Power for the Poor
Hello All,
I keep reading all these amazing posts about training with power.. and you all are making me jealous. But i am poor and power is out of my price range. (lets be honest, it is more about my partner seeing yet more money spent on triathlons and him killing me) Is there a cheap way to get a power meter? Or will i have to wait a year for one of two things to happen:
1) prices to go down
2) i can save up for a good power meter.
Thoughts?
Jonathan
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Comments
I hear you Jonathan. I am envious too. I plan to keep my eyes open to deals and even used equipment. I'm sure the group will have some good suggestions. Meanwhile, I figure as long as I am working hard and making progress that is ultimately all that counts. Think about it, back in the day Dave Scott, Mark Allen, Scott Tinley, Paula Newby-Fraser...none of them had power meters. Just saying...
Hey have you considered trainerroad? 10 bucks a month and you can train with virtual power. It's not the same as having a powertap or quarq but for training purposes it works pretty well!
If you will be doing most of your training indoors for the next several months, you could use TrainerRoad which would give you "Virtual Power" to test and train with for $10 per month (plus the addition of a ~$30 ANT+ Speed/Cadence sensor). And there is an EN group on there so all of the EN OS workouts are already setup for you.
http://www.trainerroad.com/
Power meters certainly are expensive, but maybe not as expensive as you may think. I have seen the cheapest wired Powertaps trade on eBay for around $300. You can get a used wireless Powertap on eBay for around $500 give or take.
Here's an example of one that traded yesterday for $265 +$30 shipping:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Powertap-Comp-Wired-on-DT-Swiss-RR-465-Wheel-/300850489301?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&nma=true&si=UdEWMIxof5E9vXxtpWB4Z3ldIvI%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc
X2 on Trainerroad..... at least you will learn alot and get measurable quality training while you save for the PM of your choice.... You will take that training with you to the road with or without a power meter.
And like others have said - people have trained w/o PM's for years, and done very well. At the end of the day, a PM does two things:
1) Optimize training (you can get pretty darned close with TR and with EN workouts anyway)
2) Prevent you from doing something stupid during a race, like spiking up by 100W while going uphill. You can avoid this by just doing the opposite of everyone else, or by being hypersensitive to HR changes during a climb.
Finally, keep checking ebay for second hand gear. I got my wired powertap (and wheel) for ~$400 that way over the summer.
If and when you make the transition to training with power, we will be here to help. In the meantime, keep doing the WORK and the SPEED will follow.
Jonathan,
Great answers so far. I'll only add don't get a set of race wheels or you may get a visit from Coach Rich.
Alternatively if you have a set a race wheels perhaps consider selling the rear wheel and getting a used power meter . If it's a quarq then get a bullet proof a rear tire with a wheel cover from wheelbuilder, the powertap will give you a choice of wheels and the aforementioned wheel cover as well.
I bought my powertap before my new bike and was glad I got in to power before buying the specialized transition. Prior to that I was on a used cannondale that I bought for $800 and was running a powertap that cost around the same on the rear wheel. .
Gordon
I totally get a $8-1500 expenditure being a 'can't get it past the spouse' conversation, but you're paying for EN, you've likely signed up for a WTC event this year at $225+, the benefits of spending that $300 are huge from the perspective of accelerating your learning.
OK, if all I had was $300 to improve myself as a triathlete, what would I spend it on ... Return on investment-wise? A power meter, or even trainer road for that matter, makes certain bike workouts easier to be precise with, and some some of the really hard wkos more tolerable, but considering the amount of time spent in various types of workouts, $180 for a Garmin Forerunner 305 IMO is a better first choice. Unless you are already an accomplished runner with years of distance racing and training, or already have a serviceable pace watch, that would be my pick.
It's fun to throw around watts and all the TSS and IF numbers, I agree. But personally, I saw more dramatic race day results once I started training daily with my Garmin, then when I added power to the mix. Of course, YMMV
Hi John,
Someone else in the forum (can't remember who) also recommended Trainer Road. Unfortunately I don't have a reliable trainer either. I use the Spinning bikes at my gym. So, in order to use Trainer Road I would have to spend $200-300 on a decent trainer. Right now it's not in my budget. That is why I'm trying to draw inspiration from those pros who didn't use power back in the day. I think someone said Chrissy Wellington doesn't either. ANyway, someday I'll have a powermeter. Until then, I'll use my heart. Thanks for the advice though, I do appreciate it.
If power meters were available to Dave Scott and Mark Allen, I bet that they would have been using them. But, there is some truth to the idea that they didn't really need them. They trained so much that they were very much in tune with their RPE's and what their body's were capable of. At least several of the current-day pros use their power meters to generate information rather than to race with them. Basically, they ride a certain race and go back and analyze their data, then relate how they felt to what their levels were. So, while it is true that you don't absolutely need power, PM's help maximize ROI, especially in training. .
Where power meters are so helpful (at least to me) is knowing how to train and race at the "correct" level. Yes, you can train and race solely on RPE as well as with HR. But, since we all have day jobs, and look to maximize the amount of benefit we get out of our training, using a PM gives us another input that has less variables than RPE and HR. And racing with a PM helps make sure you don't overcook yourself at certain parts of a race which can be vital in a long-course event.
These are some of the same types that are dropping $7/day for a cup of coffee at Starbucks, yet a $300 powermeter on Ebay is too expensive? I think in general, we tend to find ways to get what we want, and find ways to justify not doing something. A $300 powermeter from Ebay is less than $1.00 per day. I could think of several ways to shave $1/day off my expenditures if I needed to justify a powermeter.
I think we, as time crunched, age groupers can benefit from the proper use of the information more so than a pro who has infinitely more time to train than we do. I also get that using a PM to its fullest advantage has more to do with an athletes personality than anything else. Some just are not into numbers, data analysis, the scientific method. They want to go by feel. To each, their own and what makes everyone individual.
Please understand this is offered as a perspective from someone who has heard the "they are too expensive" story for years. I'm not judging anyone who chooses not to get one. I'm just not getting the "too expensive" thing. Triathlon is an expensive sport and a PM is just a tool or piece of equipment that we can use to make it more fun. Not required or the best use of money for some.
Being too expensive is a relative term. It is expensive now because i shelled out almost $900 on race registrations, $1400 on a places to stay, $700+ on coaching (worth every penny), $70 a month on gym membership for the pool, and training camp. Another $1500 for a crank power meter is a little out of the budget for this race season.
PowerTap wheels looks like a good option for me and i will keep an eye out for a deal. BEWARE, i am going to state something that will cause lots of comments..... I just upgraded my bike last year to a really nice Orbea Ordu Gold. The bike new (which i bought used for a steal) would cost more than my car. I do not want to put a not so pretty wheelset on my new bike because they offers a powertap. Its like putting snow tires and rims on a Ferrari. Yup, i just compared my bike to a Ferrari. :-) I'm just crazy about my bike and want it to look as bad ass as possible. Also one day in the future i will purchase a new powermeter, maybe just not this season. I think a heart rate will work well for this race.
Agree, wheel cover pretties things up.
Especially when it has the EN stickers on it!
Thanks for the suggestion Woody. I will definitely check out Craigslist. I am going to try to make the Trainer Road option work for me. I'm sold on it after listening to everyone. Cheers, L