I recently got a deal on a Stages Power Meter so I figured I would add it to the arsenal. Anyway I have a Wahoo Element and there are a ton of metrics for power. What are the most useful power metrics that should be used?
Agree with the 3s avg, the instantaneous jumps around too much to be useful. In a long race or challenging ride, I like to look at average power and kW as well. It gives me an idea of how many arrows I have left in my quiver, as well as how much total energy I've spent throughout the day. Sometimes those measured numbers can be different than my perception. Once you get a baseline, it can help you decide when you should back off or when it's OK to let loose.
I do have the 3s average currently. I was think about setting up a page that had a couple of other power metrics. So it looks like the 3 that are mentioned would be good to start with.
Total kJ for burn and calorie management is huge. I prefer NP to AP, especially if punchy or hilly. If you don't have your power zones memorized, you could also display % (impact factor). I use the 8s power (or something similar) for more smoothing than 3s.
nashkato wrote:Total kJ for burn and calorie management is huge. I prefer NP to AP, especially if punchy or hilly. If you don't have your power zones memorized, you could also display % (impact factor). I use the 8s power (or something similar) for more smoothing than 3s.
Ahhh, shoot! I definitely meant kJ, not kW, for overall energy expenditure. My bad, and thanks for clarifying.
3-10s power and lap average power are my favorites (plus lap time) - and I use the lap key whenever something happens that changes the pace - start/end interval, hit a hill, group ride gets to an ON section, etc.
if you had a Garmin, you could also look at Xert MPA - been tempted to try this.
