Wattbike Data 101: Ultimate Guide to Wattbike Data for Beginners

February 15, 2016 4 min read

If you’re looking to improve your performance, Wattbike cycling datais the ultimate training tool. But, when you’re new to the Wattbike, how do you decipher all the data and turn it into something useful? We'll show you how with our ultimate guide to Wattbike data to improve your cycling.

What You'll Learn:

WHAT INFORMATION DOES THE WATTBIKE GIVE?

The Wattbike measures over 40 different parameters about your riding and displays it all within the Performance Monitor, Performance Touchscreen, or Wattbike Hub app (depending on which Wattbike smart bike you are using). Below is an explanation of the 10 most popular metrics:

Power

An obvious one perhaps, but the main measurement of the Wattbike is power measured in Watts. Watts are essentially the measure of your work output over time. Every Wattbike will show your maximum power and your average power, as well as your power-based training zones. If you’re wondering why it’s useful to measure your power, read our article onusing power to enhance your performance.

Average Power

Average power is a great metric to benchmark your fitness and track any changes in performance. Tracking your average power across sessions can also alert you to impending illness, which would be hard to measure in any other way. Your average power will be displayed in the session summary after every session.

Power Per Kilo

Also known as power to weight ratio, this is your power expressed as a ratio to your weight. It is often used in performance sport as a good predictor of performance, especially for climbing hills and mountains. As a general rule, the flatter the terrain is the more important your power output is (your watts), and the more elevated the terrain is, the more important your power to weight ratio is (power/kg). Read our blog for an in-depth explanation of the power per kilo ratio.

Cadence

This is the speed of your legs, expressed in revolutions per minute (RPM). Every Wattbike displays your maximum and average cadence in real-time. This metric is useful when starting out as finding your ideal cadence will help make your training more efficient. You can also combine cadence and resistance on the Wattbike to establish the correct power output. Read our blog onhow to improve your cycling cadence.

Heart Rate

A fundamental metric in many sports and general health and fitness practices, heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute (BPM). By linking your Wattbike with yourheart rate monitor, the Wattbike will display your heart rate in real-time, which will help you measure the physiological intensity of your workout.

Maximum Heart Rate (MHR)

If you undertake a test on a Wattbike, you can also find out your Maximum Heart Rate, which can be used to set personalised heart rate training zones.

Polar View

The Wattbike is one of the only indoor trainers to measure your right/left leg balance. An output close to 50:50 between both legs will help you to cycle more effectively.Learn how to master your Polar View.

Pedalling Effectiveness Score (PES)

Our revolutionary metric builds on the original Polar View, and provides riders with a real-time, objective, colour-coded number display based on how effective their pedalling is.

Maximum Minute Power (MMP)

When you undertake a test on the Wattbike, you’ll often be looking for the Max Minute Power achieved during the test. Max Minute Power is used to work out your personalised training zones to ensure every session you complete is the right intensity for your current fitness.

Distance

For theStravaenthusiasts out there racking up the miles, we couldn’t leave you without knowing the basic distance traveled during your Wattbike session (along with your speed for that matter).

HOW TO FIND YOUR DATA

All of the information about your riding is available from the Wattbike Performance Monitor, the Wattbike Performance Touchscreen, or the Wattbike Hub app. Below are some examples of how the data is displayed for our different products:

Data on the Wattbike Pro/Trainer

Data on the Wattbike Nucleus & AtomX

Data on the Wattbike Atom & next generation Atom

HOW TO MEASURE & RECORD YOUR DATA

The Wattbike automatically records and stores your data. You can find all your sessions under 'Recall' within the Wattbike Performance Monitor, under 'History' in the Performance Touchscreen, and in 'History' on the Wattbike Hub app. Find out more about theWattbike Hubhere.

5 WAYS TO IMPROVE YOUR PERFORMANCE USING WATTBIKE DATA

  1. Use the Wattbike Polar View data to improve your pedalling technique
  2. Use MMP & MHR to set your personalised training zones
  3. Use personalisedtraining zonesto optimise your performance with a structured training plan
  4. Use power to weight data to improve your climbing
  5. Test, track, and re-test to make sure your training is working, and to keep your personalised training zones up to date

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