A Business Case for Improved Data ?

As a friend pointed out, my last post was all about numbers.
And in particular the amount of effort expended both by myself and a friend when we went on the same ride. I also commented upon how one could compare one's effort expended on different rides. This caused a lot of debate at the local tea shop and indeed necessitated the consumption of extra cake as we could not agree.  . Now all these discussions were based upon algorithms and the raw data provided both by Garmin and the bathroom scales to provide the necessary power to weight ratios. Whilst one can seek marginal gains in weight reduction by purchasing lighter kit, you are still left with estimating the power generated .. until NOW!

I have seen a new toy ( re-phase that, an essential piece of kit ) and this article is an imaginary conversation with my non-cycling wife about its prospective purchase. Your role is to comment on whether you believe that the Business Case is Incredibly Sound or, perhaps, just Excellent :-)

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Me:  I think I need a new set of pedals
Wife:  Why?  You've already got pedals on ALL your bikes. Are they broken?
Me:  Well, not actually broken
Wife: Besides you have that overflowing box in the garage which you tell me is full of ESSENTIAL bits, to mention nothing of the fact that that a second box of your cycling stuff seems to have appeared in one of the spare bedrooms
Wife : and what was in those packages that arrived from Wiggle yesterday?  Were they pedals?
Me : No, that was absolutely imperative winter clothing for when the weather turns. Anyway, about these pedals. They are produced by Garmin and are called Vector pedals and they allow the measurement of power asymetrically which can be viewed in real time or even as a rolling 3 second average so I can see how it changes over the course of a ride and whether one leg is working harder than the other.
Wife : How much?
Me On the positive side it measures power quickly and accurately and delivers loads and loads of useful numbers to my Garmin Edge 800 or any other ANT+ head unit
Wife : How much?
Me : It also measures the dynamic difference, and as you might know, there is often a different balance at the beginning and end of a ride, or when sitting or standing, or at low power or high power.
Wife : But you tell me that you never stand on the pedals as it hurts your knee
Wife : Anyway, would it make you go any faster?
Me : No
Wife : Would you be able to climb hills easier?
Me : No
Wife : Would you be able to ride any further?
Me : No
Wife : Humph!!
Me : They are supposed to be transferable between bikes so they are a sort of bargain
Wife : But you would NEVER transfer pedals between your bikes, you would need a set for each of them
Me : Admittedly I would need a new set of Look Compatible cycling shoes but I think you get a FREE pair of cleats, and in comparison the shoes would be relatively cheap
Wife : How much did you say these pedals were ?
Me :Well, without the shoes , and the cleats, I think they may be on Special Offer at about £1500 each

Wife :  < This is where you fill in wife's response in Comments Section below >
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Is the case made?

Pedalling Power

It is not my intention to publish daily updates on this blog but as and when things are added to my cycling collection and to record significant trips and events.


When I started cycling, 4 years ago now, I was always struggling to keep up with my friends, partly due to lack of fitness but also because of lack of technique. The pedals I originally used were the standard platform pedal because they came with the bike. That old second hand MTB soon broke and I went and bought myself another machine, a Hybrid Specialized Sirrus Comp. This was fitted with pedals which had toe clips.
One's instinct is to push down with each leg while pedaling a bicycle. This is where most of the power in a pedal stroke will originate, however once the pedal reaches the bottom of its travel, a significant amount of power can also be transferred to the pedals while the foot is lifted on the upstroke. This can only be accomplished if the foot is affixed to the pedal in some way. Pedaling efficiency is normally best achieved with a cadence of around 90 strokes per minute. This is very difficult to achieve without having your feet affixed to the pedals. Toe clips are the original method and having them improved my performance and as my fitness gradually improved, and my excess weight decreased, I was able to hold my own when we went for a ride. 
The new bike takes this pedal technology to the next stag; whilst clipless pedals offer this same advantage but at less weight and with somewhat more efficiency. With these type of pedals the foot and shoe are attached firmly to the pedal using a cleat mechanism. My new bike comes with the necessary pedals but no cleats were included ( perhaps I should have asked when I collected the bike ) and so I have purchased a set, one of which can be seen below.

All i need to do now is just master the use of this latest piece of technolgy and to-morrow will be a good time to start.