Power Calculation

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I'm somewhat new to the whole cycling world so to speak. I have recently gotten back to riding over the past year or so and I am considering possibly racing. I'm a recent grad school graduate so I don't have a ton of money for a power meter or much anything more than the computer I have (buying my bike set me back a pretty penny--scott s-20--that I didn't even really have in the first place...haha)
My question is this. I have read all these things and hear everyone talk about watts and power output and I was wondering what mine is. Like I said, I'm thinking about racing so I was curious about my output. Are there any calculations that I could do to estimate my output or would I need a computer that motiors my output? It would not need to be exact right now, I am just looking for a ballpark estimate.
Thanks in advance for all your help

... Are there any calculations that I could do to estimate my output...Sure, check out: http://www.analyticcycling.com/ and play with their on line calculators or surf to their theory pages for the formulas. Your best bet is to estimate your power on a steady hill where you know the grade and it doesn't change too much. Frontal area and drag coefficient are tough to estimate and wind complicates things there, but on a moderate to steep hill the gravity forces dominate and you just need to know your weight along with the weight of your bike and all your accessories. It won't be 100% accurate, but it'll be pretty darn close.

-Dave

Sure, check out: http://www.analyticcycling.com/ and play with their on line calculators or surf to their theory pages for the formulas. Your best bet is to estimate your power on a steady hill where you know the grade and it doesn't change too much. Frontal area and drag coefficient are tough to estimate and wind complicates things there, but on a moderate to steep hill the gravity forces dominate and you just need to know your weight along with the weight of your bike and all your accessories. It won't be 100% accurate, but it'll be pretty darn close.

-Dave
That sounds pretty cool...I will have to check it out and then collect all the variables that I need.
Thanks I will definatly check it out!

the easiest thing to do is test on a steep hill with steady grade and long enough for the duration you want to test. keep a pretty steady speed and record distance, time, and total weight, and be sure you know the grade pretty precisely.

Google Earth is a free program that gives elevations where ever you roll the cursor for calculating grade.

I'm somewhat new to the whole cycling world so to speak. I have recently gotten back to riding over the past year or so and I am considering possibly racing. I'm a recent grad school graduate so I don't have a ton of money for a power meter or much anything more than the computer I have (buying my bike set me back a pretty penny--scott s-20--that I didn't even really have in the first place...haha)
My question is this. I have read all these things and hear everyone talk about watts and power output and I was wondering what mine is. Like I said, I'm thinking about racing so I was curious about my output. Are there any calculations that I could do to estimate my output or would I need a computer that motiors my output? It would not need to be exact right now, I am just looking for a ballpark estimate.
Thanks in advance for all your help

As others have replied, there are plenty of ways of determining power without a power meter. BUT, knowing your power, even with great accuracy is not a very reliable indication of how you'll do in racing. Sucess in racing depends on your ability to output watts, but it is even more dependent on how many watts you can output for what period and how often you can repeat various levels of exertion. Just knowing your FTP isn't going to tell you all that. Further, sucess in racing is also very much a function of your bike handling skills, your agressiveness, and most of all, how intelligently you expend your resources.

If you cant' afford a power meter (you don't need one anyway), don't obsess about power. Just develop a smart training plan and try to stick to it. Once you start racing you'll know how you compare to other cyclists soon enough.