvercivic27

So the advice here in the 41 is always the same re: power meters.

Is it going to make you a better cyclist if you analyze the data and create a training plan around it? Yes. If you stick to that plan. Are you going to enjoy that? Maybe, or maybe not. For me personally, it was a no. It turned my fun rides into a job.

if you are not going to use it in that way, you should think of it like a heart rate monitor. Do you use one and like looking at the data? Then you are going to enjoy looking at that power data. Is it going to make you a better cyclist? Maybe or maybe not, but if it makes you ride more because you're enjoying yourself more, to me that's a win.

there's nothing wrong with spending money to simply enjoy yourself. We do it all the time. It's like how most Porsche 911 s will never see a track and most Omega watches will never see the moon. Who cares. If you have the money and enjoy looking at data, go for it.

softreset

I installed one as a 'gadget' and so I could have some fun with Zwift on raining days/nights. For me, it's nothing more than a fancy piece of equipment telling me that I'm not as fast as I wish I was out there. That being said, I dabbled with a training plan for a few months and I most definitely noticed some improvements. I suspect if I had fully committed or stuck with it, I'd be even better off than just tooling around with one.

chaadster

To me, if you're using the words "training" and "fitness" to talk about your cycling goals, wnd asking people on a cyclng forum about power meters, you'd be a fool not to get one.

intransit1217

Along these lines, would a pm and a training plan help prepare me better for touring?

gregf83 

Not really. For touring you're more interested in being able to ride comfortably for reasonably long periods of time. You don't need a powermeter for that, just ride lots. If you're time crunched and trying to compress a tour into a shortened period of time, perhaps, but that doesn't sound like much fun.

GuyDebord

Im in a similar situation of the OP. I ride for fun and this includes a few centuries now and then, charity rides, but not races. I have thought about getting a power meter because I love what it does in my Wahoo Kickr but I always find it difficult to replicate the training programs in the wild, conditions are so different than in my dungeon...
So Ive been back and forth whether or not I should get one, still no decision.

intransit1217

I'm thinking more along the lines of making the ride less of a grind if I encounter wind especially if I'm loaded to the gills.

Of course maybe it's those grind days that make you appreciate the easy days more. I like feeling good after a ride. Tired, but not beaten.

I've heard the body will take two weeks to adjust to being loaded anyway.

gregf83 

Being fitter doesn't really make riding into the wind less of a grind. One thing a powermeter helps you to do is maintain a better pace. So in a headwind you just ride at whatever power level you're comfortable at and the speed will be what it is. If you learn to pace this way, with or without a powermeter, headwinds become less of an issue as you're not working any harder you're just going slower.

Silvercivic27

Whether you use it to "train" or not, you will enjoy looking at the numbers and talking to your friends about the numbers.

Silvercivic27

See, this to me too is a slippery slope. I also use the PM for pacing, but I also feel that sometimes it holds me back too. At some point, you become fixated on the numbers and then come up with this belief that you "can't hold this or that wattage for that long" and I think that on some days it can hold me back by being a mental block. I know that with TTs in particular, I always go in with a plan and a strategy, but you know what? If I am feeling frisky that day (which I usually am feeling more frisky when I have a number pinned on then when I'm dying from heat and lack of O2 in my basement), I'm leaving it all out there, and I ignore my power meter and my plan, and I've done better. I think it's important to realize that RPE and HR are extremely important too, not just the gospel of the Power meter. I also think it's important for people to realize that the FTP inside tends to be lower and different than the FTP outside, which also tends to be different and lower than the FTP while racing and it is probably due to rest, motivation, conditions, etc.

GuyDebord

What do you mean by FTP inside and outside?

Silvercivic27

An FTP test done on a trainer vs out on the road but not while racing (like a TT)

bikepro

Required reading:

Racing and Training with a Power Meter

Read this, then if you still want one, go ahead.

gregf83 

I agree and usually use the powermeter as a rough guide for starting out. It's not usually a problem for me as I'm an optimist - I always think I can hit my PB or better

If I start out an interval with a target of 300W but it feels easier than I think it should I'll go harder for a while and try and hang on at the end. I did 20 min a few weeks back at 317W and recently went on a cycling trip in Spain and had a 20min hill that is a popular Strava segment. I had a bit of a cold and my legs weren't fresh (I'm sure I have some other excuses as well). I started trying to hold something over 300W and it became clear after 5 min that wasn't going to happen so I settled in and rode the rest based on RPE. I finished at 299 and was happy.

I find power to be more consistent and useful than HR for pacing.

RomeoTango

Awesome information. Will review PMs further. I can stretch the fun toy bit I think, but also I rode in a couple of events last year that I wised I had done better. Though, I really did not exactly train for those events. I just rode, and usually rode hard. A PM may help me focus if I don't get too obsessive.

Silvercivic27

Yes. Like I said. If you use a heart rate monitor and enjoy looking at the data, you will enjoy looking at the data from a power meter. It is nice also because if you use it in events like the one you're talking about, you can compare your data year to year and see if you're getting better or worse, and what intervals you need to train, what to expect in terms of needed power output to get up hills, etc. keep in mind that wind, your body weight, temp., etc. also change these numbers, but it gives you an idea. If you want to use it specifically to train, you will improve your fitness and riding, but maybe at the expense of some pure enjoyment. If you're thinking about it this much, I say go for it because you won't be happy until you finally get one.

merlinextraligh

This. The book tells you what you need to know, and you'll pretty much know whether it's for you after reading.

RChung

I'm not sure it's required. I've never been able to get through that book.

Soody

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU2H0_z95mY

mate