Cycleops powercal

[Jaco-fiets]

Any opinions/experience with this? Few of my friends train with powertaps and the WKO software seems to be amazing. I am curious about this but with only 6-8hrs a week on my bike I struggle to justify buying a powertap. This seems to be a cheap option but I am not sure if it is worthwhile either

[ian32]

Would also like to see the feedback

[NotSoBigBen]

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/11/cycleops-powercal-in-depth-review.html

[Jaco-fiets]

http://www.dcrainmak...pth-review.html

 

What is your opinion after reading this?

[madmarc]

I started with power training recently and would be keen to try use this on my rides because there is no way i'm paying 12K for a power meter, and i'm still trying to get my head arround what i can gain from using it out on the road. I just finished a 8 week session at cadence and want to carry on with this type of training on my IDT which is a TACX which shows power, so now the question, Is the TACX power translated from the back wheel as accurate as the Cycleops bikes at Cadence ? I would think not, but does it matter, and heres my analogy.

 

At Cadence you do a 20 min CP test when you start and the same test when you finish from that they work out the difference in your functional threshold and the % improvement. So if i start at say 250 watts and end at 300 watts then i have a 20% improvement.

 

If i did the same thing with my TACX and it delivered a less accurate reading of say 200 watts at the start and 8 weeks later the same test gave a reading of 220 watts it's still a 20% improvement. And thats basically what i'm looking for.

 

As long as you use the same power meter for both tests. To improve i want to increase my power / weight ratio, i'm at the bottom end of my weight scale so i need to increase power, and to test for that you need a power meter. IMHO i would not use a power meter on the road unless you have a set route and do a TT. There are so many factors than influence your ride, like weather, wind, riding alone or in a group, the pace of the group etc, so can you really get meaningfull information from a power meter out on the road. Whereas on an IDT you are sure that your sessions are all gonna be the same.

 

If my IDT didn't have a power function i'd buy it tomorrow. But untill i've educated myself on the benfits of using a PM on the road i wouldn't bother.

Edited August 20, 2013 by madmarc

[Bianchisti]

I've been using the powerCal for a few months and it is NOT a power metre. It basically derives PO from your HR and is only usefull in tracking your improvement in power. So it's a reactive source of info. It's not a proactive tool.

 

Having said that, my coach recommended it and it helps him track my performance with TSS and things like that. It does not compete/compare with a real time power metre but is very usefull for those not quite sure whether to invest in a power metre.

[Helpmytrap]

You might only have 6-8hrs to train during the week, but if you can get a good power meter training program it will transform those 6-8hrs into good quality hours. Plus if you are riding those hours, you'll also have good time to recover and you'll get the maximum benefit.

[NotSoBigBen]

What is your opinion after reading this?

 

A more useful tool than just a HRM but not a powermeter per se.

Useful for analysis after the fact and not so much during your ride.

Don't try to compare power numbers with others (shouldn't do that anyway unless you're a pro?)

USELESS like any training tool even a 'real' power meter unless you are prepared to learn what it all means and USE it or can afford to pay a coach.

 

I use one together with Golden Cheetah software ...... mostly for training load and tracking improvement

[Jaco-fiets]

A more useful tool than just a HRM but not a powermeter per se.

Useful for analysis after the fact and not so much during your ride.

Don't try to compare power numbers with others (shouldn't do that anyway unless you're a pro?)

USELESS like any training tool even a 'real' power meter unless you are prepared to learn what it all means and USE it or can afford to pay a coach.

 

I use one together with Golden Cheetah software ...... mostly for training load and tracking improvement

 

The same reason I want to use it. I just want to track my progress over time acc to TSS (or something).

 

If I do decide to take the powercal which of the following combos would you guys choose?

 

1. Powercal strap with the edge 500 (is it necessary to buy the extra speed/cadence sensor?)

2. Powercal strap with the joule gps (again, should I buy the extra speed cadence sensor?)

 

One thing that bothers me with the joule gps is that is automatically starts and stops. You have no control over this. Apparently it also takes a while to pick up a satellite

 

I am asking about the additional speed/cadence sensors because maybe I want to use it in future on the trainer and what happens if I do want to go for a ride and the unit does not pick up a satellite.

