Jump to content

Power tap worth it or not?


busch1

Recommended Posts

What is hard for me to decide upon is by how much will using a power meter improve your quality of training and thus time and position in a race?  Bearing in mind if you already have a coach and use HR when training.  I mean you can get a nice wheelset for R15k.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 79
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

 

 

What is hard for me to decide upon is by how much will using a power meter improve your quality of training and thus time and position in a race?  Bearing in mind if you already have a coach and use HR when training.  I mean you can get a nice wheelset for R15k.

 

Good question - and a tough one to quantify as there are many variables that will have an impact.

 

There is no doubt that the better you get, the harder any improvements are to come by and returns are diminishing.

 

That having been said - as a coached rider with some aspirations, knowing how you are performing on a day to day or week to week basis is invaluable.

 

Being able to analyse your weak areas (in direct comparison to other riders) is also a big plus and ensures your training is targeted to address these areas (and then see if it is working)

 

When I am able to show a rider a power curve of '07 Vs '08 and it shows him that he is putting out more power over all the key durations - then that is a very powerful tool.

 

A 15k wheelset is a nice to have, but will not make a significant difference to performance. A bit like putting new wheels on your car as opposed to investing in the engine..

BikeMax2008-10-02 00:25:46

Link to comment
Share on other sites

People saying lots about power taps. Is power training worthit? Are there other Alternatives? Can it improve your racing?

 

if you're pro and you are not using it, you're gonna get left behind.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

People saying lots about power taps. Is power training worthit? Are there other Alternatives? Can it improve your racing?

 

if you're pro and you are not using it' date=' you're gonna get left behind.
[/quote']

 

There are a couple of guys in the Euro Pro bunch that will take you on with this statement.  Wink

 

Pantani for one did not even ride with a computer or HRM.  Nothing.  Just him and his bike.

 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pantani for one did not even ride with a computer or HRM.? Nothing.? Just him and his bike.

 

 

 

... and a random selection of drugs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I agree that care needs to be used when building PT wheels. Having said that I own both the road and MTB (disc) versions and haven't broken any spokes yet. I've also been very impressed with the durability of the MTB PT as it has been fine through one of the muddiest Cape winters I've experienced!

 

Lefty' date=' you are misrepresenting the SSI study that Jeroen did. I also do not believe that a coach is a must-have either. If you are prepared to do a bit of homework and read Hunter Allen's book you can work most of it out by yourself.

 

In my opinion the PT is very useful for marathon MTB events (more so than XC where power output is very predictable ). For example it works as a far better pacing tool than HR.

 

 
[/quote']

 

Misrepresenting the study? I don;t think so. I asked a direct question. "Is there any benefit to traiing with power vs traiing with HR?" the answer was equally direct. "No".

 

A coach is a useful person to have around. A Powertap is not. It's a nice to have.

I have the copy of Hunter Allen's book. Yes it was informative and provides excellent education in training with power.

but if there is o benefit in training with powervs other methods then why incur the expense?

 

SO you made the R25K investment in training with power. Good for you.

I chose not to use Power and do not belive I am worse off for it.

 

Which study are you referring to?

 

If it's this one then your statement is not correct.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

indeed that was the study and based on that post by the Th Doctor, it woud appear that I was indeed quoting out of context. I attended the presentation evening and asked my questions directly to Dr Noakes and his side kick, Whats his name Robin? Richard? Gerald? something like that.

 

The Hub is not the centre of the universe you know so posts here do go unnoticed....
Link to comment
Share on other sites

People saying lots about power taps. Is power training worthit? Are there other Alternatives? Can it improve your racing?

 

if you're pro and you are not using it' date=' you're gonna get left behind.
[/quote']

 

There are a couple of guys in the Euro Pro bunch that will take you on with this statement.  Wink

 

Pantani for one did not even ride with a computer or HRM.  Nothing.  Just him and his bike.

