I train inside with power. I race with a sense of feel (and sometimes smell). Next year I will venture into a few long course races and will get power on my racing bike.
I am in search of a cheap bike computer, I need it to display two items… 1) Current power 2) AVG Power… That’s it. I don’t care for speed, cadence, GPS, or any of the other noise that my fellow triathletes seem to need so much.
Whats out there?
Powertap Joule - Does it have the ability to display current AND average power at the same time
Cateye Elite 50 - Priced right, but GPS is useless to me, and can it display both power metrics at the same time
Bont node 1.1 - Looks like the speed display is the only option for the main display panel
Does the Garmin Edge 500 let you get down to just 2 data fields? (I know the 510 does).
A 500 is way more than you need but, you can get a new/refurbished one on eBay for around $150 if you shop. Just don’t use the stuff you don’t want and take advantage of the customizable display.
Joule or Garmin allows you set to your display fields, I think 2 or 3 as the “lowest amount”. So you could run your AVG / Instant Speed and say HR or time/etc.
Joule probably much cheaper, not horrible in terms of useability / durability. And Garmin is Garmin, generally works all around.
By not having GPS you are losing at least one benefit of training with power.
With GPS (I’d suggest a garmin edge 500) you can train outdoors in the real world. You can also see what changes when riding for real. You can also use Aerolab if you’re at all interested in going faster/more efficiently.
The edge 500 allows you to have 2 to 8 fields on display including power, 3s power, 30s power, lap power, average power. I find hat setting laps to every n minutes and using laps power plus 3 or 30s power best. That way a stop, big hill or headwind that modifies pace power slightly doesn’t have a lasting hangover that you have to keep considering all the way round.
You can also see what changes when riding for real. You can also use Aerolab if you’re at all interested in going faster/more efficiently.