Should I buy a power meter?

[HillyGoat]

I am 57yo, have been cycling for 3 years, started crit and road racing in January. Prior to taking up cycling I had no fitness/aerobic activity since high school but have been happy with my progress so far. I train about 10 hours a week and believe I will continue to improve by using the Friel training plan I used this year. Question: would good use of a power meter bring on signifcantly quicker gains than well executed traditional training methods?

 

[daveryanwyoming]

Originally Posted by HillyGoat .

... Question: would good use of a power meter bring on signifcantly quicker gains than well executed traditional training methods?

As stated no, the power meter itself provides no magic.

However, the power meter does give valuable and objective feedback as to whether your training plans are actually being well executed and whether they're producing the intended results. Race results and even tracking speed on typical training routes is subject to many variables, was your competition faster or slower today, was the wind at your back on that day you covered your normal training route faster? Power meters tell you what you did in an objective way whether on the flats, or on a hill or on the trainer and power output lets you very accurately track your training progress. You can for instance hit your training heart rate targets day after day, but are you actually improving fitness? The power meter tells you that in very clear terms. If you struggle in races the power files from those races help you pinpoint your weak spots and tailor training to those areas and track progress to help you achieve your racing goals.

So will it speed up your progress over an ideal and well executed plan? There have been generations of riders that have a knack for pacing and training and have achieved high levels of success with no meters of any kind and there will always be folks that tune into their capabilities real well and don't benefit from objective day to day feedback and things like power data. But IME these riders are the exception and not the rule and many if not most riders benefit from having the kind of objective feedback that power meters can give you.

There's really no such thing as 'power training' vs. traditional training. There's using a power meter as a feedback and tracking tool for whatever training philosophy you choose to follow but that could be traditional Europro style training, it could be short intense HIIT based training or the sort of SST/L4 focused training that a lot of time limited amateurs find very effective but they can all benefit from measuring the quality and effectiveness of the chosen program. So if you're on a plan you trust and you're doing as well as it can be done then it's unlikely you'll speed your progress. But if there's room to improve the quality of your training or you're the type of person that stays on task better with regular feedback on the effectiveness of your program then yes a power meter could help.

-Dave

 

[alienator]

+10. It should be emphasized that a power meter will also give you objective feedback on how your training, and if you miss other signals, it can also tell you when you're overtraining. How well a power meter works for you will depend on what you do with the numbers it shows you.

 

[HillyGoat]

Dave....after reading your post I can see the value. I think I will be more motivated by more objective data; based on that I should get one.

 

[tonyzackery]

Greatest benefit from on-the-bike power measuring I've received has been in the way of perfecting bike fit. The trial-and-error involved could never have been as easily replicated without this device. Real-time feedback from minute, single millimeter changes to saddle height, fore-aft adjustments, cleat positioning, bar height, stem length and the like is quickly and easily received via the power meter's display. Can you see 15-20w gains (or losses) in sustainable power from an alteration in bike fit? Absolutely! With a power meter, you know immediately - no guesstimating or hypothesizing necessary.

Invaluable tool such that I feel naked when I ride without it. I'll stop using a power meter when I stop competing - if that ever occurs...

 

[HillyGoat]

Wow...that's powerful. I just bought a TT bike.....

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by HillyGoat .

I am 57yo, have been cycling for 3 years, started crit and road racing in January. Prior to taking up cycling I had no fitness/aerobic activity since high school but have been happy with my progress so far. I train about 10 hours a week and believe I will continue to improve by using the Friel training plan I used this year. Question: would good use of a power meter bring on signifcantly quicker gains than well executed traditional training methods?

If you have the money for a power meter, you should get one.

In the long run motivation will give you gains not training plans. If looking at the numbers on the power meter motivates you, you will get stronger.

On the other hand 10 hours a week does not show a lot of motivation. 10 hours is a weekend around here - 5 hours on Saturday and 5 hours Sunday.

 

[Alex Simmons]

Originally Posted by An old Guy .


