Power Meter What I learned

shaungil

So I got a loan of a power meter and here's what I can see from it.

I don't use my gears well, I don't drop gears anywhere close to enough coming out of corners. I thought that grinding out of the corners despite hurting my legs would generate a lot more power than it does, sometimes dropping 2 or three gears doubles the power I am generating. Time to start concentrating on this in corners.

Meter goes next to Staro and the plan is to get an average now so we can then compare to later in the year /next season. I can understand why you can get attached to them and certainly would give you a good indication of when you are overcooked. Howeve money doesn't allow it and any money would go on other bike stuff anyway(wheels for TT).

Back to the world of Luddites for me again. I still think If I used one in a race I'd be watching it too much so I deliberately set it up facing the wrong way.

kennyb3

Thanks shaun, i cant believe you went so public on it. I guess you are shaving your legs next giving into all this pressure.

Seriously though, id say its a great training tool, id like one myself but have far too much other bike stuff i need/want first. I dont think id use it in a race either as I wouldnt like to know when im on the limit. I always leave the HRM at home for races for that reason.

blorg

I don't think you can really ever look much at a computer in a road race if you are taking it seriously. You do what you have to do, although the data after is certainly interesting. TT would be a different matter though, I could see power pacing as being very valuable.

Beasty

shaungil wrote: »

I deliberately set it up facing the wrong way.

We believe you shaungil;)

Tbh, in races I hardly ever look at the computer. I just glance down occasionally to check average/normalised power (unless I've been dropped and have some time to myself:))

In TTs however I have a great time checking all the stats - it helps take my mind off the pain...

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

I don't think you can really ever look much at a computer in a road race if you are taking it seriously.

Sure you can, in the same way you can check distance, time or heartrate. It only takes a glance.

The issue is whether the information is particularly useful. If you're feeling good and putting out lots of power, what does that tell you? Should you ease up to save energy or attack when you're feeling strong?

I think if you can avoid become a slave to the numbers and just integrate the information into your race brain with everything else, then it offers another dimension.

Also, some races are just plain boring, and in this case launching an attack with the sole purpose of setting a new power PB is quite fun.

mloc123

shaungil wrote: »

Howeve money doesn't allow it and any money would go on other bike stuff anyway(wheels for TT).

Training with power will see much better returns than race wheels.

Diarmuid

A power meter is great for TTs. For road races it's no hindrance either. As much as you'd like to think, you can't solo off the front for 15 mins @ 300W in a race, if your PB for 15mins is 250W. For sprinting out of corners, and following attacks, it's not of much help.

For training, money spent on a pm is far better value than a set of shiny new wheel, IMHO

RobFowl

I think this thread is going off on a tangent.

The OP clearly wants to be slagged off not given constructive and helpful advice.

So I'll put a few questions to Shaungil

1) How much extra power did you produce after shaving the legs ?

2) How much extra power was gained by cleaning your bike?

3) Ae you now Beasty's B*tch or did you borrow the meter elsewhere?

shaungil

RobFowl wrote: »

I think this thread is going off on a tangent.

The OP clearly wants to be slagged off not given constructive and helpful advice.

So I'll put a few questions to Shaungil

1) How much extra power did you produce after shaving the legs ? I did shave the legs but as soon as I had finished one the other had grown back. The man in the tractor said he had to go home for tea.

2) How much extra power was gained by cleaning your bike? The cleaning of the bike has led to other issues as it appears that much "dirt" was in fact holding the bike together and it is now in the Red Barons cave where it was least seen with a blow torch being applied to loosen components (unfortunately true)

3) Ae you now Beasty's B*tch or did you borrow the meter elsewhere? The pw was given to me and I was told to give it a go you may speculate on the source of said pm but I couldn't possible comment

Looks like I didn't use the quote function to well up there

RobFowl

Will we see it in action tomorrow morning :cool:

shaungil

bike in shop (as above), mrs on a course, me spending qt with kids. So no is answer I'm afraid.

Might spin up to Dundalk to watch Staro Glenamaddy and sh100 in action in team race tho.