Power Meter Data
Discussion
broster said:
I can do that without a power meter.
OK, so first step is an FTP test. i see trainer road has an 8minute and 20 minute test. Do i go for 20mins?
Yep. Then -5% to give your FTP (1hr)OK, so first step is an FTP test. i see trainer road has an 8minute and 20 minute test. Do i go for 20mins?
What are you trying to achieve by renting the power meter? Do you want to ultimately buy one?
Yes, I'd like it to be my next purchase, however it's a significant outlay and there are many options, I followed the recent thread here. I wanted to see what info I would gain from one and if it is something I would make use of.
Borrowing these is a good chance for me to see if it's worth while.
Iv Been advised against the stages by several people and advised to look at the garmin and bepro
Borrowing these is a good chance for me to see if it's worth while.
Iv Been advised against the stages by several people and advised to look at the garmin and bepro
Personally I would look at crank based meters. Most will be cheaper, i.e. Quarq and P2M, than Garmin. Not sure about bepro, but generally I think pedals are a pretty vulnerable place for a power meter.
Probably best starting with the 8 minute test. 20 minutes is pretty hard to pace so if you only have them or a week you might not get the best result. Make sure you are fresh before the test too.
Probably best starting with the 8 minute test. 20 minutes is pretty hard to pace so if you only have them or a week you might not get the best result. Make sure you are fresh before the test too.
Ensure you follow the instructions when fitting the Vectors, or make sure the person fitting them does. If not torqued correctly the figures will be garbage.
They're generally pretty useless long term from what I know of people that have them, so when you do buy your own, look elsewhere IMO.
They're generally pretty useless long term from what I know of people that have them, so when you do buy your own, look elsewhere IMO.
okgo said:
Ensure you follow the instructions when fitting the Vectors, or make sure the person fitting them does. If not torqued correctly the figures will be garbage.
They're generally pretty useless long term from what I know of people that have them, so when you do buy your own, look elsewhere IMO.
Everyone I know who has invested in Vectors has sold them within 6 months and either gone for crank or hub PM's.....They're generally pretty useless long term from what I know of people that have them, so when you do buy your own, look elsewhere IMO.
Sadly I don't have enough disposable income at the moment for it to be a problem for me!!!!
Must say I'm very happy with my Power2Max unit which I got 3.5 weeks ago. Got the LBS to fit it, pairing it was an absolute doddle and it's been great. Really enjoying being able to track my data for rides outside.
What has interested me is just how much "easier" riding outdoors is. I've been doing a few long TT sessions (3 hours+) and the last week I did a 3 hour relatively steady-ish (IF 0.72) session, on Friday to get the same TSS I had to ride an extra 20-30mins on a flat-ish route to get the same TSS, simply because on down-hill sections you generally don't keep your watts up.
What has interested me is just how much "easier" riding outdoors is. I've been doing a few long TT sessions (3 hours+) and the last week I did a 3 hour relatively steady-ish (IF 0.72) session, on Friday to get the same TSS I had to ride an extra 20-30mins on a flat-ish route to get the same TSS, simply because on down-hill sections you generally don't keep your watts up.
Strava Premium has some Power Data analysis tools, but Training Peaks is the best for in-depth analysis.
I find Strava to give enough data for me. Zones, IF, TSS - all be it in different names. It is missing ATL and CTL, but neither of those are as much use to my know as my time on the bike is so limited. If you are training daily then they are very useful.
I find Strava to give enough data for me. Zones, IF, TSS - all be it in different names. It is missing ATL and CTL, but neither of those are as much use to my know as my time on the bike is so limited. If you are training daily then they are very useful.
I'll go against the grain and say I'm (mostly) happy with my vectors (which I've had since launch). But I'm reasonably technical, and do own a torque wrench. I've seen nothing to indicate inconsistency, and they just work 99% of the time..
I still wouldn't recommend buying, there are much better VFM options out there now, and they have borked completely on two occasions.. that's been mitigated by garmin support being exceptional and sending me new ones on both occasions (even though technically out of warranty).
Oh, and on tests, 20 min definately. IMHO an 8 min test is far too short and far too likely to be skewed by your anaerobic ability.. remember you're trying to predict what you can hold for an hour (the definition of FTP). Gold standard = 1 hr efford, Silver = 20 min test (reasonable approximation), 8 min.. hmmm...
I still wouldn't recommend buying, there are much better VFM options out there now, and they have borked completely on two occasions.. that's been mitigated by garmin support being exceptional and sending me new ones on both occasions (even though technically out of warranty).
Oh, and on tests, 20 min definately. IMHO an 8 min test is far too short and far too likely to be skewed by your anaerobic ability.. remember you're trying to predict what you can hold for an hour (the definition of FTP). Gold standard = 1 hr efford, Silver = 20 min test (reasonable approximation), 8 min.. hmmm...
Edited by upsidedownmark on Monday 22 February 15:51
upsidedownmark said:
I'll go against the grain and say I'm (mostly) happy with my vectors (which I've had since launch). But I'm reasonably technical, and do own a torque wrench. I've seen nothing to indicate inconsistency, and they just work 99% of the time..
I still wouldn't recommend buying, there are much better VFM options out there now, and they have borked completely on two occasions.. that's been mitigated by garmin support being exceptional and sending me new ones on both occasions (even though technically out of warranty).
Oh, and on tests, 20 min definately. IMHO an 8 min test is far too short and far too likely to be skewed by your anaerobic ability.. remember you're trying to predict what you can hold for an hour (the definition of FTP). Gold standard = 1 hr efford, Silver = 20 min test (reasonable approximation), 8 min.. hmmm...
The 8 min test on TR is actually 2 * 8 minutes tests and is what TR recommend for more experienced riders. They explain the reasoning behind it here: http://support.trainerroad.com/hc/en-us/articles/2...I still wouldn't recommend buying, there are much better VFM options out there now, and they have borked completely on two occasions.. that's been mitigated by garmin support being exceptional and sending me new ones on both occasions (even though technically out of warranty).
Oh, and on tests, 20 min definately. IMHO an 8 min test is far too short and far too likely to be skewed by your anaerobic ability.. remember you're trying to predict what you can hold for an hour (the definition of FTP). Gold standard = 1 hr efford, Silver = 20 min test (reasonable approximation), 8 min.. hmmm...
Edited by upsidedownmark on Monday 22 February 15:51
P
E65Ross said:
I'm just shy of 54kgs and I'm currently on an FTP of 219 although I suspect next time I test it I'll beat that.
280W up boxhill gets him 5.30 time which is ten seconds better than I've ever managed with 200W more...
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff