Power meter on MTB?

D

dusty_nz

Likes Dirt
Has anyone actually used a power meter on the MTB?

How does it handle all the small impacts? Are the result usable during the ride or mainly post ride analysis?

I imagine the during a long fireroad section it would be fine but actually MTBing with uneven surface, rocks , roots, peagravel and boulders would cause it to be erratic in its readout?



Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
 
dwnhil4thewin

dwnhil4thewin

Likes Dirt
dusty_nz said:
Has anyone actually used a power meter on the MTB?

How does it handle all the small impacts? Are the result usable during the ride or mainly post ride analysis?

I imagine the during a long fireroad section it would be fine but actually MTBing with uneven surface, rocks , roots, peagravel and boulders would cause it to be erratic in its readout?



Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

It all depends what you are looking to get out of it.

Most power meters can be used effectively for mountain biking but it depends how you set it up. e.g. Most will record data within the headunit once per second. However, you can usually set it up to display a 5 second average, 30 second average, 1 minute average etc etc.

With mountain biking often being highly intermittent, a 30 second average power output may not be appropriate if you have sprinted for 10 seconds and then not been able to pedal for the next 20 seconds through a rougher downhill section i.e. your 30 second average power will be very low even though you sprinted for the initial 10 seconds. For mountain biking it is usually best to just display second by second data or short averages around 5 seconds while out on the trail. You can then look at the longer averages when you get home. Some headunits allow you to display averages across a lot of different time periods side-by-side which helps.

So long as you set it up right for the data that you want they can be a great tool for monitoring performance and training. Just remember that mountain biking is very different to steady state cycling so its not always appropriate to compare numbers with your home ergometer sessions or road cycling numbers.
 
J

Jubas

Likes Dirt
I've got a stages on order for the roadie. If that works well (dealing with only one leg; i actually use the data etc) then i'll consider one for the mtb. The three main uses in my mind (for me - YMMV etc):

  • Training load across both road and MTB
  • Pacing on fire road/long climbs
  • Understanding race requirements to inform better training

I definitely don't think you need a power meter for the road or MTB, but i'm a bit of a data geek deep down, and I want to see what I can do with it
 
P

PedalPhil

Likes Bikes
Have just gotten one on the roadie, I would not have bothered except I have the data from my Tacx Bushido indoor trainer for the last year, and I find it pretty useful. Mainly doing intervals I know how much I can sustain for 1 Min, 3 mins, 8 mins, which I am thinking I can use on the roadie to pace myself on climbs to not blow out - if it works on the roadie will justify one on the Orange Peril (SC 5010).

Anything but a racer, more a 46yo nerd that road cycles during the week to be fit enough to ride off-road on weekends. Also reckon it will help me on the Three Dams in a few weeks.

Set-up and pairing is a breeze (head is a 3yo Garmin 800 updated to latest firmware), as for the battery life (alledgedly 200 hours) we will see, carrying a spare in the saddle bag just in case.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top