dalava

Do you use them? If so, what kind and how, and what does it do for you in terms of achieving your goal?

I've been using it for a few years, and now just put one on my daughter's bike. She, a triathlete first and cyclist second, and I, just a cyclist, are using it very differently.

DaveWC

I will admit, I use it exactly the way "they" suggest you not use a power meter. For me it's become nothing more than an expensive speedometer. I have found that as a result of the intervals I've done in the past, the tests of my FTP, I have a pretty good idea what level of power I can put out & not tank. Although it's just a meter that I use to figure out how I'm doing on a ride I find that it helps motivate me, to plan a ride & to see how my fitness is doing. When I begin a ride I typically choose a power level that I want to achieve & work to that goal. Other times I just go out & try to smash my best avg power. I find that my power has begun to decline & I assume that's reasonable at my age, but I can still manage several IF>0.90 rides per week. I know I should retest my FTP to get a more accurate measure but I hate the test & I don't want to see the number drop. So I fight to keep up with my older FTP & to hell with it.

Internet, do your worst.

Blackdays

For a triathlete, a powermeter will be invaluable with pacing.

RChung

When I first got one, it helped me achieve my goal of getting faster.

Later, it helped me achieve my goal of not getting slower.

Now it mostly helps me keep an accurate record of my decline. That and, as may be evident, I use it pretty successfully to irritate random guys on internet forums.

RJM

I have a stages unit on my bike...I like it and haven't had any issues out of it. (knock on wood)

I use it every time I ride the trainer to a sufferfest video. I know my different power zones and use it to keep up with the changing pace of the workouts; this will become a bigger part of my bike "riding" over this winter.

The meter really allowed me to see how much power I can put out without blowing up on a climb...and I would say that is where it has really helped me with my biking. I'm sure other tools could do the same thing, but the power meter giving me numbers right away on my garmin that I can read with just a glance really did help me. I still look at it when hitting a climb.

It allowed me to pull the speed and cadence sensors off my bike, which are just unsightly.

I don't use the meter on every ride, but those times that I really want to follow an interval regime or some sort of training plan, the PM has helped greatly. It sort of motivates me in that regard. I remember using the PM to pace myself on this one Strava segment that I wanted to PR on...about a 10 minute flat ride. It helped keep me from blowing up early on.

I guess since using it I've gotten faster too...so there is that.

woodcraft

lol

dalava

This mirrors my experience , as a middle-aged cyclist. The power meter for me at this point is more like a motivational tool plus cadence sensor than anything else.

For my daughter who's a budding triathlete, she did a FTP test just a few weeks ago, and already, she's training harder with the power meter than she ever did with HR. She did a 30-mile rode last weekend and already her entire ride power was higher than FTP with 5 min power in the 4w/kg range. Apparently seeing numbers improve helps motivating her, just like us middle aged cyclists too.

dalava

BTW, I've recently installed a Stages (DA9000) which replaced the PowerTap SL+ hub based power meter. During the transition, I had them both on it and I paired the Stages to my iPhone (using BT) and check the numbers between the two. They were very close with Stages about 2% lower on most rides and just a tad higher on climbing. All in all, I would say they are close enough to be the same.

My daughter has the PT C1 chainrings on a Rotor 3D. It's nice because it's double sided. Installation was very easy but you do need to take out the crankset out of the bottom bracket to install. I also did a check between the PT C1 and PT SL+ wheel. The numbers came out almost to be identical; it's probably not surprising given they using the same software from PT.

RChung

More seriously, you probably know that I've used power meters for a while and I've developed and refined some of the analytical tools used with power.

Most power meter users use their PMs in almost the same ways that HRMs were used 20 years ago -- to train in zones, and sometimes for pacing. Power meters work perfectly well in this context, and riders get better. However, there are some things you can't do with a HRM, and most of my contributions are in that area. Some of the things I do require pretty high data quality and not only can HRMs not supply the data needed but some power meters don't suffice, either. But most riders don't do that kind of thing. I mostly work with the tail end of the distribution.

silversx80

All of my structured training happens indoors, so I use a Wahoo Kickr as my power meter (it's nice not to have to think about intervals... just suffer). I had one on my last bike, and after the insurance company gave me money in exchange for that damaged piece, I haven't picked up a new one. I'm still unsure about getting another on-bike meter, since riding without again has been liberating. After all the suffering indoors, I'm liking the outdoors to be just for the enjoyment of the ride.

