Is there a way to estimate power / watts ? Dont think I *need* a PM but curious

[pooneej]

Is there any way I can estimate what kind of power I put down when close to full throttle sprint (or trying to lol).

I do put my activities on strava and there's an estimated power in there but its the average for entire ride not a certain sprint or hard effort.

Just curious as one person I ride with does have a power meter and hit 1028watts which I was kind of wowed with. I don't really want or think I need to spend the money on a power meter so just trying to get an idea of where I'm at.

thanks

[unterhausen]

I think that kind of power is where you are least likely to make a successful estimate. I know when I do a sprint I have no idea where the peak is going to fall out. Nowhere near 1100 watts anymore though. More like 600.

What I found after riding my kickr for a while and a pm on my bike, I pretty much know the effects of riding at a particular power level, so a PM on my bike isn't as necessary. The real benefit for me is TSS -- training stress. Hard to estimate that.

[mtechnica]

I’m pretty sure my stages doesn’t read peak power very effectively but I’m sure you could get something better. I also am not really sure exactly how useful it is to know your maximum output, although 5s and 10s maybe. Longer efforts could be fairly easy to estimate using Strava.

[jb_11]

If you have the paid version of Strava, you can use their analysis tool to pinpoint specific areas of your ride. I don't know how accurate their estimates are, however.

[mtechnica]

Originally Posted by jb_11

If you have the paid version of Strava, you can use their analysis tool to pinpoint specific areas of your ride. I don't know how accurate their estimates are, however.

They can be fairly accurate for certain hill’s imo but probably not sprinting of any kind.

[Davist]

Go to spin class, most have stages bikes with built in power meters, then you can get a feel for it. Strava's algorithms, given the sheer amount data they have "should" be somewhat accurate for the whole ride probably within +/- 10% or ?? but not for the sprints. Single sided power meters have come down, but yes, are still expensive. When I first got a power meter, I did try and "peg" it, in some efforts from a standing stop, got some high numbers there, but power meters are useful overall, to me, mostly in telling me how hard NOT to go on hills or paceline type stuff.

[prototoast]

Find someone with a powermeter who is of similar weight. Then do a side-by-side sprint. See what his power is, and adjust for how far ahead or behind you are.

[nooneline]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Find someone with a powermeter who is of similar weight. Then do a side-by-side sprint. See what his power is, and adjust for how far ahead or behind you are.

better yet... just borrow their bike.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by nooneline

better yet... just borrow their bike.

Or, just borrow their files.

[pooneej]

Originally Posted by prototoast

Find someone with a powermeter who is of similar weight. Then do a side-by-side sprint. See what his power is, and adjust for how far ahead or behind you are.

So this is why I'm curious. Because he edges me slightly on initial sprint but his LT must be lower than mine so I slowly cruise by him and have a higher max speed.


Attaching our snips. He has the power meter so his strava shows his max at 1028W. I was pretty impressed. At first I thought 746w or 1hp lol but when he said 1028 I wondered where I am.

[tomato coupe]

Originally Posted by pooneej

So this is why I'm curious. Because he edges me slightly on initial sprint but his LT must be lower than mine so I slowly cruise by him and have a higher max speed.

Attaching our snips. He has the power meter so his strava shows his max at 1028W. I was pretty impressed. At first I thought 746w or 1hp lol but when he said 1028 I wondered where I am.

Based on the ride data you posted, I'd say your peak power is somewhere between 894.1 W and 896.3 W.

Wow, 98% humidity? That sucks.

[pooneej]

Originally Posted by tomato coupe

Based on the ride data you posted, I'd say your peak power is somewhere between 894.1 W and 896.3 W.

Wow, 98% humidity? That sucks.

Shoot so even though I got higher max speed i have lower output. Now I'm definitely not spending money on a PM lol.

And yes - humidity is wicked here in SNJ this week. I absolutely love it.
Have been riding at lunch peak sun. Beautiful out !

[MattTuck]

How long did you hold that speed? and are you sure it was during the sprint, and not during a down hill?

Can you borrow your friend's bike? That is surely the most accurate and easiest way to figure it out on the cheap.


Otherwise, you could play around with bike calculator here:
http://bikecalculator.com/wattsUS.html

which, using the default choices, but putting in 36.2 mph, on flat ground over a 10th of a mile, is giving me 1091 watts. Obviously, it depends on all the inputs, but it will give you a ball park.

[ergott]

Next to impossible to estimate sprint power on that information.

Borrow someones powertap if you can. That's the easiest and very reliable.

[echappist]

Originally Posted by ergott

Next to impossible to estimate sprint power on that information.

Borrow someones powertap if you can. That's the easiest and very reliable.

Bingo, this

Everything is just guessing, except you don’t know if you are within 3% or 30%

Sprinting side by side is not a good way to tell. Any bit of orthogonal wind component will throw off the answer