Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/17/2018 10:21 AM |
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For years I've mocked lower level race guys for having power meters... pretty much stated that most guys with a PM are the equivalent of a McDonalds burger flipper hiring a CPA to manage their finances.
After using a smart trainer and getting wattage data I can see this could be useful, and if not actually useful it would give me more information to obsess about.
Problem is I've got a cross race bike, a gravel bike (cross B bike), a road bike, and a mountain bike all of which I'd like to know the data.
I'm not about to upgrade all those guys to power unless someone comes with a $300 unit.
So what to do? |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/17/2018 12:33 PM |
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I don't wanna say "I told ya" about a power meter, but....... 
What crank / BB do you have on the road and cross bikes? (MTB is gonna be a different issue altogether). I am assuming you have discs on the cross & gravel bikes? |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/17/2018 12:55 PM |
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I see more than a couple of similarities between power meters and illicit drugs. Habit forming and the need to increase dosage leading to further dependence, both physically and financially.
Don't want to pile on and say "I told you so" but be careful. This could lead to marital issues and further. (I have heard rumors there may be help. I think I recall hearing somewhere that a 12 Step group, PMA (Power Meters Anonymous) has been started.
Ben |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/17/2018 01:03 PM |
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Just...don't...do....it
You're initial instincts were right Dale, stay on the straight and narrow. Don't peek over edge, don't fall. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/17/2018 01:07 PM |
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Masi Evoluzione road bike: Campagnolo Chorus crank, BB86 (I think) BB, rim brakes
Focus Mares cross bike: Sram Rival, PF30 BB, disc brakes
Ritchey Ti gravel bike: Praxis crank, threaded BB, rim brakes |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/17/2018 01:24 PM |
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Yeah....you are kinda fooked. No cross-compatibility options there....was hoping you could get one PM crank and use it across a couple of bikes (pretty quick change process these days).
Wait....hang on. Check to see if a PowerTap Chainring might work for those bikes. Think they knocked the price down to $349 for those. Only available through their website. |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/17/2018 01:33 PM |
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Did some checking for you.....yes, $349. Looks like it will work for your cross and gravel bike, but doesn't help you for your roadie. But you'd have to use a 50/36 for your cross bike.
https://www.powertap.com/product/powertap-c1-chainrings
Other option would be a PowerTap hub that you could use on both the Masi and Ritchey (swap tires, obviously) and then one of their chainrings for the cross bike. G3 hub is $399
https://www.powertap.com/product/powertap-g3-hub
So $750 (plus a wheel build) would get you covered across all 3 bikes. Not too shabby.
Also PT wheels / hubs go pretty cheap on eBay. May wanna check there and see if you can get a lightly used wheel at a good price.
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Nick A
Posts:625
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| 04/17/2018 01:35 PM |
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I have one of these. I don't know how accurate it is. I just got it as yet something else to look at as a motivator. It's not $300...but$400. They will attach one to your crank, but only certain cranks are compatible. Looks like a nogo on the Chorus. Not sure about the others.
https://4iiii-innovations.myshopify.com/collections/power-meters/products/precision-factory-install?variant=23440795334 |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/17/2018 01:52 PM |
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| 4iiii stuff is generally pretty dang good (and accurate) |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/23/2018 07:39 AM |
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| That stuff can be useful, but in my experience the one thing that matters more than anything else is simply listening to your body and adjust accordingly. The guys racing in the pro/am category in Granada would sometimes use power meters, but more often than not their go to method for getting faster, was simply to ride more and recover better. 1,000km weeks weren't uncommon there.
I'm not a luddite, but sometimes I think we as amateur cyclists can get sucked up with all the latest tech which is meant for the pros. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/23/2018 10:06 AM |
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It occurred to me last night while I was on the trainer that I'm doing EXACTLY what most amateurs do:
Too hard on the easy days, too easy on the hard days.
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/23/2018 10:20 AM |
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| For easy days I put away the head unit on the bike, keep it in the little ring and just keep repeating to myself "Suave y souplesse" anytime the urge to go hard comes about. |
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Dale
Posts:1767
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| 04/23/2018 10:48 AM |
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...but ...but ...but, if you don't have the gps how can up upload to Strava to prove you actually rode?  |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/23/2018 10:55 AM |
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| I don't do Strava anymore. I just stick the head unit in my pocket when I need to chill. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/23/2018 12:52 PM |
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Hab, I'm sorry but I keep seeing this picture of "I don't do Strava anymore. I just stick my head in my pocket when I need to chill." Doesn't match my picture of you.
Ben
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/23/2018 12:53 PM |
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Double post again! My lousy service accepts my "SEND"s but the local traffic apparently stops the page update. I thought I refrained from hitting "SEND" again, but I guess not.
I refuse to have cable/TV etc. or a Comcast cable in to the house so I am living with Ma Bell's DSL/modem. Radically better than the old days, but still ... I could do satellite, but so far, nah. Now if one of the alternative providers would hit this neck of the woods, I would be on it in a flash.
Ben
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/23/2018 12:58 PM |
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| I was a long time keeper of paper logs but gave that up about 8 years ago. There just wasn't much return on investment with keeping that up.
I fooled around with Strava for a bit, but it just didn't do anything for me. I just like to know the details of the ride. I could care less what others have done on the same ride or segments of it. I know plenty of folks who are completely addicted to it, which is great, for them.
Me - I just ride. Lots. |
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79pmooney
Posts:3180
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| 04/23/2018 01:40 PM |
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Hab, I used my Excel background a few years ago to make a spreadsheet where for every day there is a line with miles, bike initials, elevation, where?, comments, and bike comments. To the right, miles, elevations and number of rides gets tallied for each bike. So I see monthly totals, yearly totals and at the bottom lifetime totals for both my and all my bikes (and both fixed and free). It's been fun. (Especially two years ago when I realized in the fall that if I just paid a little more attention to the fix gears vs the frees, I could tailor my miles and hit 100,000 miles for each on the same day. July 5th, 2016 I rode an easy 9 miles on my Jessica J, 16 on my geared TicCycles and hit the milestones.)
Once a year I have to copy last year's to a new sheet, correct the days and the connections to past sheets. The rest is really easy. My old paper totals got entered when I started this for the lifetimes. None it this is pinpoint accuracy but the big picture is real.
Ben |
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Habanero
Posts:257
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| 04/23/2018 02:00 PM |
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| Nice! Seems like a good system you have created for yourself! |
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Orange Crush
Posts:4499
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| 04/23/2018 03:22 PM |
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Ben - I have an excel spreadsheet with kms ridden, elevation and totals for year. Everything gets graphed up and compared to previous years. Slope of cumulative numbers is what matters for training and to check where you're at.
Strava LOL - my kid uttered his first #stravaoritdidnthappen after he did a 1:35 20km run (he's 14). You can give him kudos here, I'm sure he'd get a kick out of it:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1525456656 |
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Cosmic Kid
Posts:4209
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| 04/23/2018 05:28 PM |
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Posted By Dale Dale on 04/23/2018 10:06 AM
It occurred to me last night while I was on the trainer that I'm doing EXACTLY what most amateurs do:
Too hard on the easy days, too easy on the hard days.
All the more reason for a power meter...objective data. 200w is 200w, how you “feel”is irrelevant. An “easy” day falls within certain parameters...go outside them and you are doing it wrong. |
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| Just say "NO!" to WCP!!!!
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