That’s crazy talk. How would Flight Attendant know how stiff to make my suspension if it didn’t have power data…
Even hotter take… you don’t need flight attendant either. 
Now you’ve gone completely off the deep end…
FWIW: I use a spider PM for total power. I’m not concerned about L/R balance, though my spider PM does estimate it. When I’ve ridden with both it and my Assiomas, the spider’s L/R balance was essentially the same as what the Assiomas reported.
Hi @Saddlesaur
I assumed my Quark PM on my Epic 8 was just making up the L/R balance numbers since how can a spider PM realistically measure independent Left/Right power?
But from what you’ve observed with your Assiomas - maybe it can…?
Yep. That’s what it’s doing. A spider can’t tell which crank arm is creating the torque so to estimate L/R power it assumes the torque is coming from whichever whichever crank arm is in the front half of it’s rotation. For normal pedaling that’s a pretty safe bet. You can kinda test this. While riding, take the left foot off the pedal and pedal by only pulling up with the right foot. It’ll show it as left power.
Ah! Thanks for the explanation 
I love my power meter on my XC bike, but there are really only 2 circumstances in which I actually use it:
- For weekday interval workouts, which I mostly do on road/gravel
- For postride analysis of hard efforts
I absolutely never look at it during the course of a normal, non-interval MTB ride or race. The possible exception is during the first hour of a marathon event, when I do glance at NP now and then to remind myself to take it easy.
All of this to say: I agree with you in some contexts, but still like having one 
I was just having fun. I have one and use it for exactly the same things you do. It doesn’t make me a better mountain biker but it is fun to look at the stats after a ride or race. 
Has anyone got some early feedback from Epic 9 riders, or seen any reviews that aren’t just marketing fluff?
I know it’s meant to be light and fast, but I’m curious if there’s anything else that really stands out. Overall feel-wise, is it closer to the Epic 8 or leaning more towards the WC version?
I’m currently on an Epic 8 and love it. I wouldn’t mind a bit more reach and wheelbase, but only if that doesn’t come with downsides (for me) like extra harshness or a less forgiving ride.
Thanks!
If I were you I’d consider scratching the new bike itch by upgrading your current bike in some way rather than buying the 9. Inevitably to me new bikes just come with a bunch of unexpected costs and quirks.
Most of my XCM races have long fire road climbs, and I definitely use power to pace those. I also like having the kj burned on MTB rides for feeding purposes.
Hot take was for “real MTB”
Aren’t MTB KJ’s wildly underestimated due to the physical nature of the riding? (assuming singletrack).
I get why it could be useful but feels like you need to over consume what’s being reported.
Do your calories really vary enough to adjust based on this metric? I’m most likely burning between 550-750/hr during a race, but always just target 400 calories because it seems to be the ‘common standard’ that’s about the max of what most people can digest. I think I could honestly hit 500-550/hr without a major problem, but haven’t typically tried it..
I don’t foresee most racers actually consuming more than they burn, so wouldn’t consider this evaluation to be necessary, but I may be overlooking something.
Doesn’t get more real than mountain biking in the actual mountains.
Before, during, and after the ride. I track everything I eat, not just on the bike.
Yeah, I track it for after I ride, but don’t keep it on a data screen because I will likely be eating the same amount during the ride regardless.
When doing a race, do you adjust how many calories you take in based on your kj’s burned?
Nah, I eat the same amount regardless. 100-120g/hr for racing, and 60-100 for training depending on how long and how hard I’m going.