Thanks. I’m just looking at options as my garage was broken in to and bikes stolen. With that in mind I was just looking at the most accurate single sided PM which would be best to use the same FTP for both on and off the trainer.
I found with the Tacx Vortex (also taken) that if I tried to use the bike PM then the trainer would seem to increase and decrease the resistance within the same pedal stroke. With it also being left side only, the ILT on TrainerRoad was impossible with the right side as it cranked the resistance right up
Is there a reason why you’re only considering single sided PMs? If you’re using the same bike for everything crank based like Power2Max aren’t that expensive and get you a true double sided figure rather than the inherent inaccuracy in single sided, however accurate the measurement itself is.
It’s also quite common to have a different FTP indoors and outdoors due to the differences in inertia and other conditions like temperature, ventilation etc.
Nothing more than budget really. I only started training with power last August and have found it helpful. I bought the Avio in March and though the ftp test was done at the same time on 2 different devices (edge and tacx vortex) and I got the results from there.
The break in has set me back more financially than the CV already had so I only have a small budget to get back to where I was and even then, I have to write one of the bikes off now.
The P2M looks like a good option so hopefully by the end of August, I’ll be in a position to buy both a new TT and dual sided power meter, in the mean time, single sided is probably the best to get me through and as both the Avio and 4iii are sent on new cranks, they shouldn’t be too difficult to sell on next spring.
Ok, so i’ve been using the PM for a few rides now. Not putting too much stock into the numbers yet until i’ve done some more riding and know what they mean for me. Similar to a @Hammerer post further up this thread. Though i am starting to see trends already e.g. when on longer climbs i’m finding a watt sweetspot that i can maintain, and when i’m starting to tip over.
I’m certain this has been asked elsewhere, but i can’t find it. But what do you guys ride with on your screen for everyday/long rides (not specific power sessions or races).
I’ve currently gone for speed, HR, 3 sec power, 10 sec power and cadence on my main screen (which i rarely switch from). I’m starting to think that 3 sec is a bit pointless, so may swap that for 30 sec. Any thoughts?
I found 3s power meant I was always ‘chasing’ target power - i.e. by the time it tells you you’re over/under what you want to be at, you’ve probably already changed, so I ended up ping ponging about.
Hence using instant power, just to get an idea of whereabouts I am.
Screen 1: Total time, Total distance, AP, NP, TSS
Screen 2 (Main): Speed (Curiosity, doesn’t actually add much), 3s power, HR, Cadence, L:R balance (because I’m trying to correct a L:R imbalance)
Screen 3 (Rarely use): Lap Time, Lap Distance, 30s Power, Lap AP, Lap aHR.
I like 3s power on main screen to see what I’m doing now, prefer the responsiveness over 10 or 30s power, although unlike Philleus find instant power a bit too jumpy for me given that I’m nearly always steady state efforts anyway.
Yeah, I’m the same as this. Instant power is just too instant! It’s fine on the turbo, but outside, especially in a tri or TT, 3s is a nice amount of smoothing. Out on the road more generally, I don’t tend to look at the numbers other than cursory glances, so 3s gives me a feel for what I’ve been doing just then.
I use this connect iq field, which then also gives you a decent feel for what the last minute or two has been like. Helps in tri’s and TT’s ensure that the numbers I’m seeing on the occasional glance are not entirely out of alignment with what I’ve actually been doing in between.
Agree with Speed, in Triathlon I don’t even have it. However, my lap is set to 10km, and I think that avg speed shows for the lap
I took NP off as IFand NP are so closely related that I just use IF. TSS is interesting, never considered it
Agree with this keeping 3s power nice and steady comes with practice. If it is jumping all over the place, I think that your VI will be very high, practicing keeping 3s power stable will reduce VI
Thanks for the insight guys. At the moment, the riding I’m doing, it’s all just for interest more than anything. But I will get around to ‘training’ on the bike.
For the same reason you don’t see the need for NP and IF, I’d say the same of TSS. I might have a goal of what TSS I want to end the bike leg with, but it’s just a function of IF and time. At the point you exceed any goal TSS, it’s already well past the point you can do anything about it.
It’s why I see IF as the most important in terms of delivering a TSS goal. If you know what your estimated time is (which I will generally find easiest to align with average ride speed - hence I have that, and I don’t use lap at all), and what IF you’re expecting to need to deliver that, you’ll be able to come out with roughly the targeted TSS. If conditions, or something else, mean that say at halfway you are well below your expected speed and IF is on target, then you know you’re going to take a lot longer than planned on the ride, so you can either back off the intensity, or accept TSS will overshoot your goal.
You’re unlikely to action based on current speed compared to power and HR which is probably what you ‘should’ have on computer - things that will change or inform what you’re doing. I’d agree NP doesn’t add anything if you can use IF on the go, and TSS doesn’t add much either during the ride.
But I have them on there at the moment out of curiosity whilst I’m enjoying the new novelty of having a PM, and seeing how things interact. Maybe they’ll come off once I have better intuition of how IF affects things.
I’d say I was still largely at the intro stage that @gingerbongo is at. Collecting data, but not doing much more with it other than simply staying in zones more accurately than I was using HR.
I’ve two screens that alternate. They show time, speed, average speed, 3s power, average power, HR, average HR, distance, intensity factor, cadence. For me for an Ironman it’s all about riding to a power cap and a HR cap and rarely if ever exceeding these. The speed and time will be what they will be! I’ve never had a problem with one-sided power, I think I’m reasonably even and I’ve been using one sided Stages power for a long time now and I’m well used to it - wouldn’t change to something else now that might read higher or lower than what I’m used to.
Resurrecting this and joining the noob power club…
Read through the above about 10 times and lots of good info. Alot of the data fields seem specific to racing and already having a good understanding.
With my previous power awareness being limited to a single power field on zwift… are there any good data fields to have on display whilst understanding the bigger picture. Or is it initially more - collect the data, analyse and then use the fields mentioned above?
Thx
Your final sentence is spot on, for me. Been using mine for a while now. I have 3 and 10 sec power, current speed, time and stuff. I’m just spending time seeing how different power outages work, how it affects my speed, how it affects how I feel etc, whilst getting all of the data as well.
When it comes to that weird thing called racing, hopefully I’ll have a good grip on where I am, and what I can do. As well as limiting (on a tri) effort by IF etc.
).