Power meters

[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!

[velogirl]

Is your bike fit more or less aggressive than the men you ride with? In other words, can you tuck?

How much do you weigh in relationship to the guys you ride with? Most very light women have a descending challenge. I, OTOH, weigh as much as a lot of the super-skinny male riders and I can totally out-descend most of them.



The other variable that would affect your ability to descend quickly is your gearing irt the grade of the descent. What gearing do you have? I have a compact double (big ring = 50) and a 13-29 so I spin out @ about 31mph. Many men have more favorable gearing options for descending. For example, let's say a male rider has a standard double (big ring = 53) and a 12-25 in the back. He could pedal and continue to accelerate much longer than you could. So you'd have to tuck and use your body weight/aerodynamics to get you down the hill. Obviously, this will be less an issue on very steep hills where the guys might spin out as well.

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!

[kelownagirl]

My hubby always flies down the hill faster than me but then he weighs 60 lbs more and has a lighter bike. I can usually keep up with him on the flats and he loses me climbing the hills due to my lack of power. The good news is that he's 10 years older than me so eventually my increasing fitness level and youth will out-win his decreasing fitness and age (I hope... )

[smilingcat]

When people say that size doesn't matter, they are dead wrong when it comes to riding a bike downhill. Weight doesn't make you go any faster is only true if you didn't have to deal with drag. When you factor in the drag, heavier guys DO go faster.

In a real tight tuck with my chin almost touching the stem, my hands next to the stem, arms folded in front of my chest squeezing together what little I have there , and my knees touching the top tube, again folded in, I still get passed by men on downhill. I just don't weigh enough. It doesn't matter even if I sprint out of the corner... There is another trick to reduce your frontal area but it is really dangerous and its banned. Even then, guys would drop me on downhill.

Also on a fast downhill (40+MPH 60+km/hr), drafting will make a difference. The person on front gets help because the wind shadow which he creates behind him act like it is tugging him from the behind. With second person behind him, that wind shadow moves behind the second person thereby effectively removing the wind shadow from the lead person. The lead person only has to contend with "cutting" through the air only. The tugging by the wind shadow is then taken care by the last person in the draft. Everybody gets to go faster Bit scary though when you are literally inches from the person in front of you at 40+MPH downhill.

As for power meter, it is good on a trainer. Not sure if it is worth it on the road training. And yes you do have to exert a heck of lot more at higher speed. going from 15 to 17mph isn't too bad. but trying to go from 24 to 26MPH is much harder.

besides, power taps are $$ ... and I've learned to free myself from being a slave to numbers and fancy hi-tech measuring equipment. I'm not rich to be flounting hi $$ just to say I can (like the time I saw a peron on a fun ride with Cervelo P3C with vision tech bull horn bars... the whole 9 yards. gawd it must have been really comfortable on a fun ride

smilingcat

[ChickWithBrains]

You know, these online "calculators" that try to estimate measures of things that we can ACTUALLY directly measure are just that -- estimates. There's a lot they don't account for, no matter how many variables they try to take into effect. Get a power meter and see your real numbers! My riding has changed DRAMATICALLY since starting to use a power tap, and the wired varieties aren't as expensive as they used to be. They help you acheive your training goals much better than just heartrate, speed, and perceived effort. Ditch the website and check out hub-based power meters.

[lph]

In a real tight tuck with my chin almost touching the stem, my hands next to the stem, arms folded in front of my chest squeezing together what little I have there , and my knees touching the top tube, again folded in, I still get passed by men on downhill. I just don't weigh enough. It doesn't matter even if I sprint out of the corner... There is another trick to reduce your frontal area but it is really dangerous and its banned.

oh, pleeeease... Tell me? Pretty please? Just so I know what I must NEVER EVER do??

[blueskies]

oh, pleeeease... Tell me? Pretty please? Just so I know what I must NEVER EVER do??

[Wildly waving hand in air...] I think I know! I think I know! This just came to me. Is it the ski tuck position where you're down on the bar, like the young German guy did in the tdf?

[blueskies]

It was Linus Gerdemann in Stage 7:

"He came close to colliding with a race motorbike close to the summit, dodging round it at the final instant, then flirted with danger on the descent, cutting each corner to the limit, and adopting an extreme position in search of aerodynamics, akin to a downhill skier's tuck, but with his groin on the top tube. It looked risky in every way, not least for his chances of fatherhood."

From the UK Guardian site.

Now, lph, don't be trying this at home. You promised...