Shoe! what a discussion. After taking 20min to read through it all, here is my 2 cents worth on powermeters, having used 3 different manufacturers products. they all work differently, and they were all a great benefit to my training. I was far better conditioned in the points in my season where I wanted to be at peak condition due to structure in my program (thank you coach, patience and powermeter). every single one of them isnt perfect, and there is a "gizmo" factor to each 1. but you know what, if its 8 or 20 watts out, as long as its consistently the same amount out, you are able to do your training right anyway. you are supposed to obey YOUR powermeter, not the guy`s who is riding next to you. "he`s screen says 250, mine says 234, i must ride 250 then" - maybe he`s is over by 20 watts? who cares? powermeters have, like HRM`s, improved the riding of thousands of riders out there. I can personally attest to gaining 4min in 1 season over 40k tt on the same course in the same conditions, on the same bike. it won me a triathlon SA champs. I love the fact that its instant reading of whats going on with my body, and you learn that if you push now, later it will come back to you. the gizmo factor comes in with daily calibration before each ride, servicing, maintenance and I personally enjoy it. but then im an Ironman junkie and a tech freak. aero helmets, powermeters and elliptical chainrings are my favorite toys. enjoy your riding, and if you dont want to play with the gizmo factor, dont. let the rest of us enjoy it.
