Do I need a power meter? So I am a cyclist, and I take part in every trail race in my country. I also pace myself with speed. like i know what average speed is going to be to become first in tt race so till now i only use heart rate monitor and see speed to the race but as i am seeing all the pro cyclist are using power meter in there time trail races so my point was is power meter worth it or can be beneficial for me but everytime i think about that all that’s come in my mind is that i can see my speed on the raod as i know roughly what avarage speed the first place is going to be so do i still want to buy power meter because power meter will do the same thing like hitting a specific power and in the end the speed is going to be same for the first place… so guys please explain or tell me if anyone knows that will this two is the same thing please reply back it would be helpful
If you’ve got the money, and especially if you race, then yes a power meter will be worth it. How much you spend is up to you but you can get a decent sense of your power in the $400 CAD range for a single sided crank based power meter like 4iiii or Stages.
Your speed will vary based on wind, gradient, position etc but your power output aka your effort, as measured by a power meter may help you take advantage of these things. Eg. if you know you can sustain 200 watts for an hour that may help you push to that level even though your speed might be already high (as in with a tailwind).
I could go on but the bottom line to me is that speed (especially average speed which is not a helpful metric on a hilly, or variably windy ride) is not as useful a training tool as power.
Edit: but, “do you need it?” No.
So i race i generally take part in time trail events but as you said speed is based on wind, position and etc and that is true but as on my place all the time trail races are held on flat roads and some bridge in between like small climbs but the thing is still i know what will be the top podium time will be so i can calculate the time, the speed and like that i got the estimate idea that this will be the first place so as i race i generally see speed and try to maintain that but the thing is my question is all the pro use the power meter so do i really also need that to level up?. so if you can please explain me in simple words like my question is as i said my i can track speed and all so will power meter will be helpful for me and if yes than like in what all terms or what all benefits i will get form it- only if we see at in a race view
the simplest way I can think of to explain it is this: If you know (based on testing) the power that you are capable of sustaining over a set period of time you can target that power and stick to that power regardless of ALL the other factors like speed, wind, and position.
But also, just as simply, you don’t NEED it. It depends on your goals. It depends on whether you have a coach. It depends on where you find yourself on the podium in the races you do. Are you always 1st. Then don’t change a thing. While a power meter will allow you to focus your training, some TT specialists (I am thinking of what I’ve heard about Taylor Phinney) don’t use power meters when racing time trials, they use perceived effort.
There is a lot of great information out there on the internet about power meters and you’ll find lots of conflicting recommendations about this too. Some will say yes, others will say no. I say, it depends. If you have the money, give it a shot. It won’t hurt you to try it.
Thanks so much Glen you have answered all my questions and the way you explained me i got all my answers so thankyou so much for your time it was really helpful i will look into it and give it a shot so thanks again
I’m not racing (apart occasionally on Zwift), but I love my power meter outdoors as I can pace myself much better. Before I had one, I would always push myself too hard and then eventually bonk, especially on longer rides or hills. Hills are actually “easy” now as I just have to keep a certain number and I know I’ll get there eventually without dying.
I find it much better than speed as it that can vary a lot depending on terrain, headwind, your position, bike etc., but 200W is always 200W.
I agree with Glenn and the hobby hoarder but I can even break it down a bit further.
A power meter can be a helpful supplement for pacing although not critical as folks have noted because you can use speed and RPE just like plenty do and have done since forever. It can be used as a sanity check though to make sure you’re not pushing too hard into a headwind etc.
But really where it shines is it opens up capabilities as a training tool that speed and he cannot match.
For structured training, it helps you tailor your effort much more precisely. Like if you want to do a threshold workout, HR is not useful bc it takes too long to respond, speed is not useful bc it’s so terrain dependent (which gets worse as the effort gets shorter, the variability has much bigger impact), and RPE can mislead bc things naturally feel easier at the start, and get harder as you go on. With power, you can structure a workout a lot more precisely and for some type of workouts, it’s really helpful. Like imagine trying to progress a weightlifting plan if you didn’t know what the weights were. Not impossible bc you have RPE, but clearly not ideal!
