Cycling with Power!

[equus123]

Anybody out there use or have a power meter? It's the greatest thing since sliced bread.

If so, what kind of numbers do you push?

I just purchased my first power meter, a powertap. I love it and I hate it. lol I do threshold and VO2max intervals each week and having the power meter makes me realize how much more effective training can become....especially straying away from HR-based training.

[han-grrl]

I have the Tacx Flow trainer which has a power meter on it. I loved working with it all winter. it kept me honest. plus i was able to see improvement...have fun with the new toy!

i am hoping to invest in one by next race season (or training for it that is), likely the Ibike, just for $$ reasons.

[equus123]

good stuff

i did find it interesting that when i was going easy....i was going WAY too easy and vice versa with going too hard. in sort of taking in the extremes my rides are more consistent and i can do the real harder stuff harder when the time comes or it becomes easier at a set intensity. (if any of that makes sense). haha

[BabyBlueNTulsa]

Yeah, I have a real love-hate relationship with my PT-SL too!! LOL

I did my LT test today.... GOOD news, thank goodness ... Its up! :P Don't those tests just make you wanna puke?

Ya train and ya train..and when you do these tests, you just hope to God your numbers went up from the last time. So many things can be a factor..

Mostly I LOVE the PT. I'm a numbers geek. Everytime I get off the bike, I can't wait to get it home and download the thing into my computer.

[Geonz]

I got to ride with one when my LBS guy let me ride his bike. 'Way too pricey to be worth it for my riding, but oh, my, FUN.
Of course, since I was riding a strange bike - I don't even ride a road bike, much less somebody else's sleek carbon fiber jet - I didn't push much. My average power was something laughable like 75 watts... except that this powertap seems to not do averages right for the speed, so that may also have been off. (It records teh right time, and while we're riding, the speed is the same as everybody else's - but the "average speed" is 'way off, like 10%.)