Jandro 

TL;DR - use both.

That's what I'm hearing.

Thanks for the link, wr. I was looking at building a set of aluminum wheels anyway...

revchuck 

Even the uncool guys (e.g., me) are doing it. That deal on CL is a good one. Power gives you a more accurate way to do your intervals and to keep track of your training stress. And isn't that price about what you'd pay for a couple of burritos and a Coke off a food truck in SF?

Creatre

Biggest advantage to me for HR is in races. It's so hard to tell what kind of effort you are doing in the peloton by looking at power, either 3s or 30s. One quick glance at my HR and I have a general idea of how deep I am.

Jandro 

Don't be silly, you could at least get a nice brunch with that.

YMCA

Racing should be by feel. Period.
HR is such a mind-melt for so many reasons.
All said nicely...

MDcatV

I'm not sure what your HR told you that your RPE hadnt already, it seems to me, HR just verified what you already knew.

fwiw, coming back from an injury in 2007 is what convinced me to start using power and to take off the HR strap because it was giving me all kinds of mixed signals. BUT, I started wearing the HRM again about a month ago to have that 3rd data point to evaluate fatigue more thoroughly and plan recovery better.

shovelhd

Well, this was post-race analysis, so sure, it just verified what I thought. RPE is a product of the mind. The mind does strange things under stress. The heart is just a muscle taking commandments from the mind. So using data to verify what the mind tells us has value.

sstang13

I understand what you're saying here, but is it still not useful? It's good training for racing because I'm sure nobody gets proper rest between surges/efforts in a race before having to hammer it again, so is it not good training to practice going hard even with very little rest? What do I know though, I suck at racing


As for HR, it's all I have. I look at it to know how my body is reacting during rides. But I also use RPE. A lot of times (such as tonight) my HR will be in like z3/4 but I'll feel like I'm riding <z1. I don't usually notice the "my HR doesn't move" or "I can't raise my HR" kind of thing. I actually hate when my heart rate is high. When it's within 10bpm of my max and feels like it's about to come out of my chest it makes me feel sick and is very annoying.

Training tonight was somewhere around 2 hours very easy with my dad. Great weather except the last 10km of bugs wasn't to fun. Couldn't/wouldn't open my mouth the whole time, and squinted a lot...I hate them bugs. I've noticed I'm very inconsistent with riding lately. I'll have four days with like 8-10 hours and then four days with 0 hours. I have to get back into my normal routine, hopefully the TdF will give me some much needed motivation.



As for power, is it really that comparable? I mean, me at 165lbs putting out 300 watts isn't different than one of you people at 130lbs putting on the same watts? Given that we're riding together (ie. same conditions - wind, road, etc.) All on a dead flat road btw, obviously climbing is a whole different deal. As a side note, I know someone who apparently has a very low FTP but can still win races because the have a SUPER aero position on the bike. And this person has also won National TT, so power doesn't mean too much to me because there is so much more than what you can put into the pedals.. just my 2 penny's.

globecanvas

FWIW I display power but not HR during races, because I don't want to know how deep a hole I am in. It's all psychological but there's always the possibility of a power PR, but if HR is maxed out that's all there is.

misterwaterfall

I do neither. Distance and cadence is all I really focus on. If I have power I will keep second guessing myself and that works poorly I've found

shovelhd

If I'm going hard enough I can't read the screen.

globecanvas

The last year or so my reading vision has gotten so crappy that I can't read the garmin at all if there are more than 2 fields. For racing I show power and distance (power and time for crits). For training, power and HR, or power and time.

The reading thing is a drag. Maybe this belongs in the masters forum

caloso

Me too. I will occasionally glance at the time or distance, but otherwise it's not giving me anything I can use.

revchuck 

FWIW, my cycling shades are Rudy Project Rydons because they accept prescription inserts. My inserts are bifocals, made to my regular prescription, and they work fine to check my Garmin.

johnybutts

I dont even have a cyclign computer on my bike. I ask people how long we've been racing and look at lap cards.

mattm

yeah

jsutkeepspining

1 hour w/ a 7 minute ftp leg shakedown. averaged 27 mph, i guess i'm almost fast (slightly uphill for the 5.xx km stretch of road).

waterrockets 

I've learned that you better make sure you ask the right folks...

grolby

To be perfectly honest, I haven't even had my HRM on the handlebars since April, I've been going entirely by feel the last six weeks of buildup. I don't endorse this as an ideal training strategy, but it's been good for me psychologically. It'll go back on for the second half of the year, since I'll be building for cyclocross.

Anyway. Rode over and did a hilly hot lap through the local park, small chainring home. Last race-effort workout before the weekend (I'll do some sprints Friday) and a bit of a form check. I missed a PR by 5 secs, which is too bad, but I'll blame the heat. Also, this is a high but narrow peak, my endurance is lacking a bit so I faded on the last few climbs. Sprint is good though. Ready to race, I guess.

pjcampbell

I am a sucker for my power reading. In doing, say a 30+ minute hill climb, i do wonder if I'd be better off going purely by feel, but never have the guts to try doing without it. But I notice in practice, if I'm slacking a little from the read out, I push it up. But it also keeps me in check from feeling too good, mostly in the first few minute of a race where I can go out way too hard.

johnybutts

I've learned that too...

beatlebee 

I love my powermeter too but realized the limit a few months ago on a hammer ride:

I casually mentioned to a teammate that I was a bit winded and he took that as a cue to attack. He created a gap and a few more of my guys bridged and started pulling away. I was left with a group where I felt that only one other rider was strong enough to help me bridge. (Before I continue, yes I know that this is not a race...) I told him to follow me as I jumped. He hesitated but came along.

We were in no man’s land for a while when he says “dude, you have a powermeter we should just spin along with the group. (smug) You think that a 700 W sprint is gonna reel those guys in?” I just kept the pace up, pulling him until we bridged up. (A redlight helped) He again came at me with the same statement with an undertone of arrogance. I looked at him, glanced back and said “if you want to follow your powermeter all the time, you’d be back there with the other group instead of up here. The meter is great for training but don’t let it be gospel.”

His demeanor and tone changed a bit and he then remarked how he was tired from last weekend’s stage race and probably wasn’t fully recovered. I played nice for the rest of the ride and kept up a nice chat.

rbart4506

3hrs of endurance...Mid season training camp has been a success!

Lots of hours of riding on rolling hills with some lengthier climbs thrown in and none of it got in the way of the wife's goals at Nationals!

caloso

WRI's at lunchtime. I managed 6 good ones, then the wheels started falling off so I packed it in.

grolby

Collegiate Race Weight Achievement Unlocked. Boo-ya!

Sprints for openers today. Legs feel pretty snappy. I think I'm about as ready to race hard as I've ever been. Still nervous about tomorrow. I hope I race well!