Power meters

[kelownagirl]

Does anyone have a power meter? Can you tell me if the data on this calculator website is anywhere near accurate? It looks interesting but it doesn't seem to have any place to put in gender and I was thinking that might be something to consider.

http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm

[Eden]

I don't think gender makes any difference - the calculator is all about the physics of mass, drag and surface area, where your frontal bumps are located shouldn't make much of a difference

You would need to generate the same amount of power as a man your same size to be going the same speed, assuming you aren't drafting him, your tires are the same,etc. The calculator does make some assumptions when it figures out your frontal area though, so its still going to be a best estimate in any case. Plus, you can't put in a complex course - it only allows for average gradient, so a rolling course can't be figured out too well. You may be able to get some accuracy if you are using small segments.

[kelownagirl]

I don't think gender makes any difference - the calculator is all about the physics of mass, drag and surface area, where your frontal bumps are located shouldn't make much of a difference

You would need to generate the same amount of power as a man your same size to be going the same speed, assuming you aren't drafting him, your tires are the same,etc. The calculator does make some assumptions when it figures out your frontal area though, so its still going to be a best estimate in any case. Plus, you can't put in a complex course - it only allows for average gradient, so a rolling course can't be figured out too well. You may be able to get some accuracy if you are using small segments.

Well if "frontal bumps" are what I think they are, then that won't be much of an issue in my case.

I plugged in some data for a hill I climb on a regular basis. It's a steady 9% grade, I know the length, my time, and my avg speed (although my speed is not steady, it slows down as I climb the hill.) I can input the weight and bike type etc so that part is pretty easy. I also tried inputting the data on a flat stretch that I ride regularly. It's interesting to see the way the power goes up when I increase my speed.

I don't know a lot about "power" per se. Is there a avg power goal one should strive to reach or does it not work that way?

[Eden]

It's more about your power to weight ratio. You can be very powerful, but very large, so not too fast.
For example - it would take approx 217 watts for my husband to keep up 21mph on a flat with no wind, but for me it would only take about 158 watts.

[velogirl]

Actually, most women need to generate less power wrt body weight than a man of the same weight because our frontal area is narrower (ie we are more aerodynamic).

[nomummytummy]

Actually, most women need to generate less power wrt body weight than a man of the same weight because our frontal area is narrower (ie we are more aerodynamic).

if we are more aerodynamic, why do I get left behind going down hill? I work just as hard as the guys to get up, but even when I hardy touch the brakes I lose them. I keep saying it's b/c I'm not aerodynamic!

[equus123]

I also tried inputting the data on a flat stretch that I ride regularly. It's interesting to see the way the power goes up when I increase my speed.

I find it interesting that your power increases as speed increases. It's the opposite for me and a lot of my teammates. I definitely don't put out as much wattage on a flat route as I do when climbing. Though I know a lot of it has to do with the grade of the road. Sometimes it takes 230+ w just to ride it in your 39x25, other times the grade is less steep and you have the ability to push it up the climb.

I don't know a lot about "power" per se. Is there a avg power goal one should strive to reach or does it not work that way?

I generally don't use the actual calculated average for my rides. By "average", we pick a range to ride in. For example, this time of year my threshold wattage tells me to do longer weekend rides (continued endurance and aerobic capacity) between 120-160 w. This means that for the 2-3 hrs I'm on my bike, every time I look down I should not be under 120 w and also not over 160 w.

After the ride is over then uploading the data to my computer and trainingpeaks.com is generally good to look at what the average power was just to use as a reference. At least for me, that average number isn't used for anything. Power is dependent on wind, route profile (flat, rollers, hilly, climbing), intended intensity, intended length of ride, etc. In other words it's specific.

Hope that helps any.