Cleave

Thanks for posting this. I have an SRM and a PowerTap G3. I use a Garmin 500 and 800 respectively with these power meters. Will the Quarq app work with those setups? TIA.

gsteinb

Since I have a house at the base of it, I've dreamt of Whiteface glory since I started riding serious again about ten years ago. Since it's a very consistent grade I've been able to train on it using my ancient nintendo based computrainer, simply based (long sold) on putting in the avg grade and distance. Looking at winning times, my avg power on the computrainer, gave me some pretty solid estimates. In practice now, with a powermeter and race conditions those estimates proved to be pretty close.

Wesley36

tetonrider

hey, cleave--happy i could help.

with your SRM you do not need anything new (other than a calibrated weight).

you'll use the 800 to observe the ZO during the measurements i described above. you then enter them into a spreadsheet (takes a minute) and will either verify your existing slope or figure out that the slope changed. with SRMs i either find no change or a 0.1 (=0.4% or less) change (usually SRM slopes are in the 25.0 range and the actual change is <0.05...but sometimes it pushes you to round up or down as the meters can only take a value to the nearest 0.1).

if you detected a change, you can use the 800 to update the stored slope on the SRM, so you do not have to manually input it every time.

i find the 800 can update slope reliably but the 500 is sometimes less consistent.

the quarq app has a few other interesting uses that are not relevant for SRM owners. for example, you can check the factory slope at any point with it (at least you used to be able to do so). my alternative for SRMs is to just note old and new slope on the spreadsheet when i bother to do the testing.

do a quick search for "SRM + calibration + spreadsheet" and it should turn up. otherwise, PM me with your email addy and i'll send mine to you. it's' nothing special.

as for your power tap, you can check the torque at the hub, but to my knowledge that is not something that can be updated by the end user. (that is one of my own issues with it, but ideally you never have to make an update.)

tetonrider

in a material way, your years of historical data on climbs + weight serves as an important and effective check. of course, sometimes you'll wind up with bad data on a particular run (e.g., you might have caught the problem before the session had you checked slope, but maybe not).

you are quite in tune with your local routes and efforts/times (no doubt due to strava as i imagine it makes one highly aware of times for pieces of rides). not all riders are as in tune. i suspect on this forum we represent a more sophisticated user base that is the minority...and yet we still have people who have lost data, and more than just one ride's worth.

that said, even a 1-2mph change in wind can be imperceptible to us on the bike but can result in dramatically different times. were we having a day where 95% is our best effort? was the wind just a bit more in our face? was our power meter under-reporting? it gets tough to say when many possibilities are combined.

i value learning about potential problems ASAP to minimize or altogether avoid data loss -- but that is my personal bias. once bitten...

if someone has a meter that truly needs slope changes every month or so, then there is a big problem. after an initial check of a new meter, if one has to do anything other than settle into a pattern of confirming the slope every 6 months or making a slight change, then something else is going on. with what i know now, i'd never own a meter that requires me to check it frequently, though i have owned ones like that in the past.

echappist

Just wanted to quickly mention that the App isnt necessary if you are just checking the slope. I know i can manually rnter the slope for my SRM using Edge 500, but i'm not as sure about Quarq

as for the spreadsheet, you basically check ZO offset with no hanging weight, record the offset number. Add one item of known masd, record the number; repeat as you see fit. Ideal set up would be two 10kg plates having known masses.

open any spreadsheet and type in the numbers, do a linear regression. Slope of the regression line is, well, the slope of your PM. It records the changes in the reading as the input torque is changed. Of course, you'll also need the right unit conversions.

As for calibrated weights, the scales at the Post Office is calibrated every month.

tetonrider

that is a great point. thanks for bringing that up.

to CHECK slope, all one needs is a head unit that can display ZO in real time (PC7, edge 500/800). the app does help quarq users walk-through the process and input values, as well as update the slope.

the edge 500/800 should be able to update the stored slope on the quarq as it can on the SRM meters.



lots of debate about this one. i can tell you that the scale at my local PO (tiny town, rural) is NOT calibrated often. if one does a google search they will find that the same weight might read different things at USPS, UPS and FedEx. another way to go, though not the cheapest, is to purchase a certified, calibrated weight. i have one that is 20kg +/- 2g. error of <=0.01% of what is being measured is valuable here, IMO.

globecanvas

Random thought: is there a way to see a racer's USAC ranking points directly? The only way I know to do this is to look at the overall ranking list, like so: https://www.usacycling.org/rankings/...Road:RR&cat=03 . But it seems like there should be somewhere you can just look up a racer and see their number.

gsteinb

I checked my weights at home, USPS, and FedEx. They were all within an ounce of one another (2 identical, 1 an ounce lighter).

rideaz

Here's the link
The Official Website - USA Cycling
then search by name

shovelhd

Well they were obviously out of brain cells when you were born.

shovelhd

That was my experience with Quarq #2 and #3 . #1 and #4 failed outright, although I suspected the data before it started eating batteries like Qwankster at a buffet.

mattm

That doesn't show their actual ranking, just a list of their results.

GC, the only way I know of is what you listed, looking at the overall list.. same for figuring out what category someone is.

gsteinb

usac rankings are pretty dumb.

gsteinb

The way things unfold on facebook along group think lines is pretty interesting. Watching this one thing unfold along somewhat predictable lines, yet amazed at how clearly it's doing so.

mattm

Which is why I'm adding upgrade points calculations to the Race Results app. (which would be more accurate if USAC made it more obvious what cat someone was)

Upgrade points are way less dumb, although for cat 1's like you I suppose they don't mean much..

shovelhd

I know of no way to do this either. I use the GC method. Pretty easy.

road-results.com is better for this kind of analysis.

gsteinb

no, but for masters you could add a life clock countdown timer

jsutkeepspining

sell the power2max that you just got

tetonrider

i think too much stock can be placed in the rankings, but as far as a system that attempts to rank amateur athletes who race varied opponents on different courses i think it is a pretty good effort. the newer system is far, far better than the old.

i think getting a relative idea of the talent pool in a race (as measured by overall rankings of the riders) is somewhat interesting.

gsteinb

I was really really good in the old system. I liked that one better

agoodale

I agree. I find it a good tool when looking at races that are out of my normal race area. It's not perfect by far but it gives you a general idea of what to expect.

Just this year promoters in SoCal began to submit results to USA Cycling on a regular basis. In the past it was spotty at best. Now that there is more data the ranking numbers are more accurate.

The "Race Predictor" has been uncanny in predicting my mid-pack finish.

rkwaki

Wanna take a guess what my favorite batteries are?
1. AAA
2. AA
3. 9V
4. DD

furiousferret

I tweaked my ankle yesterday mowing the lawn...so pissed. My bike fit reduced the pain to almost nothing and I agitate doing household chores.

Our front yard is a steep grade, and parts of it I have to run up and drive the mower like a tackle dummy. In addition to it being dangerous, it kills the leg. I'm going to have to either drop $400-$500 on a self propelled mower, or get a gardener. I'm not a fan of spending money when its not a bike or electronics

echappist

i actually prefer two nicely shaped B's. Wait, we talking batteries, right