power meters

Capt_Apollo

i'm looking at power meters as a way to step up my training and performance. i currently have a regular road bike and a garmin 910xt watch with the bike package set-up.

i know that information is only as good as the person using it. this winter i really trained with my garmin almost like the first time, really focusing on cadence and heart rate when on the bike. i think that having power output would be beneficial for training.

looking at the garmin vector pedals and trying to figure out if this is really the way i want to go at the moment, or should i just keep saving for a TT bike? realistically, i can't spend the money for a proper time trial bike for another year or so... but a power meter might be affordable.

glevinso

My opinion on this is that a power meter is worth 10x more than all the aero doodads, wheels, etc you could get for a bike. Power meters help develop your engine, which in the end is the important part. Once your engine is in good shape you can start worrying about gaining the extra edge with a fancier bike, wheels, etc.

That said I would be leery of the Vectors. I have a friend who uses them and she doesn't really like them. They are finicky. They *say* you can easily swap them between bikes but the reality is that every time you do that you have to go through a torquing and calibration process. Also, for what it's worth, Garmin's own road racing team doesn't actually use them. You can see that they have the pedals on the bikes, but there is nothing in the pods. They actually use SRMs with the logo taped over.

Personally I use a Powertap on my road bike because I never swap the wheels around on that bike but on the tri bike I use a Quarq so I have the option of changing wheels from training to racing.

Capt_Apollo

yes, need to improve upon the engine. in a way, i know it'll help me get strong so that when i do finally get on a triathlon bike, i'll be better prepared for it.

the reason i'd love to stick with garmin is because that's what i use for data measuring now, and would love to have everything in one place. i loathe having to use multiple websites to log and track exercises.

scott091501

All power meters that are Ant+ compatible will read on a Garmin bike CPU

glevinso

Capt_Apollo wrote: »

yes, need to improve upon the engine. in a way, i know it'll help me get strong so that when i do finally get on a triathlon bike, i'll be better prepared for it.

the reason i'd love to stick with garmin is because that's what i use for data measuring now, and would love to have everything in one place. i loathe having to use multiple websites to log and track exercises.

The power meter you use is just a data provider, like your HRM or cadence sensor. All current-model power meters are ANT+ compatible and thus will work with any ANT+ Garmin you might have. You won't need to change anything about how you track your data, you will just have more of it.

Once you DO get it, learning to use it, and learning how to ride with it can be a challenge. Nowadays when I race I don't even have speed displayed on my computer. I quite literally only show 3s average and Normalized Power. I don't want to get caught up in how fast I am going in a long race because then I start thinking I could go a little faster... or hit that Xmph mark. No. I just look at power. Coach says "ride Y watts", I ride Y watts. Done deal. Distance, time, speed are all irrelevant once you have power to work with.

scott091501

I have a Power2Max and love it. Power Tap just released a ton of different options too. Quarq is always a trusted option. All work with Garmin watches/bike CPUs

Capt_Apollo

thanks for the info guys

glevinso

For example this is what your Garmin Connect activity page looks like once you have a power meter. The power meter here is a Quarq, but the data file was recorded by my 920xt:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/789195634

Capt_Apollo

glevinso wrote: »

For example this is what your Garmin Connect activity page looks like once you have a power meter. The power meter here is a Quarq, but the data file was recorded by my 920xt:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/789195634

nice!

jacksonpt

I've been kicking around the idea of a powermeter for a couple of months now... is there any fundamental advantages/disadvantages to a pedal vs crank vs hub-based system?

I don't think I care about the ability to transfer between bikes (especially if the process of doing so is tedious)... and while leg-specific data seems nice, it is probably overkill for my needs.

My primary need (I think) is a more concrete metric compared to speed or RPE.

scott091501

@jacksonpt really not that many differences at this point. It's more about preference. I'd go pedal or crank based just due to the fact you can switch out wheels at will. So if you're going to use a hub based PM for training you'll either need a second on your race wheels or train on your race wheels.

SRM (expensive), Quark, Garmin, Power2Max, or the newer Power Tap (non hub based) options all good to go. And "knowing" you power intervals and power lifting over the off season will yield big results next season.

jacksonpt

Thanks. I'm leaning towards a crank-based system, but have some more reading to do.

glevinso

<n/m I said the exact same thing above a few months ago>

scott091501

jacksonpt wrote: »

Thanks. I'm leaning towards a crank-based system, but have some more reading to do.

Panasonic has a crank based one out too. Forgot about them. I went Power2Max because of the flexibility in the type/length of crank. I like Rotor cranks w/ Qrings and I ride shorter cranks (165mm as opposed to the 172.5 that come pretty standard on tri bikes) and love it. Power2Max gave me that option.

kchang77

I've been using the P1's for a few months now, really have nothing but good things to say about them.

jacksonpt

My LBS is having their annual fall clearance sale, including 30% off quark power meters. I may pull the trigger.