Discussion: Power

Nice work!

I've been trying to find a decent power level I can maintain without blowing my heart out of range. While I've always liked a higher cadence for climbing, there is pretty strong evidence that I can maintain higher power levels if I keep the cadence down.

Wow!

Probably a strange question, but can you generate/maintain the same power on the 'bents as on the upright bike? I often thought that 'bents need less power for more speed, but you can crank more watts on the upright bikes.

I've never had an upright bike on the power meter, but I don't think I could get any more power out of them. I am inclined to agree that when actually moving, you would need less power on a 'bent with a low profile than on a traditional bike.

I think I can get a quicker uptick in power on an upright by standing and basically jumping on the pedals. I've been surprised how steep I can get the power curve on the 'bent - but it is a few revolutions of the pedal to get ramped up rather than 1/2 a revolution on the upright.

I think my efficiency at higher power levels is much better on the 'bent, largely because my body as a whole is much quieter. I'd have to train myself to stay that still on an upright. That would be easier if I could hold an aero position.

My max power on the Bacchetta was a hair over 1000 watts. I'm not sure if I could hit that on an upright. As far as maintaining the power, I can definitely hold the higher levels on the 'bent for longer. This might not be the case for a rider with better veins.

Hoo, that's a lot of watts! Thanks for the thorough answer.