Does anyone have information/opinion on power cranks?
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Re: power cranks [hoehler]
[ In reply to ]
just try a search in the posts here, you should find volumes.
https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era
https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era
Re: power cranks [hoehler]
[ In reply to ]
To try and save you the trouble of a search, here's a synopsis: Some (even the very highly educated) people think they are malarky. Some people think they might work, but aren't convinced. A very small smattering of people have even tried them for a very short while, gave up (for various reasons...too hard to ride, afraid it will take away from their "normal" training, etc.). Other people think they might work, but they're too expensive, or they'd rather spend their alotted money on race wheels, etc.
Then, there's another group of riders: those that have actually trained on them. This is the group that overwhelmingly thinks they are beneficial, if you do the work they require in order to improve. This group is split into two main camps...those that think they should be ridden all the time, and those that think they should be ridden only part of the time.
I'm not a runner. Well, I used to be a decent sprinter a few decades ago, but, I've never been a good endurance runner. I've never heard anyone (in the group that has actually used them) that says they didn't help on the run. I'm referring to people that previously ran 30 minute 5K's, as well as people that previously ran sub-20 minute 5K's. I went from running 24-25 minute 5K's in triathlons to 21-22 minute 5K's in the same triathlons, AND increasing my bike speed in these same races (on the same courses as last year) by a couple of mph. Alas, my swimming hasn't improved...that's my only complaint about PowerCranks.
I've had mine since December 20th, 2002. I just did a sprint triathlon this past Saturday, I was 5th in my age group, last two years I was MOP. I did my first 1/2 iron distance a month ago, I was 4th in my AG (39th fastest run split out of 300+ males) on a day that over 40 people were put in the hospital for heat-related illness. A week before that race I was 2nd in a Duathlon. The first triathlon this year I was 4th, the last two years I was MOP in the same event. In April, I ran a half marathon (the second of my life) and hurt my achilles at mile two (later found out it was due to a bad heel-counter in my shoe), but I kept going, limping along, and still ended up 7th in my AG with a 1:37...and I hadn't been running much....just PowerCranking. No way would I have been able to do this without the stronger hip flexors that I'd developed by using PowerCranks.
Are the claims made on the website true? It depends on the individual. They accurately reflect what I am personally experiencing. I've picked up over 2 mph so far on my bike splits over last year (on the same courses), while running a couple of minutes faster in 5K's. I still have yet to be able to attend our local 10 mile TT to get a pure TT speed reading (last year my best was 24.9 mph)...I'm thinking this year will be close to 26 mph...but I'll have to get out there and do it before I'll know for certain.
Yesterday, as a recovery day from the race on Saturday, I rode my PowerCranks for 45 miles...didn't feel too bad at all. I've come a long way from struggling to ride them for 20 miles when I was fresh. I'm glad I stuck with them.
Talk to people that have actually TRAINED on them, the rest know very little about PowerCranks as they relate to "real world" performance, in spite of some of them claiming to know much more about almost EVERYTHING physiology-related than the dummies that actually TRAIN on them. One person even stated that in graduate school they were taught to read only the results of a study and to make up their own mind as to what the results mean, without regard to the author's own discussion about the potential problems in obtaining and interpreting the results. That's fine and dandy. But, in Kindergarten, I was taught that actions speak louder than words.
Performance gains are what we're after. Words don't make you faster.
The only way you'll know if they help YOU is to try them out. Otherwise, it's just academic onanism to discuss them.
Good luck with your decision. Either way, it's not about life or death. You CAN improve without them, no doubt. But if you've hit a performance plateau, make sure you do something other than what you've always done...because it's crazy to do the same old things and expect a different result.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
Then, there's another group of riders: those that have actually trained on them. This is the group that overwhelmingly thinks they are beneficial, if you do the work they require in order to improve. This group is split into two main camps...those that think they should be ridden all the time, and those that think they should be ridden only part of the time.
I'm not a runner. Well, I used to be a decent sprinter a few decades ago, but, I've never been a good endurance runner. I've never heard anyone (in the group that has actually used them) that says they didn't help on the run. I'm referring to people that previously ran 30 minute 5K's, as well as people that previously ran sub-20 minute 5K's. I went from running 24-25 minute 5K's in triathlons to 21-22 minute 5K's in the same triathlons, AND increasing my bike speed in these same races (on the same courses as last year) by a couple of mph. Alas, my swimming hasn't improved...that's my only complaint about PowerCranks.
I've had mine since December 20th, 2002. I just did a sprint triathlon this past Saturday, I was 5th in my age group, last two years I was MOP. I did my first 1/2 iron distance a month ago, I was 4th in my AG (39th fastest run split out of 300+ males) on a day that over 40 people were put in the hospital for heat-related illness. A week before that race I was 2nd in a Duathlon. The first triathlon this year I was 4th, the last two years I was MOP in the same event. In April, I ran a half marathon (the second of my life) and hurt my achilles at mile two (later found out it was due to a bad heel-counter in my shoe), but I kept going, limping along, and still ended up 7th in my AG with a 1:37...and I hadn't been running much....just PowerCranking. No way would I have been able to do this without the stronger hip flexors that I'd developed by using PowerCranks.
