Power meters have gotten pretty popular, but they cost a ton and I'm sceptical about their value. I still feel that a simple and inexpensive heart rate monitor is a better indicator of how hard your body is working and therefore more valuable in making choices regarding equipment, technique, training etc. I think the power meter can actually be misleading. I think it is posible for the power meter to show you are producing more power at the same time your heart rate is increased. I think it is the heartrate you need to worry about.
Suppose you have your bike mounted on an exercise stand. Keeping the resistance constant, gearing, and speed constant, a change you make that results in a lower heart rate is good and any change you make that increases heartrate is bad. Or keeping speed constant, but changing gearing, you can determine what an efficient cadence is for you, based on your heart rate. If going up a gear increased your heartrate, that is a bad change.
Crank lenght is probably a good example of how the power meter could be misleading. I think a change in crank length could show an increase in both power and heartrate. The power meter would be saying the change is good, but the heart rate monitor is saying the change is bad. It is the heart rate monitor you should be listening to. It is showing how hard you are having to work.
Randy
Suppose you have your bike mounted on an exercise stand. Keeping the resistance constant, gearing, and speed constant, a change you make that results in a lower heart rate is good and any change you make that increases heartrate is bad. Or keeping speed constant, but changing gearing, you can determine what an efficient cadence is for you, based on your heart rate. If going up a gear increased your heartrate, that is a bad change.
Crank lenght is probably a good example of how the power meter could be misleading. I think a change in crank length could show an increase in both power and heartrate. The power meter would be saying the change is good, but the heart rate monitor is saying the change is bad. It is the heart rate monitor you should be listening to. It is showing how hard you are having to work.
Randy