Pedals of Power
Power, power, power, it’s all about power!
Nope, not going to even touch the political power side, just the human power generated while riding the bike. The subject of power has of course been worked-over in great detail by coaches and trainers the world over for a long time. My personal interest really began relatively late in my cycling history, about 9 years back when I started to ride some very big climbs in the Pyrenees every year with our Cyclesport Travel groups. One of the things that becomes very clear when riding big climbs is that you must not exceed certain power levels if you expect to not “blow up”. Even more critical is the penalty you will pay on the next climb, or trying to ride more big climbs in the following days. Being able to have a clear wattage target for this situation is very helpful, essentially a “do not exceed” number.
My power meter of choice, the Garmin Vector 3. As you can see, mine have definitely seen some mileage.
The Garmin Vector3 dual sided version lets you see left/right power balance and also gives you a look at the smoothness in a couple different ways. I look at the left/right aspect all the time after my femur fracture and have found this feature to be a critical pat of my recovery. My favorite view into the engine room is having a screen on my Garmin 530 that shows L/R power, total power, heart rate and cadence. When you can see these elements all at the same time you get a very clear view of your overall energy situation.
Over the years I have been able to try out many different power measuring systems, all the way back to early SRM cranks (1990’s) and even the Look Maxone power hub (1989). At this point in product development most of the power reading systems on the market work pretty well. The big questions are how convenient are they in terms of integrating with your bike and your bike computer. This is where the Vector pedals really shine; they don’t require you to have a particular crankset or build a special wheel around a power meter hub. The fact that the are made by Garmin also helps them integrate smoothly into the Garmin universe of computers.
Call or stop by the shop if you’re curious about power meter options for you, or if you want some clarity regarding the benefits of training and riding with power. We have experience with lots of different power products and can help find the right solution for you.