Do you have a power meter ?

I work in the IT industry and I’m a bit of a gadget freak.

I think I was one of the first to try out a power meter in this neck of the woods back in 2008. A PowerTap, which people genuinely asked me if it was a dynamo.

The PowerTap helped to really spread the word about training (and racing) with power and also made it (a little more) affordable for the average cyclist to use this form of training.

Generally though, it was still only used by a fraction of racing cyclists, never mind anyone else.

With the subsequent release of new products, the price has steadily dropped, making this tool ever more affordable.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

1) Improvement.

We all want to go that little bit faster, or feel that little bit fitter when we’re on the bike, no matter what level we’re at*.

2) It’s geektastic :-)

We can now tell people how many watts we “put out”. What our FTP is and what our peak power for 2min, 20min and 30min are. We can watch in awe at the numbers the Pros put out and just for one second…literally…we can do the same. Until we come back down to earth in a ball of quivering, panting exhaustion :-D

Are you using a power meter ? I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

*Note: A power meter, like most tools, is useless if not used properly. If you’re just going to look at the numbers but do nothing with them, don’t buy one.