There's a few older threads on here but does anyone use one and if so, how does it work for them? I'm not overly concerned about super-precise power (I have a turbo trainer which can do that) so I just want a rough power guide to see whether it's something I'd use outdoors.
Fine for 30 second average and above. I've used one for years for everything from club rides to road races. Power distribution is not as wide as proper power meter, but average is spot on.
Sample 100 km training loop here https://www.strava.com/activities/928333762
I did once run aerolab on Golden Cheetah to estimate CdA using powercal data from a ride at Hillingdon with some success!
For reference, the default settings for http://bikecalculator.com/ for the linked ride gives an average power of 201 Watts for 34 km/hr average. (On the drops, clinchers, 68+8 kg, 12C). On the iOS App, I use an aero scaling of 0.97, to account for the fact that I'm not always on the drops and this would raise the average to 207. A prediction error of 1.5%. I ride the route at least weekly with my Powerpod too, and see the same watts.
It's a good device. I have two - one spare. It is accurate enough to calibrate a turbo trainer, but then so is heart rate.
/slight hijack
Over the course of the season, as you get fitter, how does the powercal adapt? or do you have to re-calibrate it somehow?
No recalibration. It uses the derivative of heart rate, not absolute value.
See link below used for for over as year good enough for 10 or 30s average power
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/11/cycleops-powercal-in-depth-review.html
Sorry, thread necromancy. My HR strap is being "complicated" (reading 200+ at periods on rides) so I need a new one and may as well get a powercal. Question now is whether or not anyone has them in stock.
Mine did that - cheap tube of electrode gel sorted it (my mate suggested it; thinks that the weak signal from the actual heart beat is overwhelmed by things like static from your shirt and that improving the conduction allows it to dominate. Sounded like bollocks to me but does seem to have workedMy HR strap is being "complicated" (reading 200+ at periods on rides)
Sorry - get a powercal anyway, obvz
Might be worth trying it. As well as getting a powercal, obvz 🙂
I'd get the bluetooth one next time - then you can have power and HR sent to your Zwift iPad app 😉
Try taking the battery out and reversing it for 10 seconds. Also lube the pads. Never had a lot of luck withe the Garmin device to be honest. The Powercal has always given more spiky data than the Garmin and the Wahoo one I now use.
Power for a 100 km road race in [url= https://www.strava.com/activities/1008089942 ]this link[/url] was from Powercal if anyone is interested.
I'll get the dual band one even though I use Garmin as it'll give me some future-proofing. Sadly though, finding one that will ship to me for a price that isn't crippling is proving easier said than done.
So I've had one ride with it so far and it does seem a bit magical in how it works but I think it's pretty good on sustained efforts. I found the 3s power a bit random so moved to 10s power for the garmin.
You won't be doing sprint intervals with it, but 10 and 30 second averages are fine. The overal 25W distribution is truncated (lower variance) than a real power meter, but it serves a function. One of its best functions is back up for when you discover, 5 min before the race starts, that your stages/Quarg/Powerpod/Vectors/P1s are having a hissy fit and you still would like to measure something.
The power figures are lower than my BKool turbo seems to indicate but they're consistent based on my efforts so it'll be good as a training tool which is all I care about at the moment.
From what I've heard i wouldn't be surprised if you got more accurate numbers from the PowerCal than the BKool 😉
It's only about 10% different and both bkool and powercal feel like they're in the right zone given some riders around here and their power meter readings for climbs. Anyway, as long as each is consistent with itself I'm happy enough; it's about my improvement more than anything else, I'm not racing.
Checked my powercal and powerpod readings for two road races on the same course. Averages agreed nicely, spread was much tighter for powercal, as expected. It's a 10 km circuit, and I like to at average per lap, so 15 min average not 30 sec 😉
