Power and heart rate monitors

[SwissVan]

 

PM's (and you could include HRM's) are a bit like vitamins' date=' anti-oxidants and all the other unpronounceable gunk that is added to the energy / recovery drinks available on the market, they all sound nice and can be promoted with all sorts of Scientific evidence, but at the end of the day do they really make a difference or do we need them?

 

Take a sport outside of cycling i.e. one that where you cannot use a PM, road running would be a good example, plenty of athletes who don?t even use a HRM there and they manage just fine with their training and racing performance.

 

I'm not knocking either of the 2, suppose you could say that I think that business marketing plays a role in the equation. I have used both PM and HRM in training (and still prefer my HRM).

The best training tool is your brain

[/quote']

I find this approach really hard to understand - to compare an advance in measuring technology to vitamins etc is way off the mark.

It is a bit like saying - leave those new fangled clipless pedals alone, the old straps and clips we ride now are just as good ...

Vitamins, nutritional supplements etc might do what they say they do and they might not, but a device like a power meter simply does what it says - it measures power output.

Whether you think that being able to measure output is of use or not is up to you, but if you look at most fields you will see that advanced technology almost always leads to advancement in progres and performance (Smaller, faster computers, more accurate and powerful telescopes, digital cameras, more accurate measuring devices etc etc etc...)

There have been many examples of new technology that has been introduced to cycling, rejected by the naysayers as marketing hype and then only a few years later universally accepeted as the norm - TT bars, clipless pedals, aero helmets, dual suss MTB, aero wheels, stiffer soled shoes - the list goes on an on.

Just because somebody does well without something does not mean they cannot do better with it.

 

Come on Peter you are exaggerating and perhaps getting paranoid, its amazing how you take offence to anyone who does not agree with your principals.

I never said that PM?s should be left alone or implied that they are gimmicks that will disappear in a few years and believe it or not I even have a set of TT bars, clipless pedals, carbon soled shoes, dual susser mtb and used to own a set of carbon Aero wheels (yes I draw the line at owning an aero helmet).

The comparison was not one of comparing a vitamin to a power meter but rather comparing advertising and coaching strategies, i.e. that a power meter is the only reliable way to reach your best fitness level.

What I am saying is that they are not the ?be all? of training tools, but yes if used correctly they can provide excellent information during and after training or racing.

A power meter is a great tool, but TBH compared to a HRM it is lacking, purely in the fact that it can only be used on your bike, whereas my HRM can be used for most sports i.e. swimming and running and you only need to buy 1 HRM at a fraction of the price.

 

No offence was taken - nor am I paranoid.

What I object to is a poorly drawn comparison and the accompanying insinuation -  that the technology we are talking about is in some way similar to a marketing driven and unproven product. Perhaps you need to re read your first paragraph - you certainly do seem to imply they are ginmmicks pretty clearly as far as I can see...

"PM's (and you could include HRM's) are a bit like vitamins, anti-oxidants and all the other unpronounceable gunk that is added to the energy / recovery drinks available on the market, they all sound nice and can be promoted with all sorts of Scientific evidence, but at the end of the day do they really make a difference or do we need them?"

Power meters have certainly not been marketing driven and have never been touted as the only way to train - if the question is "are they the best tool for measuring your progress in cycling and achieving the most efficiency in your training" then IMO the answer is yes. To draw a comparison with running and using that as a benefit to training with HR is way off the issue that this thread is discussing - this is a cycling forum remember.

 

 

Aaagh ok I give up.....

 

Perhaps the Wiff will sponsor me PM's for my other bikes....

lets seeeeee now at +/- R9000.00 for the cheapest power tap thats R36000.00 for 4, excluding the rest of the wheel and building up?

 

BTW does the el Cheapo version measure altitude, or do I have to buy the the top of the range R12000.00 model to measure the climbs, or should I use my hrm to do that?

 

I know what she's gonna say... " Fokit !!! stick with the bladdy hrm and lets go to the Maldives"