 

 

ah well, with the pro coach thing, its possible. Well, power is another tool. I'd assume every Euro pro has it. And if they don't have it, their coach better be up there. Without it(HR/power/speed sensors, you'll have to go and calculate time over distance , and press your fingers against your neck to check your heart rate.. assuming Panatani would have gone through that hell of a process and compare the stats. DeadDead

Power is IMO , another tool. and more effective to use.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Pantani for one did not even ride with a computer or HRM.  Nothing.  Just him and his bike.

 

 

 

... and a random selection of drugs

 

Talk about pot luck.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive been using one since june, i have improved radically with less riding... why? for the first time every ride i do is focused, has a purpose.

i realise alot of my 'training' prior to that was simply riding, sometimes hard, sometimes easy, but rarely structured.

combine that with a tool that makes your riding far more interactive due to the ability to analyse each and every ride, past and present to see how you compare on familiar training circuits and hills and you have in my opinion far more motivation to keep you going and focused to improve with measurable gains. throw a coach into the equation and you will be riding at levels far beyond what you would have achieved just training hard all the time.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive been using one since june' date=' i have improved radically with less riding... why? for the first time every ride i do is focused, has a purpose.

i realise alot of my 'training' prior to that was simply riding, sometimes hard, sometimes easy, but rarely structured.

combine that with a tool that makes your riding far more interactive due to the ability to analyse each and every ride, past and present to see how you compare on familiar training circuits and hills and you have in my opinion far more motivation to keep you going and focused to improve with measurable gains. throw a coach into the equation and you will be riding at levels far beyond what you would have achieved just training hard all the time.
[/quote']

 

Shhhh SlOW!!! Dont let people in onthe secret of training with power. We dont want everyone to improve there riding ability... I need every chance i can get. ;-)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Get the Polar. It works well. I use one. And it's a lot cheaper. Can also use it with any wheels/crank.

 

 
Sorry, can't agree with this. It works ... sort of ...

I have had two - the original with the S75 and now also the new CS600. The CS600 is better but still suffers from the same fundamental problems. Having said that I feel that it is miles ahead of the iBike.

 

Go with a PT if you are serious about power training.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive been using one since june' date=' i have improved radically with less riding... why? for the first time every ride i do is focused, has a purpose.

i realise alot of my 'training' prior to that was simply riding, sometimes hard, sometimes easy, but rarely structured.

combine that with a tool that makes your riding far more interactive due to the ability to analyse each and every ride, past and present to see how you compare on familiar training circuits and hills and you have in my opinion far more motivation to keep you going and focused to improve with measurable gains. throw a coach into the equation and you will be riding at levels far beyond what you would have achieved just training hard all the time.
[/quote']

 

 

Its not the power training or the power meter thats facilitated this improvement, but rather the intensity of the exercise and the rest afterward the overload.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

ive been using one since june' date=' i have improved radically with less riding... why? for the first time every ride i do is focused, has a purpose.

i realise alot of my 'training' prior to that was simply riding, sometimes hard, sometimes easy, but rarely structured.

combine that with a tool that makes your riding far more interactive due to the ability to analyse each and every ride, past and present to see how you compare on familiar training circuits and hills and you have in my opinion far more motivation to keep you going and focused to improve with measurable gains. throw a coach into the equation and you will be riding at levels far beyond what you would have achieved just training hard all the time.
[/quote']

 

 

Its not the power training or the power meter thats facilitated this improvement, but rather the intensity of the exercise and the rest afterward the overload.

 

You've just answered why training with power is so efficient. You are able to measure your intensity with the help of your power meter. A power meter does not lie. A person can train for 2 hours at a certain or varied wattage and get a better work out than another cyclist just riding for 3-4 hours.

 

I train with SlOW and trust me that we have improved our riding dramatically with a coach and powertap. If you choose to use it correctly then without a doubt it will help. It also motivates you to improve you power stats month on month. Power to weight ratio is key to success in cycling. I can go on for ages of the benefits training with power. Its like

anything in life. Its what you do with it that counts.

 

Train with POWER! It rocks!
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gr8 point kent and slow

 

Kent wat is the software like when you analyse your training. Some ppl brought it up that it is of a low standard 
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout