Power meter justification over high end wheelset

[rapid524]

I'm coaching and financially supporting my 21 year old son's return to competitive cycling. At 15 he was a promising junior racer but my spinal cord injury from a MTB accident and him getting hit by car just six months later threw him into a tailspin.

While I didn't go too overboard with his equipment when he was younger, I didn't skimp either and he knew it. This makes buying decisions a little more difficult now.

I bought him a 07 Specialized Tarmac Expert a few months ago and he's working himself back into form. We've discussed a high end wheelset for the coming race season but I think a power meter would be a much better investment. Can I get some opinions from coaches and cyclists so that he doesn't think dad is trying to steer him away from the really neat stuff (even though IMHO a power meter is about as cool as you can get).

 

[Alex Simmons]

Well the no.1 investment you can make is in your son's training: consistency, specificity, goal oriented etc. Way more important than bling equipment. No doubt.

A power meter on its own won't help if you don't also invest time in learning the best ways to use it.

Assuming you devour all the good references, you'll be on your way and should find the power meter is simply the best tool for guiding the training. If that's taking longer than you like, then I would also recommend using a good coach who is power savvy.

Some good stuff here:
http://www.trainwithpower.net/

 

[rapid524]

Assuming you devour all the good references, you'll be on your way and should find the power meter is simply the best tool for guiding the training.

I should have added that I've spent considerable time reading everything I can about the benefits of power meters and how to best use them. He owned a PT several years ago but had a horrible time getting it to work properly. We also had a copy of Cycling Peaks and know it's benefits. I'm just looking for a little "ammunition" for my disscussin with him.

 

[strader]

Easy: powertap... built into a high end racing wheel.

 

[Bikeridindude]

I should have added that I've spent considerable time reading everything I can about the benefits of power meters and how to best use them. He owned a PT several years ago but had a horrible time getting it to work properly. We also had a copy of Cycling Peaks and know it's benefits. I'm just looking for a little "ammunition" for my disscussin with him.

The benefits of a power meter far outweigh those of bling wheels. Bling wheels would give him a little confidence, maybe perform a minute amount better, but a power meter opens up a whole new world. Of all the cycling gadgets that I've acquired, I consider my Powertap the smartest and most beneficial piece of equipment. My only regret is not getting it sooner so I could have more records of my fitness to look at and compare to. It truly is a beautiful thing. Hopefully you get one and get it to working. Just my opinion though, and you can still get the wheels later.

And by the way, Quark is in the early stages of releasing a powermeter which would enable you to use your bling wheels with power. Similar to an SRM, but a lot cheaper. Hopefully it works well.

 

[robkit]

personally i've had about 4 bling or semi bling wheelsets but none of them had the same impact as a power meter.

perhaps with the wheels i felt like ridiing a few extra times to enjoy them, and perhaps they saved me a smallish number of watts in drag when at race speed, but that's relatively minor as compared with the gains i experienced when getting serious with a power meter.

then again you are asking this question on the power forum. ask it on the equipment forum and you'd likely get a bunch of guys recommending the wheels!

 

[ovalmaster]

I'm coaching and financially supporting my 21 year old son's return to competitive cycling. At 15 he was a promising junior racer but my spinal cord injury from a MTB accident and him getting hit by car just six months later threw him into a tailspin.

While I didn't go too overboard with his equipment when he was younger, I didn't skimp either and he knew it. This makes buying decisions a little more difficult now.

I bought him a 07 Specialized Tarmac Expert a few months ago and he's working himself back into form. We've discussed a high end wheelset for the coming race season but I think a power meter would be a much better investment. Can I get some opinions from coaches and cyclists so that he doesn't think dad is trying to steer him away from the really neat stuff (even though IMHO a power meter is about as cool as you can get).

After years of gradually upgrading bikes and equipment and having decent wheels I finally got an SRM (second hand). Now I would recommend to anyone to get the best powermeter you can afford and cut the budget on the rest of the bike. The difference in performance a powermeter makes is quite enlightening and training becomes so much more focussed and productive. Forget the bling wheelset his bike is already better than what most pros had a few years ago.

 

[bodaciousguy]

Tell him that at his age, its more important to make gains in fitness than to have a nice bike. I would even go as far to say having anything nice other than a trustworthy powermeter is a waste of money. Nice stuff will always be there but focusing on building strong legs is much more important. Plus, getting to Cat 2 is doable on a rec bike and when you get there, your club/team should provide you with nice stuff.

A power meter will direct him to make better workout decisions and teach him about his body and how it will react to different training stresses.

 

[jeff828]

Power meter hands down! Doesnt matter much about the bike, its the motor that pwers the bike that makes the most difference. I got one on my training bike and liked it so much bought another for the race bike, I made more progress in 1 year than the 10+ years I have been riding.

 

[marko16]

Can't power the high end until you learn how to power any end.

 

[padawan]

I'm just looking for a little "ammunition" for my disscussin with him.

Fancy race wheels... small and very finite gain

Powermeter to help get the most out of your training/racing... potentially limitless.

 

[holli]

-07 bling wheels are not that bling in -09 anymore. Powermeter for sure, it will give bigger bang for the buck in long run than any equipment ever.

 

[Felt_Rider]

I have several sets of wheels including a pretty light custom built wheelset, but to be honest I wished I had put the money into one wheelset with a PT hub. To be honest I can do just as well with my heavier run of the mill Mavic Ksyrium Elites as I can with the more expensive lighter wheels so the cost difference probably wasn't worth it. Hind sight, I wished I had put the money in to a PM instead.

 

[morana]

AH its an easy one the pm is the answer. I love the fact that I can see the numbers go up and then the performances follow in an upward manner. I also get great confidence from my training, in races I know that I can go harder because I know I am doing x watts at ftp or whatever.


I got a pm and it took a year for me to get the show on the road really (because I didnt have a great knowledge of the mix ) but after a year I won a stack of races and the same last year so I also would recommend the pm.

 

[n crowley]

Try the same question in the "cycling equipment" section.