What is a Power Meter?

Back in the 80s, a technology was developed to measure the output of power in watts by using the torque applied to strain gauges. Its use steadily grew from the pros using them until they became commercially available to the public.

Okay but what do they do?

Ever wondered how hard you were pushing yourself? You can sort of feel that it was the same intensity as your last training session but you can never be sure. Most used heart rate monitors to figure it out. Keep your heart rate at a certain level and you’ll be all good. The problem there is that there are many factors that can influence your heart rate. Maybe you had your morning joe before your ride. Maybe you had an all-nighter. Maybe it’s really hot or it’s really cold out. All those things affect your heart rate and really don’t accurately tell you if you’re going as hard as you normally do.

That’s where power meters come in. A power meter is basically a device that tells you, in watts, how much power you are producing while you are pedaling on a bike. Different companies have made different devices from GPSs to torque measuring devices. Here, you have a sure-fire way of figuring out your exact levels and see with near precision how much you are improving. There is a margin of error but it’s pretty minor and it is much more accurate than a heart rate monitor.

But before you go and buy yourself a power meter, it is really important that you do a bit of reading. Having the power meter is only a part of the process. You need to know how to read the data coming out of your sessions. You can hire yourself a coach who can train you based on your watts or you can read up on it yourself. Hunter Allen does a fantastic book on the topic and makes for some real interesting reading.

I’ll be doing a post on the different types of power meters on the market, including the new release from Garmin, the Vector.

Below is an example of a wattage readout. Like I said, you need to read up a little.