On the other hand 10 hours a week does not show a lot of motivation. 10 hours is a weekend around here - 5 hours on Saturday and 5 hours Sunday.

That depends on what your competing demands are, like earning a living, feeding the family, etc

Motivation to train hard to improve, and having 15-20 hours/week to train are not the same thing.

 

[Felt_Rider]

Originally Posted by Alex Simmons .


That depends on what your competing demands are, like earning a living, feeding the family, etc

Motivation to train hard to improve, and having 15-20 hours/week to train are not the same thing.

Thank you and can I use this here? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif

http://www.cyclingforums.com/t/482813/are-we-there-yet/825#post_4019174

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by Alex Simmons .


That depends on what your competing demands are, like earning a living, feeding the family, etc

Motivation to train hard to improve, and having 15-20 hours/week to train are not the same thing.

The OP has not expressed any demands on his time. That indicates a lack of motivation rather than competing demands. Buying a TT bike and indicating a desire to race and only training 10 hours a week seems to give mixed signals.

I don't know a lot of people, but two of them I know are married, hold down full time jobs, travel on business, and have kids. The don't consider themselves bicyclists and certainly are not training, but both put in over 20 hours a week on bicycles. (They are not motivated to be racers. But they don't claim to be.)

 

[dkrenik]

Originally Posted by An old Guy .

I don't know a lot of people, but two of them I know are married, hold down full time jobs, travel on business, and have kids. The don't consider themselves bicyclists and certainly are not training, but both put in over 20 hours a week on bicycles.

Do their kids remember who their parents are?

 

[Bigpikle]

If my wife was into cycling then I could double my on-bike time as well, but like most people I suspect, she has zero interest so in order to spend time with her then I need to be anywhere other than on the bike. That has no relevance to my motivation to improve.

OP - I'd highly recommend it if you have the desire to utilise the information it provides, invest the time in learning and then use the additional feedback. I got 1 at the start of the year and am convinced it has helped me train more effectively and see some big gains on the bike this last year.

 

[alienator]

Since the OP didn't hand out his hour-by-hour weekly schedule and a list of his top 100 priorities, it's pretty difficult....ok, it's impossible to say that he lacks or doesn't show motivation. The quality of training can easily outweigh the volume of training in quite a few cases. The OP started the thread asking about a power meter and how it might help him make the most of his training time, so I think that's a pretty indication that he has the motivation to improve. That's where it all starts.

 

[An old Guy]

Originally Posted by alienator .

Since the OP didn't hand out his hour-by-hour weekly schedule and a list of his top 100 priorities, it's pretty difficult....ok, it's impossible to say that he lacks or doesn't show motivation. The quality of training can easily outweigh the volume of training in quite a few cases. The OP started the thread asking about a power meter and how it might help him make the most of his training time, so I think that's a pretty indication that he has the motivation to improve. That's where it all starts.

You say it is impossible to say that he lacks motivation. And then you make a claim that he does show motivation. I will let you deal with that personal problem on your own.

---

The OP claims to be using Friel's training plans and riding 10 hour a week. A quick look at Friel's training plans shows them to be significantly more than 10 hours a week. Other training plans seem to require more than 10 hours a week.

The purpose of a coach (or a training plan) is to rein in the motivation of a rider. Essentially to force him to ride less. Even to ride with less intensity.The OP seems to lack the motivation to ride even as little as a coach (or training plan) would require.

---

I use my power meter to keep my power in the proper range for an "old guy." 250w is a nice power for passing others. 350w is a nice power for climbing. The numbers don't make me look like I want to race.

 

[alienator]

Originally Posted by An old Guy .

You say it is impossible to say that he lacks motivation. And then you make a claim that he does show motivation. I will let you deal with that personal problem on your own.

---

The OP claims to be using Friel's training plans and riding 10 hour a week. A quick look at Friel's training plans shows them to be significantly more than 10 hours a week. Other training plans seem to require more than 10 hours a week.