Bunyanderman

Power meters are used to get a better measurement of effort, usually more accurate than purely heart-rate. As heart-rate can be skewed by caffeine intake/fatigue and many other small things.

I get the gist of it for training, but not exactly for racing. Maybe for pure TT/Hill climbs is makes sense if there isn't any other competitors around. But for something like a crit/road race, I don't see any benefit.

If you need to get in the pack, it might require you to put out 400w for 10 seconds. If you don't, you will be dropped and then you have no chance of placing competitively. Some people with a power meter might be afraid of reaching 400w, as they know they will blow up at that power. But you definitely need to push to make it into the group.

To conclude, sometimes you will need to make a certain power in a race, and I think a power meter discourages one from pushing his limits in fear of blowing up.

Psimet2001 

+1

I have used many and own many. Get one if you want to focus your training. Also get one if you want to destroy any little bit of joy you still get from just riding along every now and then.

Psimet2001 

Kinda...and kinda not.

Using a pm for racing can be extremely helpful AFTER the race. Looking at data and knowing what sort of performance it takes to stay in, be able to attack, etc. is pretty helpful - especially if what you really want to know is what is going on when/if you get dropped.

Also - when off the front it can be extremely helpful for some pacing, but in general - yeah you can't listen to the number. you have to listen to your body when racing. You will always achieve more/higher output while racing than you ever will while training. Just the way it is. I have seen guys sit up because they didn't like what the numbers said. They did the math and "knew" they couldn't hold out that long. Thing is they don't and won't ever really know.

For those head cases who don't realize that numbers don't decide the race I usually recommend taping over the display during the race. Many do.

Bunyanderman

@Psimet2001
That makes tons of sense, especially with reviewing power numbers after the race.

I know a guy who doesn't use anything for training or racing, just strava to track miles. He says he will always know his body better than any computer or calculation. Fastest guy I have ever met, and he road RAAM this year.

RChung

That's not a problem with the power meter, it's a problem with the rider. Andy Coggan likes to point out that the title of his book is "Training and Racing with a Power Meter" not "Training and Racing by a Power Meter."

Bunyanderman

Really? I thought a power meter provided actual power, like a small motor.

RChung

Fifth up from the bottom.

dalava

There are always outliers, and this may be one of those, but he may also be cheating himself out of something to get even faster.

For most cyclists, I think having more information allowing them to train better and smarter is a good thing unless you are one of those head cases who's paralyzed by more information.

FLvector

ZippyThePinhead

BikeForums needs a like button for posts like this one.

ZippyThePinhead

And for this one, too.

RChung

Damiano Cunego decided around 2009 or 2010 to stop using a power meter for either training or racing. He said he'd ride better and more joyfully without it. You can check out his palmares before and after 2009 to see the results.

dalava

Im not sure his results speaks to the point you are trying to make; he really hasn't done much since 2008 given how much potential we all thought he had and could achieve when he first bursted onto the scene as the Little Prince. Also, doping has dogged him for a long time so I would not judge his results on power meter use, maybe it's was a metaphor for him.

RR3

I have a Powertap G3 and would like to learn how to use it to measure the aerodynamic effects of changing equipment and positions on the bike.

I currently use the PM in conjunction with a lactate meter to measure VT1 and VT2 power levels.

On long distance events (more than 12 hours), I keep my steady efforts below VT1 and keep my climbing below VT2 (essentially FTP level).

I also use it for intervals and for easy days to keep my output below VT1. The PM helps me apply the Polarized training principles.

Jarrett2

I use my power meter to show me how much worse my steel bike is than a carbon one...

Seriously, I just recently got a Stages on closeout. I'm just getting into it. After doing an FTP test to set my FTP, I'm mainly using it to get a more accurate calorie count on rides to track calories in/out and gathering ride data to review and learn my strengths and weaknesses. Lately, I've been riding my touring bike in prep for a tour, but once that's done, I'm going to focus more on power meter training for the winter.