On my bike computer there are settings for Power and Cadence averaging. Mine our currently set to 1 second.
If I were to change those to say 5 seconds, would that smooth out my real time data that I’m getting while riding?
If so, what would be the ideal setting? I can set it from 1 to 30 seconds.
Thanks
I have both a 3s and a 30s avg power on my screens. I almost never look at cadence.
I set mine to 3 sec avg power and use actual cadence. I find this combo works best for me and there is a bit less variance in power so I am not trying to push harder or less hard all the time. 5 sec average would work as well. I just use three because its smoother than 1 sec and I have adjusted to managing my workouts with it.
3 sec power and 1 sec cadence.
There shouldn’t be a need to smooth out your cadence. It shouldn’t fluctuate violently.
For power…it depends on what you’re doing.
3 second power is ideal for tracking power in short bursts. Short interval workouts, or pace line riding where you don’t spend that much time in the front.
30 second power is ideal for long steady efforts with little fluctuation in power.
Thanks.
I’m on the trainer right now so I think I will set it to three seconds. My average and normalized power are always very close while on the trainer. However when I get out onto the road this spring, I can see where it would help to raise it up closer to 30 seconds.
1s is virtually useless for pacing. It’s like a dog chasing it’s tail. It’s a real mental exercise trying to average the data in your head. Trust me, I rode a Timex Cycle Trainer computer…worse, with a Stages PM. It was terrible. I now use 10s as a good overall compromise. Though for short intervals under 1’ that I’m doing more of this winter, I’ll add probably a 3s display.
I think 30s is a little long and I’d find myself again, chasing the number a little and the variation would be a little too slow. It required more discipline than necessary and IMO defeats for the the value of using power for accurate pacing. However displaying 3s & 30s together as mentioned, would work well too.
I can see where 30 secs would be a little. 3 pieces of data every 90 secs. You would be trying to average your last three numbers Wal the time.
With some trial and error, I’m sure I’ll find a happy medium.
I can see where 30 secs would be a little. 3 pieces of data every 90 secs. You would be trying to average your last three numbers Wal the time.
With some trial and error, I’m sure I’ll find a happy medium.
While I’m not personally a fan of using such long averaging in a display, a 30-second display average is still updated every second, and shows the average of the last 30-seconds.