For cyclists who are serious about improving performance, cycling gadgets can be valuable tools to take their riding to the next level. Training tools, like power meters, heart-rate monitors, and bike computers, can provide riders with the most accurate and helpful data and insight on their every ride.
If you’re serious about improving your power and performance, these can give you the information you need to maximize your training. Of course, don’t forget to find some cool cycling shoes on this website.
Heart-Rate Monitor
Heart-rate monitors aren’t popular only among cyclists but among fitness enthusiasts in general. That’s because tracking your heart rate can help with training. With a heart-rate monitor, you can determine the pace you need to ride to get the results you want.
To do this, you need to know your maximum heart rate first. Training works best when you hit the right percentage of your max heart rate. For example, if you want to burn fat, you need to ride at a pace that’s 70 percent of your max heart rate.
If you’re training to improve your power and performance, then you have to take it up a notch. A high-intensity interval will need you to ride at 94 to 100 percent of your max heart rate.
Keeping track of your heart rate will also help you be more aware of your body’s condition so that you know when to stop and prevent injury and help your muscles recover.
However, your heart rate can be influenced by extraneous factors, like feelings and stressful situations. Further, the heart rate may take some time to elevate and may remain high even after the physical activity.
This means that the heart-rate monitor isn’t the most accurate or reliable performance-measuring tool, which is why you should pair it with the next tool.
Cycling Power Meter
Heart rate may not be the most dependable determinant of your performance, but power doesn’t lie. When it comes to getting data and insight into your performance, cycling power meters are more accurate, reliable, and consistent.
A power meter has strain gauges that measure how much power the rider generates with every pedal. This data is then analyzed and transferred to a cycling computer where the rider will see a numerical report on their performance.
The summary provides the rider with valuable insights on their performance. That will help them determine their strengths and weaknesses and eliminates guesswork during training. With the data, the rider can create a more structured training plan that will address their weaknesses and further improve their strengths.
Cycling Computer
A cycling computer, also called cyclo-computer, is one of the most useful cycling tools out there. It not only helps measure performance but also works as a navigator.
The standard cycling computer records your speed, cadence, ride time, distance, and time of day. More sophisticated cyclo computers also have features like a heart-rate monitor; trackers for measuring altitude, ascent, descent; and temperature sensors.
Cycling computers are also essential to access the data from other training gadgets (e.g., heart rate, power, weight, time). Although you can use a smartphone as a cycling computer, phones tend to be less durable and straightforward than a cyclo-computer is.
The Bottom Line
Cycling is one of the best sports anyone can get into. No matter what reasons you have for starting, it can be easy to get sucked into the hobby simply because it has so many benefits to offer. It is especially fun with a bicycle trunk bag because they can carry picnic items, water bottles, tablets, or even wine! They are large enough to take to the gym, around town, to work, or when competitive biking. If you’re ready to move on to competitive cycling, the gadgets on this list can be huge assets for your training and help you improve your power and performance.