Some riders are full of excuses, complaints and reasons why they are no good. Some even say they are not good enough to have a power meter. Maybe they are worried that their FTP score won't be as high as their arch rivals? Maybe they will realise all along they had heaps of power but didn't know how to use it?
This article tells you why you are good enough for a power meter and why you must get one very soon.
1. Power meters accurately tell you how much effort you are putting in. They are not affected by your fitness, the temperature, the wind or anything else. So if you are putting in 200 Watts of effort, while your speed will vary due to wind and other conditions, the work you are doing is consistent. So when it is windy and cold and your speeds and times are way down, you can be confident that you are working just as hard as ever.
2. You can work out your Functional Threshold Point (FTP) which is power you can hold for an hour. This helps you know how hard to push when training, racing and riding up hills. Most importantly it lets you into the conversation with the smartest riders in your group.
3. You can impress others who can see your power data in Strava.
4. You can also join in the which power meter is best discussion. I won't discuss the power meters on the market in this article as it is a whole universe on its own.
5. They are really helpful on a very windy day as you can make sure you don't panic and over do it into the wind or take it too easy when the wind is behind you.
6. All the pros have them.
7. I am going to stop at 7 reasons to keep it simple: because we both have one and this is the Mega Watt Machine website.
My co-author Tom provided some great links for those who are ready to know more.
So get out there and get a power meter soon!
Dave and Tom