Discussion
Hi All.
Looking for a little advice. I'm thinking i might slash out on a power meter finally. I've been looking into it for a while but never really been able to justify it.
Still cant really but i'll never know unless i try it.
I think I've narrowed it down to a few option so i wanted to ask if anyone had any thoughts on the following meters.
Firstly a Rotor InPower. £550 new for CRC. I already have a Rotor chain-set on my bike so easy to fit. Slightly concerned about reliability but most reviews seem OK.
Second either a single Garmin Vector 3 or Assioma pedal. Both review excellent but i'm slightly concerned about using a pedal. It'll be great to swap it between bikes easily but i always thought they'd be vulnerable to getting damaged more than crank based. Also pedals seem to wear out pretty quickly. Can the body of the pedal be replaced?
I had considered a second hand Stages (DA) and swapping my chain-set but by the time I've changed the BB and fitted adapters it was getting a little pricey.
Looking for a little advice. I'm thinking i might slash out on a power meter finally. I've been looking into it for a while but never really been able to justify it.
Still cant really but i'll never know unless i try it.
I think I've narrowed it down to a few option so i wanted to ask if anyone had any thoughts on the following meters.
Firstly a Rotor InPower. £550 new for CRC. I already have a Rotor chain-set on my bike so easy to fit. Slightly concerned about reliability but most reviews seem OK.
Second either a single Garmin Vector 3 or Assioma pedal. Both review excellent but i'm slightly concerned about using a pedal. It'll be great to swap it between bikes easily but i always thought they'd be vulnerable to getting damaged more than crank based. Also pedals seem to wear out pretty quickly. Can the body of the pedal be replaced?
I had considered a second hand Stages (DA) and swapping my chain-set but by the time I've changed the BB and fitted adapters it was getting a little pricey.
I run PowerTap P1 pedals because I have two bikes I want to ride with power and the P1s are really portable, with no need to calibrate after switching. They're AAA-powered which suits me for touring and ultras but may be a disadvantage for others. They've been replaced twice under warranty (in two years) but not recently. They've taken their fair share of knocks during racing seem to be coping with that well enough. I'd buy them again.
For what it's worth, unless you have a significant imbalance from an injury I think a single-sided meter is perfectly fine.
For what it's worth, unless you have a significant imbalance from an injury I think a single-sided meter is perfectly fine.
And for what it's worth, I (and others) will disagree that it's worth spending any money on a single pedal option.. doubly so when total mesasurement is available for so little more (and having lived with a powertap hub, vectors and a quarq in that order), I'd say its actually easier and faster to swap the crank than the pedals, once you have all your bikes set up to take the same crank spindle - although that does require some initial faff with changing BB's, adaptors etc.
I did dabble with thinking about the newish double-sided Watteam PowerBeat - it seems to reduce costs by involving a bit of DIY on your existing cranks http://road.cc/content/review/231696-watteam-power...
There's a 3-4 page article in this week's Cycling Weekly on whether a power meter is really needed, with pro's and con's. (Available on Readly if you have a sub.) What puts me off is the comment that you need to subscribe to a paid-for training plan to make the most of one.
There's a 3-4 page article in this week's Cycling Weekly on whether a power meter is really needed, with pro's and con's. (Available on Readly if you have a sub.) What puts me off is the comment that you need to subscribe to a paid-for training plan to make the most of one.
I'd not looked into P1s. I'll have a look now.
Judging by the warranty replacements i think i'll definitely buy new just in case i have any issues.
I think i'll be more than happy with a single sided measurement. I know from using a wattbike that my legs are pretty much bang on split 50:50. Another plus form buying pedals as the option to add a second meter is always there.
I've not seen and dual sided meters for less than £800. Are there options out there i might have over looked?
Judging by the warranty replacements i think i'll definitely buy new just in case i have any issues.
I think i'll be more than happy with a single sided measurement. I know from using a wattbike that my legs are pretty much bang on split 50:50. Another plus form buying pedals as the option to add a second meter is always there.
I've not seen and dual sided meters for less than £800. Are there options out there i might have over looked?
I currently subscribe to TrainerRoad but with a meter added i might have a try on Zwift. It'd be nice to get the metrics on the road too.
