Roadie's Ramblings

Technology has created a monster. Nothing seems to be too expensive for the overly-obsessed cyclist and nothing is permanent; an upgrade is always on the horizon. The next best thing keeps getting one-upped and the demand, at least for now, these seems to always be there.

In the frame sector it started with moving away from heavy steel to using a lighter-weight aluminum. Then it went to titanium or ultralight steel and then a mixture of two materials, and then onto the now popular carbon fiber. But it didn’t stop there, carbon fiber went from a low weave to an 8K to a 10K to a who-knows-what-K; all in the quest for finding the stiffest, lightest frame. And of course the cost of a frame went from a couple hundred bucks to several thousand. The same progression happened to groupsets, saddle design, wheel manufacturing, shoe design, pedal design, and the list continues.

Of course technology doesn’t stop at the tangible. With the growing popularity of cycling in the US and the increased media coverage, the means of measuring physical assertion the pros use has caught the eye of cycling junkies; wattage. Wattage is the power being used to push/pull the pedals; you can’t fudge wattage. That’s right we’re now using technology to measure the force of your pedal stroke! It doesn’t matter if you’re going uphill or down, if you’re pedaling at 250 watts you’re pedaling at 250 watts. You’ll be going different speeds on an upilll or down hill, but you’re not working any harder or any less hard. So in order to find this measurement accurately you need a device that is either integrated into your crank or laced into your back wheel (I realize there are other power meters out there, but these seem to be the most accurate). Once the measuring device is in place, a computer displays the information alongside mph, cadence, distance, and other measurements we’re used to seeing. The trick with wattage is figuring out how to use it to your advantage.

Wattage and frames — technological advancements aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. New frames and new ways to measure power are on their way.