Power measurement without devices

stronglegs

How can I measure power output without using any devices??

1. riding on simple tacx
2. riding on road

I have only cat eye Astrale with cadence

If this was already asked just give me a link where to read about!

beerco

You could type in parameters into this site:

http://www.analyticcycling.com

Chose the power given speed option.

Warning: accuracy is proportional to the quality of the information entered.

To improve results, run your tests up as steep a grade as you can find on a windless day - this will effectively negate the impact of wind resistance.

velomanct

to determine the grade of a hill, go to topozone.com
a 10% grade is a road that rises 53feet over the course of 0.1 mile of road. it is still quite difficult to accurately determine grade, especially if the hill has varying grades, or is not straight.
the info you can get from analyticcycling.com is only good to give you an idea of what your power is, most of the time your power is not going to be what the site says.
frontal area can really affect power at high speed, and it is also very difficult to determine. you need to get a power meter if you want any sort of accuracy.

stronglegs

Ok I was thinkin so... but what would you suggest to invest in???
I only know Polar or Power Tap but both are expensive ..... I need advice from someone who has experience with it. If it worth to buy I'll do it

For example it is not possible to measure power output riding on a MTB in different terrain... lets say two hours of riding and what is an average output ??

I'd be vey grateful for answer

velomanct

I would suggest looking for a used power tap, preferably the Pro model(better resistence to water). I bet there are some 2nd generation used power taps around that you could get for $400-500. I just bought a brand new power tap pro on ebay for $725.
For $120 you can get a Ciclosport 414 or related model that has a power option. It only estimates your power, so it can be very inaccurate. But if you are just looking to see what your overall power is, that might be the way to go.
I owned a 2nd generation power tap and the Ciclosport 414. The Ciclosport crapped out on me after 2 years, although not completely, it still works sometimes. The power tap hub bearings gave out during a race. I was able to have it fixed though. The power tap is very accurate and worth the money if you need to train with accurate power. but since you said money is an issue and you only want an idea of what your average power is, the Ciclosport is probally your best choice.

stronglegs

thank you very much !!! so my choice should be power tap ... ok and how about Polar I read some complains ..... do you have any experience with Polar?? or heard about ??

velomanct

polar's setup costs about the same as power tap. i hear that it can be very hard to install. i would definetly go with the power tap over the polar.

DavidJack

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