I'm definitely not at the level where i need to worry about focused training. A lot of it is the geek in me wanting all the data i can get on my rides.
I'm definitely not at the level where i need to worry about focused training. A lot of it is the geek in me wanting all the data i can get on my rides.
Dixie said:
I currently subscribe to TrainerRoad but with a meter added i might have a try on Zwift. It'd be nice to get the metrics on the road too.
I'm definitely not at the level where i need to worry about focused training. A lot of it is the geek in me wanting all the data i can get on my rides.
If you are not riding competitively then save the money and put it towards a nice cycling trip. You'll get much more enjoyment out of it. I tried a power meter for 6 months and found it next to useless when riding on the road and it ruined the "just go for a ride" element. You become focussed on the numbers but you cant train like you can on Zwift because the road in the real world isn't a continuous virtual circuit where you don't have to stop all the time.I'm definitely not at the level where i need to worry about focused training. A lot of it is the geek in me wanting all the data i can get on my rides.
The only time it was remotely useful was on long climbs because it allows you to set your pace better so rather than going full gas until your HR gets to max and then dropping back to a manageable pace you can start the climb at a sustainable pace and keep that pace. However on a club run its impossible to ride like that unless you are very well disciplined.
A Quarq dzero AL should run about 550 quid. perhaps less if you find discounts, etc.
IMHO balance isn't the point, it's measuring what you actually do, vs measuring what one leg does and assuming the other does the same.
I don't care where my balance is, but I do want my powermeter to measure all the watts I put out. IME my balance (and I'm not alone) shifts around in a non-predictable way. I can't say It's X at 200 watts, Y at 300.. if I take a 5% difference, and double it (because I'm only measuring one leg), that's a 10% inconsistency (error). I'd not mind if it was a consistent offset - how many watts is less important than consistently measuring your watts. If you're training by power you're looking for changes <10%.
There are two (and a half) cases for a power meter that I can see - at least two where it delivers significant bang for buck.
- One (and a half) Training with power. That means periodic FTP tests, and training with accurate zones. Here I'd argue that you really need it to consistent. The extra half is consistent (accurate) measurement of training *load* - TSS.
- Two - pacing. For long rides, riding to power caps is invaluable. You've got to be very very attuned to know if you're riding harder than you ought in the first hour or two of a 5+ hour ride. I'd just about buy the single sided argument for that.. you can't ride to watt accuracy.
If you want to really do structured power work it almost needs to be on a turbo. It's tough towards impossible to do accurate power work on the road.
Whether you enjoy it or not is very much a personal thing. Not everyone ticks the same way.. I'd not contemplate riding without one anymore, but some are more like moonigan (I like to call them luddites
)
IMHO balance isn't the point, it's measuring what you actually do, vs measuring what one leg does and assuming the other does the same.
I don't care where my balance is, but I do want my powermeter to measure all the watts I put out. IME my balance (and I'm not alone) shifts around in a non-predictable way. I can't say It's X at 200 watts, Y at 300.. if I take a 5% difference, and double it (because I'm only measuring one leg), that's a 10% inconsistency (error). I'd not mind if it was a consistent offset - how many watts is less important than consistently measuring your watts. If you're training by power you're looking for changes <10%.
There are two (and a half) cases for a power meter that I can see - at least two where it delivers significant bang for buck.
- One (and a half) Training with power. That means periodic FTP tests, and training with accurate zones. Here I'd argue that you really need it to consistent. The extra half is consistent (accurate) measurement of training *load* - TSS.
- Two - pacing. For long rides, riding to power caps is invaluable. You've got to be very very attuned to know if you're riding harder than you ought in the first hour or two of a 5+ hour ride. I'd just about buy the single sided argument for that.. you can't ride to watt accuracy.
If you want to really do structured power work it almost needs to be on a turbo. It's tough towards impossible to do accurate power work on the road.
Whether you enjoy it or not is very much a personal thing. Not everyone ticks the same way.. I'd not contemplate riding without one anymore, but some are more like moonigan (I like to call them luddites
)I've just ordered the Vector 3s and I'm looking forward to swapping them between my commuter and race bike as well as using them on rental bikes abroad. The reviews are very good and they appear to be slightly more reliable and lighter than the P1s. The only downside is the '4-6 week wait' for delivery...Garmin are apparently building to order because demand is so high.
