Post by Ed Slovenkay on Oct 16, 2012 12:01:01 GMT -5
Congratulations on taking the first step toward improving your cycling. While a power meter does not turn the cranks any faster, it does display a number and collects a whole lot of data that is essential to get YOU to turn the cranks faster and with more power. It is the data and the analysis of what the data means that helps your body relate to what the number you see on the bike computer means.
So the first step when training with a power meter is to get familiar with it. If the power meter did not come with a handlebar computer (aka, head unit), you need to get one and pair up the two devices. Most quick start guides show you how to do this but most tell you to put the head unit in “pairing mode” and “wake up” the power meter by spinning the tire or turning the cranks. Once paired the Ant+ devices are recognized each time they “wake.” Now go outside and ride (or do it on the trainer indoors) taking notice of the number called current power (or watts) that is jumping up and down continuously as you pedal.
You might be asking yourself, “with the number jumping all over, how do I figure out what my power is?” Most head units are set to collect data every second or couple of seconds from the power meter. If you don’t like to see the constant variation, you could change the frequency of data collection to longer than every second. Or you could try to pedal smoother by engaging your leg muscles throughout the entire pedal stroke. Regardless of how you display current power, we need to download the data that the head unit is collecting from the power meter to begin making sense of it.
Most head units have some method of connecting to a desktop/laptop computer either via USB or Ant stick. Most head units come with software that allows you to analyze the downloaded data. A very good, FREE software is Poweragent www.cycleops.com/products/software.html. There might be some setup nuances depending on your head unit, but Poweragent can import just about all file formats. Another option is uploading to TrainingPeaks home.trainingpeaks.com/. I’m not sure if the free version of TP displays power meter data from files but the paid version does. Get your computer set up to accept downloads from your head unit. This is THE most important step to help you get the most out of training with power!
The file won’t make any sense to you at first but over time it will. The next step which I’ll cover in another post is to calculate your FTP (functional threshold power). Then I’ll post something on getting started with making some sense of the power files.
Questions on setting up your power meter? Post em. I’ll try to see if I can answer or maybe another CTC member has worked through a similar issue.
So the first step when training with a power meter is to get familiar with it. If the power meter did not come with a handlebar computer (aka, head unit), you need to get one and pair up the two devices. Most quick start guides show you how to do this but most tell you to put the head unit in “pairing mode” and “wake up” the power meter by spinning the tire or turning the cranks. Once paired the Ant+ devices are recognized each time they “wake.” Now go outside and ride (or do it on the trainer indoors) taking notice of the number called current power (or watts) that is jumping up and down continuously as you pedal.
You might be asking yourself, “with the number jumping all over, how do I figure out what my power is?” Most head units are set to collect data every second or couple of seconds from the power meter. If you don’t like to see the constant variation, you could change the frequency of data collection to longer than every second. Or you could try to pedal smoother by engaging your leg muscles throughout the entire pedal stroke. Regardless of how you display current power, we need to download the data that the head unit is collecting from the power meter to begin making sense of it.
Most head units have some method of connecting to a desktop/laptop computer either via USB or Ant stick. Most head units come with software that allows you to analyze the downloaded data. A very good, FREE software is Poweragent www.cycleops.com/products/software.html. There might be some setup nuances depending on your head unit, but Poweragent can import just about all file formats. Another option is uploading to TrainingPeaks home.trainingpeaks.com/. I’m not sure if the free version of TP displays power meter data from files but the paid version does. Get your computer set up to accept downloads from your head unit. This is THE most important step to help you get the most out of training with power!
The file won’t make any sense to you at first but over time it will. The next step which I’ll cover in another post is to calculate your FTP (functional threshold power). Then I’ll post something on getting started with making some sense of the power files.
Questions on setting up your power meter? Post em. I’ll try to see if I can answer or maybe another CTC member has worked through a similar issue.