It's not mandatory.

It does, however, make tracking of bike ability much more objective, and can be extremely useful for indoor training (a la Trainerroad, which relies on %FTP for workouts.)

Still, if you're already hammering pretty hard on your bike without a PM, the gains will be small/marginal, as the improvements come from busting your tail and then recovering, not from knowing the ins and outs of FTP metrics.

Can also help (or hinder!) on race day - I've had PMs both help me maintain a steady target %FTP effort, as well as blow me up completely when I tried to stick to that target too hard when I may have gone too hard on the swim or perhaps was too hot out that day.

Plenty of great pro cyclists and triathletes don't use powermeters.

Joel Friel PowerMeter handbook is where I got my information. It's a great measure of how hard you are working, and therefore is a great way to set up a structured workout. I don't believe it's critical, but I'm a data junkie. Tonight is actually my FTP test, and I'm looking forward to seeing if the last 3 months have helped me improve. 221 watts when I first got back on the bike after a year off. If I've gotten stronger, then replicating the test will show a higher number.
When I race, it actually keeps me from overdoing it. Especially in the first half of the ride. Heartrate just moves around too much day by day, and especially on race day.
Think of it like knowing your true threshold heart rate and pace for running, and then using that data to plan a tempo day, or to keep it under a certain point for a long run.

Thanks guys, your responses are helpful, cheers!

I recommend connecting your Kickr to Trainerroad and trying a couple of workouts to see what training with power is like. I have a free month of TrainerRoad to give away. If you pm me your email address (or leave it here), I will gladly send you the referral. You will need a Bluetooth comparable device (like a smartphone, tablet, or PC that has Bluetooth). You could connect your Kickr to your phone and do a couple trainerroad workouts, starting with a 20 Min FTP test. This would give you an idea of what training with power is like which is a good starting point for getting first hand experience of why to use a power meter. No worries if you do not take me up on that offer, just a suggestion.

Structuring workouts is far from the only reason to use a power meter, but it is a good starting point. A power meter tells you exactly how much work you are doing. Speed is meaningless on a bike, so power is an objective way to gauge effort.

WRT cadence, why 70rpm? That is quite low of a target.

Can you access the first chapter of this for free? (I thought you could, but am not seeing any link from my phone.)

https://www.amazon.com/...Hunter/dp/1934030554

I understand what you're trying to express (so take this comment as only a bit in jest....):

Race winning, KOM's, PR's, etc is only about speed. Awards aren't given for 'most power' or 'best wt/kg'. Power meters help you gauge your own effort. Speed allows you to gauge your performance against others.

Coggan's book is a bible. Get it, read it, take it seriously!

I train indoors a lot because of the climate where I live.

There is a direct correlation to the purchase of a power meter and incredible improvement.

I was obviously 'doing it wrong' for years.

Some mistakes I made, and how a power meter changed it.

The long ride - used to be easy.
With PM, I pick an average power I need to hold.
It's easy for the first hour
Needs focus for the second hour
Is very difficult for the third hour

Without the power meter I was most likely adjusting the power down with fatigue,

On the trainer.
Doing sets at fixed speed before I had a PM.
When I got a PM I noticed that the trainer lost resistance with heat.
So to hold a constant power for a 4 x 8/2 set I'd need to do 33, 33,5, 34 & 35km/h in each successive set to hold the power.
Previously I'd do them all at the same speed.

For racing I never look at the PM but I analyse data afterwards to see where the race intensity approached or challenged my limiters.

I could go on but that's the jist of it.

In summary, if a PM doesn't help you improve then either:

1/ You don't know how to use the PM or power data.
2/ You are not training enough
3/You were training correctly all the time
4/ You are past your peak

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Yes, most of the chapters appear to be partially available. They do omit one-to-three pages within the chapter, though. Even with the "holes", the preview is useful. Thanks for the link.

I'm relatively new to the new power game but it is just a tool to measure how hard you're working. How it can be used has many answers.

I currently use it in a training sense so I can follow my coaches training plans and hit power intervals. Previously I used HR but I find that less useful in terms of measured power for training.

Edit: I'd also add that "dude you've got a Kickr!" Seriously congrats on that, seems to be a nice trainer with a great deal of upside. I may buy one to add to my training "stuff". I'd say that jumping on it and doing a cadence based workout is a waste of your resources.

I've been using PerfPro studio for about a week now with my setup and like it... a bit techy but powerful and useful I think. There are some already built in rides that you can do... install it, do the FTP test, set your FTP and do some of the workouts. I think it would be time better spent using your trainer... IMO.

They have a 14 day trial period as well... after that it's a one time that I'm going to round to $100.