Cyclist
The importance of Assioma for off-road training
The Favero Assioma Pro MX pedals are the first power meter pedals designed specifically for off-road use. Featuring the innovative IAV Power System technology that uses a three-axis gyroscope to provide high levels of power data accuracy, the Assioma Pro MX pedals open the door to a new way of training, preparing and racing off-road.
During training and gravel events where an SPD cleat setup is the best option, relying on heart rate monitors can only take you so far. To track performance, gauge and measure efforts, rein in over exertion, and stick to certain output zones, graduating to pro-level data measurement is the only way to reliably elevate performance.
Using a power meter for road riding has been part of many road riders’ routines for many years, but the landscape of gravel riding and off-road performance has evolved significantly over recent years, so it makes sense that the accompanying technology should too.
With the help of the Assioma Pro MX pedals, adding power measurements to off-road riding couldn’t be easier. It can change how you ride gravel for the better, allowing for considered improvements to training schedules and encouraging the smart execution of power-based strategies in event and race scenarios.
Levelling the playing field
On the road, surfaces are generally reliable and force exerted through the pedals results in a predictable level of forward momentum. Off-road, however, every surface is unreliable in slightly different ways.
As a result, it is pretty much impossible to gauge how deep you are going on any given gravel climb, especially if heart rate is topping out. The reliable readings from the Assioma Pro MX pedals, however, can play a vital role in measuring and pacing riding, ensuring that your legs aren’t being emptied prematurely and efforts are occurring at the most opportune time.
Putting a cardiovascular reading (heart rate) and a muscular reading (watts and power) together provides a much more nuanced picture of overall performance. Plus, since it’s far harder to keep an eye on a bike computer during a bumpy off-road route, being able to look back on an accurate power output at the end of the ride becomes even more important.
If it’s not practical to take stock in the moment – such as in a high-octane race situation – the Assioma Pro MX pedals allow you to retrospectively analyse what happened to your power at different points in the race, and assess how to improve.
• Discover more about Favero’s Assioma Pro MX power meter pedals
Follow in the pedal strokes of the pros
Power meters are ubiquitous in all disciplines of professional cycling. With the Assioma Pro MX pedals now available for such a competitive price, there is no need for amateurs to lag behind their professional counterparts in terms of data access and information.
Favero’s website provides all kinds of useful information about training plans, muscle groups and pedalling analysis that can help you decide which training approach is best for you.
Whether it’s training for the Traka event in Girona or heading out for hill reps on local climbs, ample information is available completely free of charge to help you find the best power-focussed approach. And because of the pedals’ clever design where the all-important electronics and rechargeable battery are tucked away safely in the spindle, separate from the electronics-free pedal body, Favero insists the readings are thoroughly reliable.
The Assioma Pro MX will keep track of PCO – platform centre offset – by calculating where force is distributed across the pedal platform. From this, you can tweak cleat position to dial in the most efficient position. Among numerous other data points, the Assiomas will also track Pedal Smoothness (PS) Torque Effectiveness (TE) L/R Balance Data and Power Phase (PP) to help fine-tune performance.
Train smart not hard
For a lot of cyclists, time is the main thing in short supply. When training for an event, you want to be sure you’re making the best use of the time available. Without access to power readings, sessions can lack structure, direction and purpose. Of course, riding is always still enjoyable, but with finite time before an event, it can be disheartening not to see any progress in numbers at the end of each ride.
By cross-referencing power figures with training advice and calibrating improvement goals accordingly, it’s possible to identify where previous training sessions have had a negative impact on desired fitness outcomes and make changes accordingly.
With uninterrupted access to the data from the Assioma Pro MX pedals, planning rides with more specificity becomes straightforward, with both high and low intensity rides factored into each month’s schedule.
The level of information available through the Assioma Pro MX pedals is far more comprehensive than the one-dimensional data provided by a heart rate monitor. Progress is trackable and easy to identify and makes riding even more enjoyable.
Power Profile
Favero provides useful assessment tools such as the ‘Power Profile’ designed by Dr Coggan and Hunter Allen, two experts on power meter training, to upgrade off-road riding preparation.
This test can help you understand which type of rider you are – a time-triallist, a sprinter, a climber or an all-rounder. You may have always fancied yourself a climber, but Assioma’s more comprehensive data set could indicate your strengths actually lie elsewhere. In turn, this will feed into your ongoing training plans.
With the help of Favero’s extensive resources, the Assioma pedals can also help track data points such as Intensity Factor and Training Stress Score to make sure that you don’t overtrain and set yourself back.
It’s all in the head
Just like how a marathon runner can benefit from a pacer, always having a power reading alongside you when out on the trails is undeniably beneficial for performance, especially when riding alone.
Seeing that a little extra push will keep you in line with or ahead of power targets can awaken an otherwise dormant competitive edge, and you may find yourself going harder than if you were relying solely on self-motivation.
Give your coach a helping hand
Bringing the Assioma Pro MX into your training ecosystem can also have massive benefits should you be working with a coach for your off-road riding. Having full access to power zone information, an accurate FTP measurement and other vital statistics makes it a lot easier for a professional coach to move the dial on your performance.
The wealth of information on offer from the Assioma Pro MX pedals has the potential to not only unlock your potential on the bike, but markedly improve a coach’s capacity to curate specific training sessions. In turn, this can feed into vital training components such as recovery time, nutrition and off-bike training, all aspects that should be adjusted in relation to accurate power readings.
In a category of its own
With market-leading durability, accuracy and practicality, not to mention competitive pricing, the Assioma Pro MX pedals elevate power-based off-road riding to new levels. With installation as simple as swapping out a pair of pedals, it really couldn’t be easier to start training smart.
• Discover more about Favero’s Assioma Pro MX power meter pedals
The post The importance of Assioma for off-road training appeared first on Cyclist.