The purpose of a coach (or a training plan) is to rein in the motivation of a rider. Essentially to force him to ride less. Even to ride with less intensity.The OP seems to lack the motivation to ride even as little as a coach (or training plan) would require.

---

I use my power meter to keep my power in the proper range for an "old guy." 250w is a nice power for passing others. 350w is a nice power for climbing. The numbers don't make me look like I want to race.

First, I've stated no contradiction. That he's asking about power meters and their use to improve training and condition is a sign of some motivation, else he wouldn't have asked at all.

Just like doctors cannot apply the same strict treatment plan to every patient for the same condition, training plans can't be effectively implemented if they are blindly applied without taking into consideration the actual cyclist who is training. I doubt there are many cycling coaches or physiologists who would disagree with that.

Your conclusions completely lack evidence and certainly do nothing to inform the OP. If he has fixed time constraints, then his only option is to make the most of whatever time he has available after meeting required obligations. No one, not even Joe Friel, can require otherwise. It's pretty simple.

 

[hrumpole]

To the OP-

If you're thinking about dropping the money, buy the book first and read it. Twice. (The book=training and racing with a power meter 2d ed). It's definitely as complicated as you want to make it, and using it is pretty simple in the sense that you set FTP and go. But that's really just the tip of the iceberg, and part of what makes this sport so bloody addictive. After a year, I feel like I'm just beginning to understand how to "read" one of my intervals. Also,joining the google wattage list is a good idea--the authors themselves post there occasionally.

Just to echo what the other folks have said--it's a tool, that's only as useful as your understanding of how it works.

 

[fergie]

Originally Posted by HillyGoat .

I am 57yo, have been cycling for 3 years, started crit and road racing in January. Prior to taking up cycling I had no fitness/aerobic activity since high school but have been happy with my progress so far. I train about 10 hours a week and believe I will continue to improve by using the Friel training plan I used this year. Question: would good use of a power meter bring on signifcantly quicker gains than well executed traditional training methods?

Training brings the gains! The power meter is the only valid way of knowing if those gains were real. I have ridden a bike that was cheaper than my power meter (the power meter on a tin can bike was very appropriate) and would take the data over the flash bike. I have both now and to be honest life isn't worth living without the feedback from the power meter.

Borrow or hire one for a week or two. Use the time to save your pennies. 9/10 people are hooked after that. The 1/10 are the ones who realise the power meter doesn't turn the pedals for them and will promptly move on to the next gimmick.

 

[An old Guy1]

Originally Posted by alienator .


First, I've stated no contradiction.

As I said I will let you deal with your personal problems on your own.

 

[HillyGoat]

Old man..

I am surprised you question my motivation. Motivation compared to what? If I was young and wanted to become a pro, yes. But for someone at my age with limited experience and virtually no aerobic background I think 10 hours a week is ok and is not out of line with Friels program which emphasizes plenty of recovery. I have not been riding all that long and just started racing in January. Not to brag but despite my "lack of motivation" I raced twenty times this year and had 8 top 10 finishes with 4 podium's. My last race was a Masters 55+ Road Race and I finished ahead of all the CAT 3's, getting beat only by one other, a CAT 2. Having said that, I am planning to increase my volume this year, maybe upping the average to around 12 hours a week as well as adding a weight lifting program.

Oh yea, a friend of mine rides less than 10 hours a week and kicks ass. Towards the end of this season he was ranked #1 CAT 3 crit racer in the entire state of CA He was upgraded to CAT 2 and competes well against local pros. Good teammates, genes and racing tactics.

 

[jhuskey]

It doesn't take 40-50 hours a week of training to compete. I may take 20-30 to be competitive. A lot has to do with the intensity of training you do. Of course with all things equal the guy who trains 20 hours will out do the guy that trains 10. Again I repeat all other factors being equal and they never are.
Doing without a power meter or speed calculator is like closing a curtain on a window for me and I like to see where I am going as well as where I have been.