Power Meters / Powermeters (SRM, Powertap, Quarq, Ergomo, Vector, Stages, power2max, P2M, 4iii, InPower, Cinch)

Looks like I could have tried harder in Norway, also.

What were your HMIAERMB¹ and IINAATN² scores?

¹ How Much I Actually Enjoyed Riding My Bike™©
² It Is Not Always About The Numbers®℗

Both sharply negative

Yeah but we rode up dalsnibbe while in intense fear of final brutal 5km, and the following run. Well I did.

Then walked up......again.... well I did.

I'm finally learning to maintain a HR over 170, without crying. Been hiiting the Turbo, and banging out 3min 170+ intervals all last week. Took a shed load of time off a frequent route on Sunday because of it.

First 20km averaged around 250watts according to my PowerCal, probably closer to 280 when corrected. Not a massive improvement. But a tangeble one.

I'm still to sit on my turbo this year...

I fear the turbo.

Pertty sure I hit 179 BPM on Wednesday.

What happens if you hit your theoretical max? (182 for me).

You realise your theoretical max is wrong?

You realise your theoretical max is wrong?

Yeah.

But I choose to believe I ride at 98% max. It sounds hardcore ;)

Well, my Riken has landed in Switzerland. I'll get to see it on Sunday, and I might even have time to fit it. Depends how quickly I can drive from Bayeux to Vevey. Google Maps reckons 8 hours, so possibly not.

What happens if you hit your theoretical max? (182 for me)

Is that 220-Age? It's bullshit. Based on that, I've averaged HRmax + 10bpm for a 10 mile TT, and my dad rides TTs at HRmax + 30bpm!

btw, I've seen about 1000 blog posts about Garmin Vector today, so there's something for all you power-weenies to get hard-ons over.

Yep, the 220-Age is useless. Unless I'm 27. Which I'm pretty sure I'm not.

I must be physically 21.

Yes.

Thats the reason.

I went over my real max the other week.
Clearly wasn't trying hard enough the first time.

According to that theory mine is 183- which I hit in the Blackwall tunnel on the way to the start last Sunday.

Mine is 182. On Saturday when Mrs Smallfurry was have a pre dinner drink with a friend. I called her over to the TV and said 'look my heart rate is 176 bpm, thats 97% of my max'.

I suspect if that actually been pushing 97% max, this discussion would have been a touch tricky.

In other news. My 910xt purchase kinda fell through (long shitty story).

I was looking at options on DC Rainmaker, and I stumbled across this....

http://cdn3.sbnation.com/entry_photo_images/7424537/IMG_4197_verge_super_wide_large_verge_medium_landscape.jpeg

Its a new Tri watch from some danish, ex nokia guys. From my quick read, there are a lot of reasons to get the Garmin instead. But these are largely battery and swimming related. The one thing it has which I really want. Is a nice big screen. Its also supports nice colour maps. You would'nt believe its possible to get lost in Norway. There are landmarks fecking everywhere, and very few routes. But I have a particular talent in this area.

Anyway I'm a sucker for interestring new, and highly unrefined, or tested, items. So I currently thinking of getting one.

"Smallfurry, Alpha Tester"?

Well its offically on sale.

.....so long as you live in Denmark.

I love the look of it. I'd probably prefer a different interface. I tend to cycle with 2 'pages' of info.

The first I think of as 'realtime performance'

• Speed
  
• Cadence
  
• Power
  
• HR
  
  

The second is more 'ride achievements'

• Ride Distance
  
• Ride time
  
• Elevation gain
  
• Average speed
  
  

So only 4 metrics on the screen at a time. Which was nice and clear on the Bryton 35.

For running I'd have.

• Pace
  
• HR
  
• Distance
  
• Cadence
  
  

Again only 4 metrics.

Hopefully the Leikr will be/is already more customisable than the current fixed 6 metrics.

I think 4 is a decent number, although screen size dependant.

My first Garmin was a 305 so I got used to having:

• Pace
  
• HR
  
• Distance
  
• Time
  
  

Which are all I really want to see when out running, I guess a second page that showed averages of those, replacing time with ascent would be useful- I might configure that on my 910.

When cycling I wear the 910 but use it solely for data recording/backup, and use the SRM for speed, power, HR, distance, time, ascent and averages of those (which is a button press away).

I do have the bar-mount for the 910, so could use it properly as a bike computer.

Over winter when out exploring I have average speed, navigational map, and distance.

It's surprisingly challenging working purely with average speed- spurs you along without distracting you (this was on a 705, now replaced with an 800 - we'll see how that does this coming winter).

I find if you have Pace and distance you dont need time.

I getting back into my HR data addiction. On a mellow ride I'll monitor power, and try to keep it at a certain level, and its awesome data post ride.

But its HR that drives me. I'm fighting a short steep climb, and thinking feck, time for the little ring and a sit down. Then I see my HR is sub 170, and I HTFU, and smash it to the top. If I hit 175 at the top, I know a high cadence 200w spin will allow recovery to a cosy 150, pretty quickly. So I dont take my foot totally off the gas.

Comparing power with HR tells me if I'm being effeicent, which is pretty amazing data. I'm massively ineffiecent standing on the turbo, yet pretty decent on the road, for example.

The flood of Vector pre-order E-mails has started.

btw, I've seen about 1000 blog posts about Garmin Vector today, so there's something for all you power-weenies to get hard-ons over.

Yeah, so it's not vapourware. Only, what, 2 years late, expensive and the pedal system is meh.

The best bit about it all, is the price drop on Powertaps.

Sadly the promised track powertap has not appeared on their website.

First adopters can >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Wake me up when they have a Speedplay version.