I had a Power2Max crank based PM before. No problems, accurate but changing chainrings was a pain (130BCD and I wanted a 50x34 for climbing so had to sell).
I definitely produce asymmetric power at threshold and during efforts (50/50 up until about 85% of FTP) so I want proper dual sided power to keep me focused on equal distribution.
I had a Power2Max crank based PM before. No problems, accurate but changing chainrings was a pain (130BCD and I wanted a 50x34 for climbing so had to sell).
I definitely produce asymmetric power at threshold and during efforts (50/50 up until about 85% of FTP) so I want proper dual sided power to keep me focused on equal distribution.
upsidedownmark said:
A Quarq dzero AL should run about 550 quid. perhaps less if you find discounts, etc.
There are two (and a half) cases for a power meter that I can see - at least two where it delivers significant bang for buck.
- One (and a half) Training with power. That means periodic FTP tests, and training with accurate zones. Here I'd argue that you really need it to consistent. The extra half is consistent (accurate) measurement of training *load* - TSS.
- Two - pacing. For long rides, riding to power caps is invaluable. You've got to be very very attuned to know if you're riding harder than you ought in the first hour or two of a 5+ hour ride. I'd just about buy the single sided argument for that.. you can't ride to watt accuracy.
If you want to really do structured power work it almost needs to be on a turbo. It's tough towards impossible to do accurate power work on the road.
Whether you enjoy it or not is very much a personal thing. Not everyone ticks the same way.. I'd not contemplate riding without one anymore, but some are more like moonigan (I like to call them luddites )
Firstly I'm a technology evangelist so I will always sing the praises of something that has a real benefit. But to repeat myself unless you are racing then its just numbers.There are two (and a half) cases for a power meter that I can see - at least two where it delivers significant bang for buck.
- One (and a half) Training with power. That means periodic FTP tests, and training with accurate zones. Here I'd argue that you really need it to consistent. The extra half is consistent (accurate) measurement of training *load* - TSS.
- Two - pacing. For long rides, riding to power caps is invaluable. You've got to be very very attuned to know if you're riding harder than you ought in the first hour or two of a 5+ hour ride. I'd just about buy the single sided argument for that.. you can't ride to watt accuracy.
If you want to really do structured power work it almost needs to be on a turbo. It's tough towards impossible to do accurate power work on the road.
Whether you enjoy it or not is very much a personal thing. Not everyone ticks the same way.. I'd not contemplate riding without one anymore, but some are more like moonigan (I like to call them luddites
)Training and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
Dixie said:
Hi All.
Looking for a little advice. I'm thinking i might slash out on a power meter finally. I've been looking into it for a while but never really been able to justify it.
Still cant really but i'll never know unless i try it.
I think I've narrowed it down to a few option so i wanted to ask if anyone had any thoughts on the following meters.
Firstly a Rotor InPower. £550 new for CRC. I already have a Rotor chain-set on my bike so easy to fit. Slightly concerned about reliability but most reviews seem OK.
Second either a single Garmin Vector 3 or Assioma pedal. Both review excellent but i'm slightly concerned about using a pedal. It'll be great to swap it between bikes easily but i always thought they'd be vulnerable to getting damaged more than crank based. Also pedals seem to wear out pretty quickly. Can the body of the pedal be replaced?
I had considered a second hand Stages (DA) and swapping my chain-set but by the time I've changed the BB and fitted adapters it was getting a little pricey.
As you have rotor already I’d be looking at power2max Looking for a little advice. I'm thinking i might slash out on a power meter finally. I've been looking into it for a while but never really been able to justify it.
Still cant really but i'll never know unless i try it.
I think I've narrowed it down to a few option so i wanted to ask if anyone had any thoughts on the following meters.
Firstly a Rotor InPower. £550 new for CRC. I already have a Rotor chain-set on my bike so easy to fit. Slightly concerned about reliability but most reviews seem OK.
