Power meter questions

[BrazAd]

I got a new-to-me bike in this week that has a Stages power meter on the left crank arm. It's part of a Dura-Ace Di2 system. I connected the power meter to my Wahoo Roam this afternoon but haven't taken the bike out for a ride yet - hoping to for my first time tomorrow afternoon.

I've ridden over 40,000 miles since I started riding in June 2017, so I'm not a newbie... but I am a newbie to having a power meter.

I'm 64, I don't race, I do a lot of group rides including the usual 60-65 mile group ride on most Saturdays. I ride 15-20 centuries a year, also.

What advantages will I get from the info a power meter will give? Pros? Cons?

Thanks in advance,

Gary

[Spdntrxi]

advantage ? none right now

it's a training tool.

[herb5998]

If you want to nerd out, and dial in your training, it's certainly a helpful tool, that provides some great insights. However, given the amount of riding you already do, and fitness level, think of it as an add on to your HR or Perceived exertion scales for training (if that's what you use).

Lots of great resources, but probably one of the easiest ways to learn on proper use and understanding all the metrics is the "Training and Racing with a Power meter" Book. It's been revised numerous times, has lots of great training workouts and sample plans, and tons of background on available metrics.

If you find your fueling on centuries could use some help, the PM will also better calculate your actual Kj burn throughout the ride.

[rowebr]

I had about a decade of riding before I started tracking power last year.

I don’t think there’s any real benefit to simply looking at your power output now and then as you ride. So first step, you’ll need to record the power data and upload to a program that helps track your training. I don’t like Strava for that, I find the free intervals.icu website to be much better. Look it up.

Second, if you’re going to track power you might as well track your heart rate as well. The two metrics together show a better picture of your performance. Intervals.icu is good for this as well.

I do find that riding to a power-based workout (like steady zone 2, sweet spot, or zone 5 intervals) can be a good way to keep a ride interesting or challenging when all I have time for is an hour or two of riding solo on familiar roads.

[steelbikerider]

Get the power meter book, a Joe Friel book, find your zones, and get a Training Peaks account. You can monitor your riding and improve your fitness without increasing your mileage. At 64, rest and recovery are more important than ever.

[vertr]

Originally Posted by Spdntrxi

advantage ? none right now

it's a training tool.

It's worth 5 watts just being on the bike!

[bigbill]

At almost 59, I have my first powermeter. I have a connective tissue disease which gives me lupus-like flareups that are sometimes as simple as fatigue and no other symptoms, and my thought is power compared to how I feel might differentiate between overtraining and something I can't control.

I have a Wahoo KICKR and my wattage on Zwift rides is close to my wattage on the road. My powermeter does cadence and leg power percentage which is helpful.

[Turkle]

Depends on the situation.

When I'm riding solo, I enjoy using the power meter to dial in the effort I want to make that day.

When I'm riding in fast group, I use the power meter to make sure I'm using the appropriate effort when pulling. And when the ride gets spicy, I also use it to keep track of how many matches I'm burning so I don't blow myself up!

To me, it's all about effort management. If you don't need that, then all good. But I find it very helpful to know my zones and manage my effort appropriately.

[eddiepaletti]

A power meter has two uses, primarily: (1) prescriptive training and in-ride feedback (do this many watts for this long; maintain x watts for so many minutes; don't go above x watts); and (2) post-ride analysis (normalized power, training stress score aka TSS, kilojoules of work which is a proxy for calories burned, analyzing where you got dropped and understanding what you need to work on, etc.).

There is lots of info on using / training with power meters. Joe Friel has a number of very good books that are easy to understand and worth a read even if you don't plan to follow structured training (I used to be one of Joe's Ultrafit coaches).

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by Turkle

Depends on the situation.

When I'm riding solo, I enjoy using the power meter to dial in the effort I want to make that day.

When I'm riding in fast group, I use the power meter to make sure I'm using the appropriate effort when pulling. And when the ride gets spicy, I also use it to keep track of how many matches I'm burning so I don't blow myself up!

