So, you have heard about powercranks and the claims that are made and You are wondering what powercranks are and what they can do for you. First off, let me say that the price tag of the powercranks is not for the feint of heart. The basic model starts at 9.00 and goes up to about 00.00 for the light weight verson. In addition, you can add a lockout feature for about 0.00.
There are several models of powercranks. First there is adjustable and non-adjustable crank length. The only reason I see to get adjustable cranks is if you are going to use the same cranks for different size riders. Next, there is the basic version versus the light weight version. The light weight version is only worth it if you plan on racing on the same cranks. Personally, I just use the powercranks to train on during the winter. I live in a frigid, high alpine climate, so I am on the trainer for about 6 months during the winter. That is about how long our winter is here. Great for skiing, bad for cycling.
Finally, there is the option to buy a lock-out feature. The lock-out feaeture allows you to turn the powercranks back into standard cranks. I find it very difficult to use the powercranks for an length of time. I tried last winter and wound up switching bikes after I was played on the powercranks. This winter, I have added the lock-out feature, which basically will allow me to switch back and forth between powercranks and standard cranks.
What do the powercranks do you ask? They allow each leg to act independently. The pedals do not stay at 180 degrees as they normally do. When not pedaling, both powercranks will drop to 6 o'clock.
It seems easy enough, but I could not go more than seconds when I first got on them. Over the winter, I worked up to almost 30 minutes. I train for Ironmans, so I need to be on the bike much longer, so I will alternate with the lock-out version between standard and powercranks to allow a much longer workout.
I have friends who swear by these cranks. And the results for them have been great. They are basically well over 300 watts for average power and have also qualified for hawaii. So they do work. I just think that possibly I did not spend enough time on them to get "used" to them. There are plenty of success stories on their website which you can check out.
I am going to give them more of a chance this winter for a few reasons. One is the obvious one. Improve my spin on the bike and engage more hamstring and glutes and increase power. In addition, I think these cranks will improve my running times due to increased hamstring work. Finally, I have a bad hip from becoming the hood ornament of a pick up truck when riding my bike a few years back. I think that my balance between the strength and flexibility in my hip can be improved by spending more time on the PC's.
Hope that helps, feel free to contact me if you have any questions on training with the PC's.