Second either a single Garmin Vector 3 or Assioma pedal. Both review excellent but i'm slightly concerned about using a pedal. It'll be great to swap it between bikes easily but i always thought they'd be vulnerable to getting damaged more than crank based. Also pedals seem to wear out pretty quickly. Can the body of the pedal be replaced?
I had considered a second hand Stages (DA) and swapping my chain-set but by the time I've changed the BB and fitted adapters it was getting a little pricey.
moonigan said:
Firstly I'm a technology evangelist so I will always sing the praises of something that has a real benefit. But to repeat myself unless you are racing then its just numbers.
Training and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
Pretty much this.Training and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
I had Vector2s for about 8 months and realised in the end they didn't tell me anything I really needed to know and soon got bored of them.
Unless your competitive or training to be, I think they are a very expensive gimmick for the casual/keen cyclist.
moonigan said:
Firstly I'm a technology evangelist so I will always sing the praises of something that has a real benefit. But to repeat myself unless you are racing then its just numbers.
Training and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
100% agreeTraining and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
I have 3 power meters on 3 different bikes. An expensive way to find out the above.
Edited by simonF10 on Monday 19th March 21:19
Moonigan, I think I may subscribe to your ideology.
I started training with power recently on a Tacx Neo. Utterly brilliant piece of kit and has been worth every penny this winter. It's given me an idea of where I'm at and how I've progressed by monitoring power. I am competitive, even with myself and by watching my figures climb it's given me a real motivation to get fitter and faster. HR doesn't tell you if you're improving but it does tell you how hard you're going. I know that at a given HR, I can maintain it for an hour or 5 mins. By having the meter on the turbo it shows that I've made increases against my heart rate. If you're training for a TT then having a power meter would be crucial as it would give you an accurate gauge of intensity without factoring fatigue.
Whilst I'll be out on the roads plenty in spring summer and autumn, I'll use the turbo occasionally to keep an eye on how I'm doing. I'll use HR only outside as it'll give me an idea of how hard I'm working and how tired I am but then I'm riding for pleasure and fitness and not racing.
I started training with power recently on a Tacx Neo. Utterly brilliant piece of kit and has been worth every penny this winter. It's given me an idea of where I'm at and how I've progressed by monitoring power. I am competitive, even with myself and by watching my figures climb it's given me a real motivation to get fitter and faster. HR doesn't tell you if you're improving but it does tell you how hard you're going. I know that at a given HR, I can maintain it for an hour or 5 mins. By having the meter on the turbo it shows that I've made increases against my heart rate. If you're training for a TT then having a power meter would be crucial as it would give you an accurate gauge of intensity without factoring fatigue.
Whilst I'll be out on the roads plenty in spring summer and autumn, I'll use the turbo occasionally to keep an eye on how I'm doing. I'll use HR only outside as it'll give me an idea of how hard I'm working and how tired I am but then I'm riding for pleasure and fitness and not racing.
moonigan said:
But to repeat myself unless you are racing then its just numbers... You don't need to do this unless you are racing
You don't *need* a power meter to go racing. You simply ride a little faster than the other guy. But it must certainly help.Personally, even as a guy who's more likely to win an eating contest than a crit, I have found that having a power meter has been a massive motivational benefit. Definitely the best investment I've ever made. It doesn't mean that I'm incapable of going out for a potter without once glancing at my Garmin, but it does mean that when I'm out for a fast spin on a windy day, I don't get disheartened because I can see that my power is good even if my speed isn't. I can see that I achieved x watts for y minutes for z heart rate, which is an improvement. I can see how much power I'm putting in uphill and try to hold it for as long as possible.
Apart from a select few of us, nobody really *needs* the cycling technology that we have. But you could apply your logic to a HRM or a cadence sensor. In fact you could even apply it to any kind of GPS, because why do you need to care how fast you'll be going? Someone will always be going faster. Apply that logic to its nadir and we end up on a steel audax bike, with a triple, wearing sandals.
Shudder.
So yeah basically OP you need a power meter or you'll end up as an audaxing beardie.