 

Do you get garmin/cycleops speed sensors only or are all of them speed/cadence combos?

[Unknown MTBR]

Power meter is awesome! did some serious intervals yesterday up klapperkop using powertap that our team coach lends us if we need to use power.. Much better then heart rate id say!

[VeloRacer]

I was fortunate to be given a Cyclops powermetre for my birthday, I will tell you one thing, I would never train again without it. Its the best investment you could make. If will transform your training into quality sessions. No more wasted hours on the road doing junk miles. If you are a "time-crunched" cyclist its even more of a reason to get one.

[BicyclePower]

^{CycleOps is very open about the PowerCal’s shortcomings and makes no attempt to pull the wool over riders’ eyes. The PowerCal does exactly what it says it will do. For training purposes, it gives you a tangible number to work with and motivates you on rides. It is not accurate enough to use as a tool to measure quick bursts, but on steady climbs that riders may use for training, it gives you real-time numbers very close to those of power meters costing over eight times more.}

[NotSoBigBen]

The same reason I want to use it. I just want to track my progress over time acc to TSS (or something).

 

If I do decide to take the powercal which of the following combos would you guys choose?

 

1. Powercal strap with the edge 500 (is it necessary to buy the extra speed/cadence sensor?)

2. Powercal strap with the joule gps (again, should I buy the extra speed cadence sensor?)

 

One thing that bothers me with the joule gps is that is automatically starts and stops. You have no control over this. Apparently it also takes a while to pick up a satellite

 

I am asking about the additional speed/cadence sensors because maybe I want to use it in future on the trainer and what happens if I do want to go for a ride and the unit does not pick up a satellite.

 

Do you get garmin/cycleops speed sensors only or are all of them speed/cadence combos?

 

I already had a compatible Garmin so can't comment about that decision but if you want worthwhile statistics when using an IDT then I guess speed/cadence is important. That is if speed/cadence are important to you. One would still get Power/HR/time stats anyway?

[rpedro]

I have a PowerTap which I mainly use for Indoor Training and a PowerCal for MTB,

 

My take on it is that it is difficult to perform structured workouts off-road because on the trail, your effort is more dictated by the terrain. A road PM was a cheaper option and hence I decided to go that route.

 

I however also decided to buy a PowerCal to use when Mountain biking. It was freaky when I checked my PowerCal values and it closely matched my actual values. PowerCal Avg wattage and Normalized power values look pretty much the same as the values I get with my PT.

 

My take on this is that for interval sessions nothing beats a proper power meter. PowerCal is good for post ride analysis and tracking your training stress scores. At times my PowerCal have given me some skewed readings but that was because of HR spikes for whatever reasons.

 

But then the other day another spanner was thrown in the works. I realized a significant difference between my power values outdoors compared to indoors (using the same PowerTap wheel and not my PowerCal strap). I calculated a 15% difference in values and luckily for me my outdoor values is 15% higher J

 

My PowerCal values more closely match my indoor PowerTap values. I’m not sure what to make of that. I use my indoor values for training purposes because that is where I do my intervals. If I had to use my outdoor numbers then I would not be here today to type this message. I have since discover the reason for the difference in numbers (outdoor vs indoors) but that is another topic on its own.

 

In summary I think PowerCal is an excellent tool to get you introduced into the world of training with power. If you are serious about your training then you should not measure your training based on miles or hours ridden. You should measure the quality of your training and the amount of stress that you apply. That is where the PowerCal can be a very useful tool.

[jcza]

 

 

1. Powercal strap with the edge 500 (is it necessary to buy the extra speed/cadence sensor?)

 

 

 

Also want to know

 

Use Garmin speed/cadence sensors with PowerCal strap?

[LOOK695]

Does PowerCal work with smart phones with apps like Strave?