Are the claims made on the website true? It depends on the individual. They accurately reflect what I am personally experiencing. I've picked up over 2 mph so far on my bike splits over last year (on the same courses), while running a couple of minutes faster in 5K's. I still have yet to be able to attend our local 10 mile TT to get a pure TT speed reading (last year my best was 24.9 mph)...I'm thinking this year will be close to 26 mph...but I'll have to get out there and do it before I'll know for certain.
Yesterday, as a recovery day from the race on Saturday, I rode my PowerCranks for 45 miles...didn't feel too bad at all. I've come a long way from struggling to ride them for 20 miles when I was fresh. I'm glad I stuck with them.
Talk to people that have actually TRAINED on them, the rest know very little about PowerCranks as they relate to "real world" performance, in spite of some of them claiming to know much more about almost EVERYTHING physiology-related than the dummies that actually TRAIN on them. One person even stated that in graduate school they were taught to read only the results of a study and to make up their own mind as to what the results mean, without regard to the author's own discussion about the potential problems in obtaining and interpreting the results. That's fine and dandy. But, in Kindergarten, I was taught that actions speak louder than words.
Performance gains are what we're after. Words don't make you faster.
The only way you'll know if they help YOU is to try them out. Otherwise, it's just academic onanism to discuss them.
Good luck with your decision. Either way, it's not about life or death. You CAN improve without them, no doubt. But if you've hit a performance plateau, make sure you do something other than what you've always done...because it's crazy to do the same old things and expect a different result.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
Re: power cranks [yaquicarbo]
[ In reply to ]
Did my first 80+ miler on the PCs this weekend. I am definitely faster over shorter distances on the PCs than on regular cranks. If I were doing any sprints this year, I would ride PCs. As my PC endurance improves, I would consider using them in 1/2 IM races and maybe even IM. Maybe it is just me, but my legs seem to feel fresher after a PC ride than a regular crank ride. My thighs aren't as thrashed and It seems like it is easier to run off of the bike. I feel like they are helping my run as well (although I don't have any race results to prove it yet). Time will tell. I am a satisfied customer so far.
Mike P.
Mike P.
Re: power cranks [yaquicarbo]
[ In reply to ]
yc, how much time are you spending on the PCs? Exclusive, 90%, etc.? Have you tried racing on them? Are you able to ride in the aero position and for how long?
Bob Sigerson
Bob Sigerson
Bob, I'm on PCs over 90% of the time. Yesterday, while on about mile 35, I made the following comment to my buddy, "This is why I don't race on PCs, YET." I could no longer hold a decent cadence (arbitrarily defined by me as 80 or above) during long straights/downhills, even while in a "roadie" position. It was 5 or 6 strokes, coast a bit. The thing was, I was still going the same speed as he was, but not as fast as I normally could go. When in a "best aero" position for me (again, arbitrarily defined as being in my aero bar position), I don't last for more than 5, perhaps 10 minutes, maximum.
I think I could race short distances on them now, especially if it were a hilly course. I KNOW I'm faster on PCs than regular cranks when going uphill, or sprinting, or near-maximal efforts that last as long as my hip flexors can go, but I haven't made the time to actually compare racing the same course on PCs then on regular cranks...mainly because I don't want to lose the training effects I get while on PCs...even if the benefits are mostly improved running speeds/endurance, so I don't ride regular cranks very often. I did make several rides on a circular 3.3 mile course a week or two ago, and plan to get my non-PC bike out on the same course and compare the times to see if it's time to make the jump over to racing PCs...it's a hilly course, so it could work. I have a very hilly race coming up in two weeks, so I might race them for the first time then.
However, once you've ingrained the PC stroke, you SHOULD be able to do it on regular cranks. The problem is this: I've had MILLIONS of pedal strokes done the old way, it's a hard habit to break without the constant, instant feedback that PCs provide when you slip up.
Look, I'm no expert, I've just simply actually used them, and I've obviously improved while using them. Whether or not my improvement is because of the PCs, I cannot scientifically state: unequivocally yes. But, I don't know what the heck else it could be. I ain't exactly a spring chicken that hasn't been training for years...I have really improved my racing results. I think, in my case, it is PC training that has enabled this change to occur.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
I think I could race short distances on them now, especially if it were a hilly course. I KNOW I'm faster on PCs than regular cranks when going uphill, or sprinting, or near-maximal efforts that last as long as my hip flexors can go, but I haven't made the time to actually compare racing the same course on PCs then on regular cranks...mainly because I don't want to lose the training effects I get while on PCs...even if the benefits are mostly improved running speeds/endurance, so I don't ride regular cranks very often. I did make several rides on a circular 3.3 mile course a week or two ago, and plan to get my non-PC bike out on the same course and compare the times to see if it's time to make the jump over to racing PCs...it's a hilly course, so it could work. I have a very hilly race coming up in two weeks, so I might race them for the first time then.
However, once you've ingrained the PC stroke, you SHOULD be able to do it on regular cranks. The problem is this: I've had MILLIONS of pedal strokes done the old way, it's a hard habit to break without the constant, instant feedback that PCs provide when you slip up.
Look, I'm no expert, I've just simply actually used them, and I've obviously improved while using them. Whether or not my improvement is because of the PCs, I cannot scientifically state: unequivocally yes. But, I don't know what the heck else it could be. I ain't exactly a spring chicken that hasn't been training for years...I have really improved my racing results. I think, in my case, it is PC training that has enabled this change to occur.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)