ymee

I cycle mostly on the weekends (40-50 miles) with some Wahoo Kickr trainer rides during the week. Have been doing this for the last 4 years or so. Recently got into looking at my power data a bit more on the trainer and measuring my FTP etc. With a mild case of upgradetitus, I was thinking of purchasing the Assioma dual power meter pedals as a means of studying my power while riding and balancing my output during hill climbs etc. when riding with friends. Do you guys think looking at this data is useful, i.e. helping to maintain consistent power rather than burning out by going too hard at first (based purely on HRM)? Worth it or better to spend the money elsewhere? I don't intend to race etc. this is purely for the fun of it and tracking any improvements.

downhillmaster

rubiksoval

A powermeter completely changed every single way I train/ride, starting with the massive amount of coasting/soft-pedaling I never really realized I was doing. It also became the easiest and most effective way to track physical improvements.

surak

Yes!

I also have a tendency to go too hard on climbs. This weekend group ride had some nasty ones, including one they say is known as Vomit Hill. I went by feel for as long as I could. In the last third of climbs, I knew I was done and paid more attention to my PM, keeping it around threshold. Without one, I'd say my natural too hard-then too weak pace wouldn't be sustainable.

burnthesheep

Sojodave

A power meter has helped me climb better. When you go by feel, you feel like your legs hurt and your out of breath so you slam it down to your lowest gear and try and survive the hill. With a power meter, you can pace yourself and do an overall better effort because you know how much power you can sustain. Riding without a power meter is like going to the gym and not knowing how much the weights weigh.

RChung

In your situation, there are actually two benefits: first, as you say, it will help you pace better so you don't go too hard early, burn out, then straggle in DFL. Second, when the friends you ride with start to ride away, you can start talking about how much power they're putting out. That'll pique their interest, then they'll slow down and ride with you so they can see what their output is.

Seattle Forrest

I bought Vector pedals years ago and love having them. I don't race but the data has been useful to me.

Wattsup

More toys and graphs are ALWAYS better. I own a pair of Assioma, but I only use them indoors. I use flats on outdoor rides, using heart rate to gauge effort. Guess what. Heart rate sucks at accurately judging effort. I say buy the new toys.

ymee

I'm looking at the Assioma's myself. Why use them indoors only though? You can quickly take them off and attach them to any bike, that's one of their selling points.

Wattsup

i know, but I don't like riding clipped-in outdoors. I use them indoors with TrainerRoad.

Racing Dan

I on the contrary, find HR is pretty good at predicting what pace I can sustain at that particular day. A PM tells you what ever power you deliver (unrelated to HR), but it doesn't know if you are catching a cold, if you are about to bunk ect. Both have their merits.

Wattsup

Not me. My heart is like an auto engine, except the car is different every day. Sometimes I'm driving a high-revving, overhead cam, turbocharged 4 cylinder, other days it's like I'm driving an 8 cylinder pushrod motor with lots of low end torque. I do record heart rate, and I do stare at the graphs for hours after every ride, but I find it difficult to crack the code. Perceived effort works better for me.

Peter2290

I just bought the Assioma Duos myself, waiting for shoes now though (and it's still winter) so I have yet to try them out. I don't race but I am a numbers/tech geek and I was reeled in by the price drop last fall. I think I'll do some training though as it would definitely be nice to be a bit faster than I currently am.

Can't wait to use them.

sdmc530

Power meters are amazing tools if you into the data. I am not a racer but do many charity rides and some "fun" races. I used to track effort and such with a HR but found that it was not consistent because if I wasn't feeling good it wasn't an accurate measurement. With a power meter its always measured the same.

Its a great tool if your willing to spend the money, they can be a costly investment. I do find them very darn handy thought!

ymee

Psimet2001 

Hmmmmm..... I'll be the naysayer....

Having been in the power market and then industry for quite a while I probably know more than I want to about power meters and how people use them.

Training with power can be an amazingly effective tool. I dare say it's the most effective tool available to the mass market.

One does not need to race in order to "train" with a power meter. Sure. Striving to achieve some sort of goal does help to guide the usage and implementation of working with a power meter. If not then you're just recording data for data's sake.

The overwhelming majority of riders that I have seen use power meters over the years who weren't racing or training to race with them ended up just recording data. It's the gadget equivalent of racking up junk miles just to say you did it.

This behavior in and of itself isn't a bad thing (unless your goal was to improve through using a power meter) but I see it lead to a lot of bad consequences over time. It seems that at some point everyone is forced to take some time off their bike whether through life demands, injury, etc. I have seen a lot of people come back from a break and get seriously de-motivated by their numbers and how much they've changed. To the point that many just walk away from riding.

When you've had all those numbers for so long you start to forget what is fun about riding the bike and all you see is a gap in performance and remembering how hard it was to get to where you were the first time. Time and time again I have seen people get seriously de-motivated or leave the sport because of what their power meter is saying.