Also, even for workouts where RPE is best for pacing, like sprints and VO2max, having power in front of you can tell you when to stop the workout. Like if you did seven sprints at 1200 watts and the 8th was at 800, you know it’s time to pull the plug.
So look, speed and heart rate are useful. And for TTs, you do need to pay attention to speed bc position is such a key component. But power will open up a whole host of cool new tools for you to use.
Thanks man you have explained me very well and clear my all doubts i will look into buying one power meter so what will you suggest me i mean what power meter is best and accurate like there are so many only pedal power meter, crank PM,one side PM so which should i go for?
Most are reasonably accurate. Your options are essentially crank, pedal or spider based. Spider PMs tend to be the most expensive. Crank ones supposedly marginally more accurate than pedal ones. Pedal ones are easier to fit.
Single sided PMs are miles cheaper than double sided ones and are just fine. I dont know anyone who actually knows what to do with pedalling metrics from dual sided PMs.
If you go Spider based…apparently QUARK sre the go to brand.
For crank based power, Stages are excellent, Shimano has mixed reviews. Am unsure about other brands.
For pedal based, road bike, Wahoo does a Speedplay PM pedal which is great if you ride speedplay already. If you prefer to stick with a Shimano road pedal, Garmin Rally makes a Shimano SL power meter. They also make a Shimano-SPD power pedal if you ride with their MTB pedals.
There is another pedal brand of PM that released last week, sadly cant remember the brand but apparently a LOT cheaper than Garmin Rally power pedals.
Hope that gives you some options to look into. There are others as well.
For pedal based power meters, the standout non-Speedplay offerings for accuracy, ease of user, and value for money seem to be the Favero Assioma Duo (road cleat/SPD-SL), and the Assioma Pro MX (SPD). Check out DCrainmaker and @GPLama’s reviews for more.
On the spider/crank side, there’s a couple of the newer Far East models that seem decent, e.g. the Magene PES P505. (Review from Shane on those somewhere too)
On the crank-arm side of things, i’ve had reasonable luck with the Stages LH model, although also sounds like 4iiii are sorting themselves out again, don’t know much on that front though…
I’ll give a shout out to 4iiii. I have one on my current bike and I’ve had one on prior bikes.
Their single sided options are very reasonably priced, and you can purchase recycled ones for an even better price.
Eg. a 105 FC-R7000 172.5 mm crank can be had for $350 CAD, great warranty and great customer service.
Depending on your crank (I had a praxis one) you can also get a PM installed right on it if they don’t already carry the one you need.
Check out The Power Meter Store for many many options; cranks, crank arms, spiders, rings, pedals, single sided, double sided, and most all brands. They’re also very knowledgeable and helpful on the phone as far as helping you find what will work for you and best fit your bike and drivetrain.
Because they are expensive, I have been pacing with my heartrate meter for the past 1.5 years. I got better and better at pacing with it only to realize its drawback; heartrate averages are only efficient over long durations and what happens in between has a dramatic influence later into the ride which it cannot predict.
Then I purchased the Magene P505 spider (it is very consistent, cheap, haven’t had a single signal drop for the two months I’ve had it so far. It is excellent).
Within these two months it has dramatically increased the pacing efficiency and my FTP. When coupled with a heartrate meter (mine is Thinkrider 
) a good power meter is a worthy purchase.
+1 on all the comments above on why a Power meter is a good addition to the toolkit.
Regarding which one to get, I can vouch for the Favero Assioma Duo Shi. I already had Shimano pedals, so which these, all I had to do was change the spindle which was really easy to do. Also, they offer a wider Q-factor which it turns out, most of us need (We don’t have a Sepp Kuss body frame).
Another benefits with a power meter is you can also combine with tools like bestbikesplit or mywindsock to produce power-based pacing strategies based on conditions/course.
I’ve found mine useful in TTs to not go too hard out of the blocks, easy to do if you’re riding on feel and feeling fresh.
From experience (and if you have the same drivetrains across bikes (if that’s your situation) a spider PM would be the ‘best’ option (Quarq?). I had a Power2Max which was brilliant too. Consistent data. And a faultless product. After that, I’d suggest pedals in accuracy terms. Then a left hand only PM if you just want some additional numbers on your head unit.