Try it on the trainer :) Seriously, use the powertap as a tool to even things out a bit. Stop pounding so much going up the hills and work a little more going down them. Determine you threshold power and use this to help design your workouts.

"My power readings are very eradic. Is it me or am I doing something wrong. If it's my pedal stroke, then what do you guys suggest to even things out?"

I can't tell if you're asking if there's something wrong with your PT or if you're just surprised by the wide range of wattage you produce in a given ride. Clarify?

My power will read 250 and then 100 two seconds later. It jumps all over the place. I figured there would be some inconsistency based on pedal stroke, wind, terrain, etc, but this just doesn't seem right. Are you able to keep your readings within 10 or 15 watts? I guess maybe I'm not too sure what I should see.

Corey

sounds like you might need to set the power displayed on your computer to show the average of the past 5 or 10 or even 30 seconds. maybe you have it at 1 second right now?

But are you changing effort during the times that it jumps around, or are you maintaining consistent power output? It's entirely reasonable for your power to swing by 150 watts (and much more). The beautiful thing about knowing your power output is that it tells you when you're slacking off (even if you don't realize you're slacking off).

"Are you able to keep your readings within 10 or 15 watts?"

Rarely.

Thanks for the advice. I have my update set at 1 sec right now. Maybe I'll dial that back to 10 sec. In my short time training with power, it has really shown that I ride too hard in a head wind and "slack off" too much in a tail wind. I'd like to be able to ride in a specific zone, but I am not sure what numbers to believe while the readings are jumping. Hopefully changing the update helps.

Corey

Do you notice any high voltage lines or other potential sources of electrical interference? My PT would go blank every time I passed underneath power lines, very frustrating as a lot of my ride is underneath them.

You definitely don't want to be dialing back to a 10 second delay. One of the major benefits to training with power is instantaneous feedback regarding effort. Let's say your threshold power is 300 watts and your maximum 10 second sprint is 1200 watts. For a given rolling course, you might want to try riding it in the 270-330 range. Try capping your maximum power at 500 on short hills and recover a bit on the down hills. On a different day, you could try capping your maximum power at 450, etc. There is no doubt that you would be riding inefficiently if your ride was punctuated with 5 second 900 watt efforts, but you would miss this with a 10 second delay on your meter.

Be sure to determine your threshold power and your heart rate at this exertion. This will be the foundation of your training program. If you think there is something wrong with your meter, try it with your bike on the trainer. You will definitely be smooth readings this way.

Keep the update at 1 second. You paid good money for a precise power measuring device. Don't be afraid of what it tells you - learn from it.