Power…

I was reviewing Power Meters online and instead of keeping it to myself, I thought I’d share the information with everyone.

First off, what is a Power Meter?  Well, you use it to measure wattage or the amount of force you apply to your pedals multiplied by the time.  There are different ways to measure it which I will get into later.

Why do you need one?  You don’t really need one.  However, having this added function is the a huge advancement for your bicycle training.

Most cycling computers (under 100 dollars) will do functions such as speed, distance, average speed, cadence and even heart rate (there are more but these are the most important).  Having all these functions can give a pretty accurate picture of how your ride went.  The problem is you can’t accurately compare data.  This is because of  elements such as wind, rain, heat, and your own body. 

For example, your about to go on a ride after a lot of rest.  On this day you also have a tail wind for most of the ride which means your average speed goes up.  You come back check your average speed and heart rate and they both look really good.  Go out a week later and your not feeling so hot and you also have a headwind, your AVS goes down and your AHR goes up.  With power, you can physically see the numbers. 

In the first example, where you didn’t work as hard, the amount of force you produced won’t be as much as the second example where you rode into the wind.  The second ride might have been way better because you produced more watts (more force over a longer period than the first ride.  Basically, power is a measured quantiy of your exertion and is independant of all other factors (such as HR and sleep).

Now that I’ve put you to sleep about explaining what power is, now its time wake up and look at some of the products on the market!

The first product is the Garmin 705 ($499.99 US) .  Garmin is a highly sophisticated in GPS tracking.  They have been around for awhile which means the products can be trusted.

Pros: You get all the regular features of a normal cycling computer plus a GPS navigation (gives turn by turn directions).  It also has elevation gain  and gradient functions.

You can download your training after a ride and upload maps to the device.  It can also record hundreds of files so you don’t have to worry about deleting workouts.

Cons: Garmin hasn’t produced a product to measure power yet.  This could mean that it may take awhile to figure out the glitches when they do finally make a product.  Plus this will cost extra.

The next item is the Polar CS 600 ($709.95 US).  Polar is a well established company that has been a front runner in exercise research.

Pros: Polar makes it easy to record your workouts.  The buttons are user friendly (and also last!), the interface is big (so you can really read the numbers) and their computer software is suppose to be really easy to use (I’ve looked at it but never tried it).

This device is super light and you don’t need to buy other items, such as new rims or cranks.

There heart rate straps are the best.  The data recorded is almost always accurate.

Cons: There have been a lot of reviews questioning about how this technology actually performs (power is measure by the chain). 

This is a relatively new product so it may be awhile before Polar gets all the kinks worked out.

This product has been around the longest (for measuring power).  CycleOps power tap 2.4 SL ($1, 499.99 US) is the choice of most professional bike riders.

Pros: Proven.  This item is the best on the market right now.  It’s reliable and been around long enough so all or most of the kinks are out.

The hub can be put into almost any wheel.  The computer is also interchangeable so if you have the money to own more than one hub, you don’t have to buy two computers.

Cons: Price.  You get what you pay for.  If you want the best your going to have to shell the money out for it.

Most people can’t afford to buy more than one hub so it means choosing what wheel to use it on.  This usually means putting it on your training wheels and forgoing it when it comes race day.

The last product is the newest kid on the block, iBike Pro Gen II ($429.99 US).  Using reverse aerodynamics, measuring the environment around you to calculate your wattage, this device is highly sophisticated.

Pros: Cost.  This is the cheapest of all the devices shown hands-down.  There also isn’t a need to go buy any other items once you have this device. 

The iBike can be switched ot any of your bikes (although mountain bikes are not recommended).

Only computer that can work with Apple computers.

Simplicity is the key here also compared to the others.

Cons: There isn’t a lot of reviews of this product which is typically a bad thing (this is version 2 and I had never heard of the previous one).

Since this computer uses the environment around you to calculate power(such as wind speeds), you can’t use it with your trainer.  They do sell a separate item for that.

A couple reviews  I read said it didn’t work well in the rain.

There you have it.  A list of a few computers that could be the next step in improving your cycling.  Which one is for you?  That really depends on what you want to get out of it.  Hopefully this has been some insight into adding another training tool to your repitoire.

Cliff