The Fred's Guide to Measuring Power
04-29-10, 09:22 PM
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The Fred's Guide to Measuring Power
Step 1. Drive (Ride) to Academy Sports
Step 2. Get on this: https://www.academy.com/index.php?pag...412-00223-3017
Step 3. Multiply Calories/Hr by ~0.20 to find Watts.*
Step 4. **********??
Step 5. Win the Tour de France
*my math is probably wrong
Step 2. Get on this: https://www.academy.com/index.php?pag...412-00223-3017
Step 3. Multiply Calories/Hr by ~0.20 to find Watts.*
Step 4. **********??
Step 5. Win the Tour de France
*my math is probably wrong
04-29-10, 10:07 PM
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Yeah, but I think anything measured by a machine is still better than the cylist trying to estimate it themselves...hehe
04-29-10, 10:10 PM
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Find a hill that you ride up slowly enough that aerodynamic drag can be ignored. Ride up it with a bike computer. Multiply the weight of yourself, your clothes and gear, and your bike, by your speed, by the sine of the gradient (or just the gradient is probably close enough). That's your average power. If you use SI units, it automatically comes out in watts, if you use pounds and miles per hour, multiply by 1.98.
Example: Me plus bike plus camelback = 220 lbs. Average speed up an 8.5% hill = 4.8 mph. Power output = 220*4.8*.085*1.98 = 178 watts.
Note to self: work on power output...
Example: Me plus bike plus camelback = 220 lbs. Average speed up an 8.5% hill = 4.8 mph. Power output = 220*4.8*.085*1.98 = 178 watts.
Note to self: work on power output...
04-30-10, 07:51 AM
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04-30-10, 08:27 AM
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04-30-10, 09:31 AM
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04-30-10, 09:32 AM
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My guide for measuring power:
Ride for an hour.
Say "damn, I rode hard, I must have pushed at least 360 watts that entire time!"
Fin.
Ride for an hour.
Say "damn, I rode hard, I must have pushed at least 360 watts that entire time!"
Fin.
04-30-10, 09:36 AM
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04-30-10, 09:47 AM
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Incorrect. If the "machine overstates by 100%, you'd be better off to forget about it, and work off of perceived exertion.
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04-30-10, 10:03 AM
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Portland Fred
The OP deserves credit for using "Fred's" in a grammatically correct context
04-30-10, 10:40 AM
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04-30-10, 10:54 AM
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Fred's don't care about power. They just enjoy riding their bike.
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04-30-10, 08:08 PM
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Gimme back my gears!
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I cared enough to buy a trainer with a wireless (read: guestimate ) of power. Doesn't really matter what resistance or how hard I try.. it hovers under 150 even if it reads im going 30 mph
04-30-10, 10:08 PM
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If I had money, that's about how much I'd care... that is, enough to buy a $350 trainer (mainly because I tried a $200 fluid trainer in a Dick's store and thought it was waaaay too easy).
04-30-10, 11:15 PM
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Relying on a machine that's guessing at calories is a waste of time. All my Garmins overestimate by 1.5-2x actual calories. I trust my Powertap/705 Kilojoule number and ignore the calories value. I have no idea what guessing at average power does for someone. For me the value of using a power meter is being able to adjust effort based on FTP. There are good reasons to exceed FTP if I'm willing to pay the price but I'd never know that without a PM until it was too late.
Last edited by kleinboogie; 04-30-10 at 11:19 PM.
05-01-10, 12:10 AM
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I wouldn't guess that a GPS speedometer would be that great at doing calories.
But an exercise bike probably gets its calories from something that measures watts, they simply convert them because they assume that people on exercise bikes only care about how many calories they're burning.
But an exercise bike probably gets its calories from something that measures watts, they simply convert them because they assume that people on exercise bikes only care about how many calories they're burning.
05-01-10, 07:53 AM
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Fail. Fred does not care about power, Fred rides, that is all. Posuer would go to extreems to measure his power out putOnly to find it saddly low and then declare said device of measurement to be broken, or flawed , or hes been sick lately, I had a flat, the ****s,he just came off of a real intence ladder training regimen..........
05-01-10, 11:15 AM
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Going to a store and riding a display bike is not what I'd call "extremes." In fact I'd call it the opposite of "extreme."
05-01-10, 11:43 AM
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Fail. Fred does not care about power, Fred rides, that is all. Posuer would go to extreems to measure his power out putOnly to find it saddly low and then declare said device of measurement to be broken, or flawed , or hes been sick lately, I had a flat, the ****s,he just came off of a real intence ladder training regimen..........
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05-01-10, 11:49 AM
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I mean, a fat dude in full Garmin kit started a thread because his professional bike fitting didn't make him look cool enough. Seriously.
Freds make the best of limited equipment... Poseurs make the worst of unlimited equipment.
Freds make the best of limited equipment... Poseurs make the worst of unlimited equipment.
