PowerTap
April 5th, 2007 |Wah:
Last year I didn’t see that many during races, now they are everywhere. I use mine for training, but don’t see the need to haul the extra weight around during a race. If you got the $$$ for a PowerTap SL 2.4 wireless or the extra $$$$ spanky SRM then maybe. It might be cool to look at the data after the race, but again I don’t see the point.
I don’t see the point either. As a matter of fact, I don’t even see the point to training with one outside.
As I have mentioned previously, I use a Tacx iMagic trainer. One of the features of this trainer allows me to custom design a training program that will provide resistance at a particular watt level for a particular amount of time. It’s a great training tool because I can create the program and run it in a controlled environment over multiple workouts to gauge my fitness. It’s prefect. If I am feeling good from week to week I can up the watts. If I feel like I am working too hard I back off the watts a bit.
I would find it difficult to attempt to use wattage as a training tool outside due to the variations in terrain and weather conditions. Every time you step outside to ride you could be working out in different conditions. How is it possible to gauge your fitness level without a control?
I know that there are ways for elite level athletes to use a PowerTap (or other cycle computer that picks up wattage output, i.e. SRM or Polar) effectively in a training program. But at what cost? These things are not cheap and I can’t help but think that they are only going to provide you with training data that the average athlete is not going to be able to use effectively. The money spent on one of these devices may be better spent on a week long spring training trip to the mountains.
