Poor man's Powercranks? (PPC)

swampy1970

You make it sound so easy but the basic fact is that, unlike a car where you can set the ignition to fire before the crank reaches top dead center, it's a bit harder for a rider to quantify and act upon when training the following:

a. where top-dead-center (ie 12 o'clock) is whilst sat on a bike as your head is well infront of the bottom bracket.
b. when to start pushing - because of point (a)
c. if the rider is not pedaling properly how does the coach know they're not pushing harder at 3 o'clock instead of somewhere just a few ticks after 12?
d. if the rider knew exactly what his crank position was, could they "process" this information (if given by a handlebar computer if the PT or SRM units actually give out that info - i don't know I don't have one) such that they could simultaneously look at a display, ride their bikes without crashing and then somehow factor in how and when to start pushing whilst pedaling at 90+rpm?

I assume that being "so learned" about the art of pedaling with the maximal application of torque on the cranks at any given time you're able to ride around at 28mph+ for extended periods, no?

I find it hard (although I shouldn't) coming back to cycling after a considerable time off the bike to accept that way too many people are still dyed in the wool within the cycling comunity and are ready to hack anyone/anything to pieces without giving something a try. It's as bad as it was back in the 80's when it was almost hersey that someone,even with a 35" inside leg measurement, should ride something as large as 180mm cranks. Your knees would explode and you back would pretty much cease to function - well, that's what most would have you believe. I tried 165mm, 175mm and 185mm cranks and found the later faster. The ridicule was bording on silly...

During my time away from the bike I dabbled in motorsports, and won regional SCCA trophies, but the difference was that if you didn't test then you were thought of as either lazy, neive or just not really that into it. Some settings worked on some cars that, well, just shouldn't have made an improvement - but they did - but you only find out from testing. Often times some changes only worked with particular driving styles for a given model of car.... There never was and never will be a "one fits all" approach that works.

Now this is what I find really incredible - you have a product in Powercranks that's been around for a few years, had a few short term tests that look promising, an extended but not realy indepth scientific study but his results were rather good and a whole bunch of other folk who have posted good things about them.... but here's the kicker, what cycling product do you know of that gives you a 3 month guarentee? If the same "motorsports" mentality was observed in cycling then you'd get people trying things at the end of the season instead of "having a break"

My 3 months is pretty much up - and they're still on my bike. I see results (bigger thighs, higher mph) and feel results. My pedaling has been drastically changed in a way that I'm not even going to describe but it makes me wonder what the f**k I was doing all those years when I did race. LOL They're still a pain in the arse cause I can't ride them for over 2 hours yet, nor can I ride them out of the saddle when I'm on the trainer... but FOR ME they work. Your mileage may vary...

My personal opinion on them - they've given me the greatest short term improvement of any product apart from going from a road bike to a properly set up time trial bike and getting that took almost 3 months to test position, train in that position several times a week and then finally farm out the specs to a builder to get the frame - hardly a quick buy it and bolt it on deal. Now the only way that someone is going to take my basic adjustable powrcranks off me is if they pry them outa my cold dead hands.....