To me, it's all about effort management. If you don't need that, then all good. But I find it very helpful to know my zones and manage my effort appropriately.

What I use mine for minus the group rides but for those that say it’s only for training I disagree. I haven’t raced or seriously trained in 13 years.

[glepore]

Originally Posted by Turkle

Depends on the situation.

When I'm riding solo, I enjoy using the power meter to dial in the effort I want to make that day.

When I'm riding in fast group, I use the power meter to make sure I'm using the appropriate effort when pulling. And when the ride gets spicy, I also use it to keep track of how many matches I'm burning so I don't blow myself up!

To me, it's all about effort management. If you don't need that, then all good. But I find it very helpful to know my zones and manage my effort appropriately.

I'm 64 and have been a power meter since square spindle SRM's in the 2000's. I don't race and no longer do group rides, but when I did, the PM was very useful for the above. One reason I gave up groups was the inability of many newer riders to keep a smooth pace-they'd all look at speed and try to keep an even speed, which has nothing to do with effort. I wish everyone had a PM and knew their zones, because you're 250w effort might be my 150w effort but because the real measure is watts/kilogram they'd be the same. So knowing wattage alone is helpful but not enough.

A couple other useful things- it really helps to keep longish climbs at the right pace, we all tend to go too hard at the beginning and kind of fade when we really should be pacing the opposite. You can learn to do it, but its much easier with the data. Another-as others have said, you can easily track caloric burn and make sure you're feeding sufficiently. Finally, if you use an app to keep track of fitness metrics (there are free ones-Golden Cheetah is great but has a learning curve) you can not only track recent load to schedule appropriate rest but also track "form" which gives you a good gauge of how well you can currently express the fitness you have.

Its also useful for tracking heartrate vs power, which is a whole topic in itself but can tell you a lot, from how tired you are to predicting the onset of sickness.

[Philster]

In case you don't know, that Stages meter is not integrated into Di2. It's just a sensor which has been installed on the left crank arm. If for any reason you don't want the data, just pull the battery. It doesn't weigh much.

I use it because it allows Strava to calculate "Fitness". I'm sure it's not scientific, but it's motivational for me.

[Davist]

I don't race either, have had a power meter for a couple years. I do like the data.

First is to record/build the data set so you see where you are, then compare how you feel vs what you're actually doing, which is interesting.

As far as a benefit, as some have stated above, I use to gauge efforts and especially when I'm with the fast/skinny boys and girls make sure I don't overcook myself. It does help with this in real time.

In general though, it's just another data point that you can refer to and track, I say give it a try.

[Wunder]

Originally Posted by eddiepaletti

A power meter has two uses, primarily: (1) prescriptive training and in-ride feedback (do this many watts for this long; maintain x watts for so many minutes; don't go above x watts); and (2) post-ride analysis (normalized power, training stress score aka TSS, kilojoules of work which is a proxy for calories burned, analyzing where you got dropped and understanding what you need to work on, etc.).

There is lots of info on using / training with power meters. Joe Friel has a number of very good books that are easy to understand and worth a read even if you don't plan to follow structured training (I used to be one of Joe's Ultrafit coaches).

I would agree with this. Regulating effort on climbs. Power is more instant, heart rate lags. So if you want to do a climb at a decent pace without going into the red a power meter helps a lot. In a group I also use it to help regulate at the front, go hard, but not too hard.

Stages power meters (which I've used for a decade) also provide cadence. You should zero offset it (stages app on your phone or "calibrate" from your bike computer) with the left crank straight down and no weight on the bike.

[Turkle]

Before I started using a power meter, on group rides when it was my turn to pull, sometimes I would get excited about hills and people would start getting spit out the back of the group. I received complaints about this. What can I say, I like to climb fast?

Riding with a power meter is a great way to make sure I'm keeping wattage and speed at a level where everyone can keep up. It's been very helpful for keeping the group together. (Keep it under 400 watts for extended climbs!)

On my Garmin, I generally have the map screen pulled up, and below the map it displays my speed and 3-second power. With that data, I can be really conscientious about effort on group rides.