As a result of all of this I usually stop anyone new to power and have a conversation with them about what it is they are wanting to achieve by having a power meter. Usually it's a lot of "I think I want to..." kind of stuff. No doubt we fuel the feeling of some sort of need to have a power meter by the way we act as a community and how our industry works. I am all for having fun with cool gear. Sometimes that's really what it comes down to. I just like to see people go through that mental exercise where they really question what they are hoping to actually see or find out from power data. A power meter most definitely isn't needed by anyone unless they have some sort os specific goals or gains they are searching for and want to make the best use of their time in order to hit those goals or gains.

Everyone has their own justification for why they personally decided to use and continue to use a power meter. I'm not here to poop on anyone's party. I just have seriously seen a lot of riders leave and fall out of love for the sport because of power meters. Who knows - if it wasn't for power meters maybe they still would have fallen out of love for the sport but just for a different reason.

Interesting to note I know a ton of racers who used to have power meters who have ditched them and listen to their body more now. Also interesting - I know a lot of racers who became really good without a power meter at all, then got one and never did any better and actually did worse over time and quit. YMMV

Barrettscv 

Interesting POV. I'm periodically checking my FTP on my smart trainer, I've always wondered if power meters in the pedals would provide some diagnostic value, including L & R balance, pedal stroke efficiency, etc. I'm not racing or training to race.

Psimet2001 

They provide you with L/R balance. I have seen people use that to help quantify injuries they knew they had but could never prove and then to gauge their recovery. I have also seen people dread over those numbers to the point of seeing every specialist known to man only to find out that the imbalance is just the way their body is.

We aren't machines. Power meters can only give us numbers. They are completely useless unless you plan on using those numbers AND know how to use them or have the guidance of someone who does....

Psimet2001 

Oh...and BTW - those that "know how to use the numbers" are a whole helluva lot like fit gurus. They have a way of approaching the numbers as a whole - looking at the athlete - and if they are good they can help a lot of people but not everyone.

It's like saddles, bars, shoes, etc. Everyone is different and everyone interfaces with the bike in a different way. Good coaches know how to work with you and learn what your body does and guide you through the process. If you're saying to yourself right now "I don't need a coach. That seems too extreme. Like too much." Then I question why use a power meter. Just because it's the next cool thing to buy and everyone has one? Are you really going to "use" it, or simply record it?

Seattle Forrest

Way less precision in the HR numbers, and they're too affected by other things like diet, how recovered I am, etc.

nomadmax 

I'm two decades on the backside of fast; I don't want to know the actual numbers. On most of my bikes all I have is a piece of pipe insulation and a $5.00 digital watch.

Racing Dan

Exactly. That goes for your power as well. HR will tell you something about how fast you are burning your matches on that given day, taking into account you immediate physical state. A PM does not. Power assumes You are the same every ride, but you are not. A PM tells you what you do, not what you Can do. Imo, There is room for both.

Seattle Forrest

I ride with a chest strap every time I get on my bike, I won't tell you HR has no value. But it's usefulness is much, much less than power. On skis, HR is basically all we have, but as cyclists, I'm glad we don't have to rely on it. Because it didn't work nearly as well.
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canklecat

Nah, no power meter for me, thanks. @Psimet2001 articulated some of my own reasons.

I don't need a power meter to tell me what I already know -- I struggle to maintain 150 watts and that's down from last year due to injury and illness. It'll take awhile to fully recover. At age 61 that demands more time and patience than it used to.

I already tend to overdo it even without a power meter, by ignoring my plans for an easy ride and pushing it anyway until the injury is aggravated again. Did it again a couple of weeks ago, strained muscles that I've rarely had problems with, and now I'll need weeks to undo the damage (mostly recurring muscle spasms, nothing too serious).

Then I'll check Strava and other data for routes and segments I ride often and confirm that I was actually doing better when I rode within my limits according to how I felt that day, rather than pushing when I wasn't ready.

I'm not even sure heart rate is all that useful. Mine varies significantly depending on prescription and OTC medications. Changing meds for sinus allergies, congestion and asthma lowered my resting HR significantly. For the first time in years my resting HR is in the low 60s, rather than 80-90 bpm. And it returns to below 80 sooner after a workout, whereas for years my HR stayed around 100 for hours after a workout. My endocrinologist is gradually changing other meds this year, rechecking every few months. It all affects my HR and BP, so it's kinda pointless to worry about it training purposes right now.

After I recover and *if* I decide to try time trials again, sure, maybe a power meter might be useful. But then we're talking about racing again, which isn't the premise of this thread. For now, I'm riding to stay fit and have fun. I'm doing neither as long as I'm injured. So it's better to ride according to how I feel, perceived effort or whatever we prefer to call it this year.