ETA - if you did want to dip your toe in the water without too much financial exposure I doubt you could lose too much money on these. https://www.cyclerepublic.com/garmin-vector-3s-pow... Use RETURN10 for 10% at checkout, click and collect, flash your BC card and pay with the voucher trick, and these come out at £363, which is hardly bad.
Edited by Usget on Tuesday 20th March 08:30
broster said:
As you have rotor already I’d be looking at power2max
Yup. I've got power2max on both my bikes. Had it on my old bike for 2.5 years or so without issues and when I ordered my new bike end of December I didn't really think twice about looking elsewhere. It just works, all the time.I don't race. and when i do it would normally be a CX race. Thats not to say that i wont this year though. I am likely to do some TTs again this year though as I've got a time to beat. To be honest it's more about applying the watts i think i can produce on the rollers on the road. I guess if it is a total waste of time i can always flog them. They tend to keep the majority of their value.
Pedal meters are looking more and more promising for me. I've got a BBright bottom bracket on my nice bike so shifting it onto my winter bike is doable but with added faff.
The Vectors look very promising and coupled with Garmins usual decent level of support i'd be happy buying them.
Pedal meters are looking more and more promising for me. I've got a BBright bottom bracket on my nice bike so shifting it onto my winter bike is doable but with added faff.
The Vectors look very promising and coupled with Garmins usual decent level of support i'd be happy buying them.
Usget said:
ETA - if you did want to dip your toe in the water without too much financial exposure I doubt you could lose too much money on these. https://www.cyclerepublic.com/garmin-vector-3s-pow... Use RETURN10 for 10% at checkout, click and collect, flash your BC card and pay with the voucher trick, and these come out at £363, which is hardly bad.
So i can add the code fine (which is enough to tempt me to buy, but what are the mechanics of the voucher trick? Do i go into the shop and buy £400 worth of vouchers with my BC card? Whats the level of discount?Edited by Dixie on Tuesday 20th March 09:39
Edited by Dixie on Tuesday 20th March 10:04
moonigan said:
Firstly I'm a technology evangelist so I will always sing the praises of something that has a real benefit. But to repeat myself unless you are racing then its just numbers.
Training and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
I was teasing with the luddite, but anyway..Training and keeping track of TSS. You don't need to do this unless you are racing I have tracked my TSS via Zwift for 2 years and for the 6 months I had a power meter. During that 6 months I made the conscious effort to follow a structured training programme. Unsurprisingly the more your ride the fitter you get and the higher your TSS and the more you ride without rest the more fatigue you accumulate. If you are riding to a structured program that requires say 400TSS per week and you have a smart trainer you can do your workouts on that and then use real rides as part recovery for which you will still accumulate TSS (albeit estimated). The thing is Strava Premium has a fitness and freshness chart and does a really good job of measuring TSS and Fatigue without using a power meter.
Pacing. If you have an HR strap which I assume you have then you will know by know what HR ranges you work at. If you go straight out of the blocks in Z4 you will tire quickly and may not make the end of the ride but if you stick to Z2 and Z3 you'll be able to get to the end as long as you feed yourself. You know this and probably wouldn't do it. All a power meter does is translate this to a different zone.
So to summarise. If you don't know how to identify when you are tired or when you are going too hard then fill your boots. If you also want to abandon the idea of simply "going for a ride" then this is definitely the toy to buy. Your friends will love you when you start naming your rides "Tempo Ride" , "Recovery Ride", "Zone 4/Zone 5 with some Z7 efforts".
HR is basically b***ocks for pacing. It responds very slowly, and is massively affected by environmental stuff. Heat, stress, excitement, how much sleep you had etc. TBH that's the single reason I bought my first back in 2013, and HR is one metric I largely ignore.. effort is effort and HR will fall where it will.
"If you also want to abandon the idea of simply going for a ride" - no. That's just a reflection of you (not to say you're alone), The simple fact of the powermeter being there does not mean you have to be working to zones etc. My 'long saturday' rides aren't targetted. Maybe I choose not to blow too hard on the climbs, maybe it's a ride when we attack each other, whatever. You don't *HAVE* to be a a slave to the thing - there's value in quantifying what you did as much as there is in controlling what you do.
As to the rest, Usget nailed it.. no point in me repeating
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