sgy wrote:
Hey Dev, you're welcome :-) What percent do you use PC's vs conventional cranks....how many hours on each in a typical hawaii build per week
100% on powercranks - about 10h a week
Is your wattage the same on both types of cranks
Hard to tell - no powermeter when biking on powercranks :-) (except when biking indoor but that is not comparable with race situation)
Is your cadence the same on both (I think your Kona cadence was averaging around 80 from the article)
Yes, my 'natural cadence is around 80 - both with and without powercranks. It used to be around 94 before I biked on powercranks. I am much more happy with low cadence because of lower metabolic cost
Do you use PC's to also supplement your run training and reduce overall run volume
On average I run 4-5h a week. But I almost didn't run in 2012 from june till the end of august and still did a 3h04 marathon in Kona...
What crank length are you on?
Usually 175 but I have experimented with lengths ranging from 130 to 182.5. It does not make a lot of difference in power output - I am mostly concerned about my position on the bike which I like best with 165-175 range.
Do you use PC"s outdoors or on trainer or both?
Both. But since I usually train after dark, mostly indoors.
Anyway, my opinion might be respected as much as everybody else's. However, if you have never trained for a reasonable amount of time consistently on powercranks, I think it is not fair to issue a strong (negative or positive) opinion.
Try them for yourself first and if you hammered them for 90 days and are dissatisfied, return them to powercranks and you will get your money back and you will be in a position to write something that makes sense here.
Kind regards,
Sam
samgyde.com
Thanks Sam for the visibility! What are your race plans for next year? By the way, I have had Powercranks for 10 years (going back to 2003), varying from 100% usage, to no usage to mixed usage. My best year was 2006 with mixed usage around 50/50. 2009 was also a good year going 100% PC's for the first half of the year and second half of the year was 100% conventional usage, where I had my best racing (both running and tri). Also 2009, I had my best XC ski race season ever, and unfortunately broke my ankle in crash. I was on 100% PC usage after the break to rehab my angle joint.