The Only Data Fields You Actually Need While Riding

Your bike computer can display dozens of numbers, but most of them won't make you faster. This guide covers the three data fields every athlete should have front and center, plus a few supporting metrics worth knowing depending on the session.

There's a lot of data available to cyclists these days. For some of us, that's exciting. For others, it's overwhelming. Either way, you don't need to obsess over every number to get faster, but there are a handful of data fields that will help you train smarter, progress more consistently, and get more out of every session.

In this post I'll walk you through exactly how I want you to set up your bike computer or watch, and why each field matters.

The 3 Key Data Points

These three fields should always be visible when you ride.

3-Second Average Power

This is your primary metric and should be the largest field on your screen. Power output fluctuates constantly. Looking at your raw power number in real time is disorienting and not particularly useful. A 3-second average smooths that out into a number you can actually respond to.

Nearly every workout I prescribe will be built around power targets, so getting comfortable reading this number is one of the most important habits you can build early.

Cadence

Cadence is how many times per minute your legs complete a full pedal revolution (RPM). The same power output at different cadences creates very different training effects on your muscles, heart rate, and nervous system — 200w at 60 RPM feels and functions nothing like 200w at 95 RPM!

For triathletes specifically, riding at a cadence similar to your running cadence helps your legs transition more smoothly off the bike, which typically means a stronger run.

Heart Rate

Power tells you what your legs are doing. Heart rate tells you how your body is responding to it. Together, they give you a much clearer picture of your actual training load.

The most useful thing to watch is how heart rate behaves over time at a given power output. Does it rise and then settle? Does it keep climbing? That pattern tells you a lot about your current fitness and fatigue levels, and it's data I'll be tracking closely as your coach.

Supporting Data Fields

These fields aren't always necessary, but they're useful depending on the session.

Lap Power

When you're doing intervals with a specific watt target, lap power shows you the average power you've held for the current interval. If the goal is 200w for 8 minutes, lap power tells you whether you're on track. I aim to keep my 3-second average power and lap power as close together as possible throughout an interval, both matching the target.

Lap Time

Simple, but useful. Knowing how much time is left in an interval is as much a psychological tool as a practical one :-)

Speed and Distance

During training, these numbers are mostly useful for logistics, knowing how far you've gone or how long until you're back. Speed in particular is heavily influenced by wind, terrain, road surface, and temperature, which is exactly why we train to power rather than speed.

In a race, they become more relevant. Distance helps you track progress on the course (don't rely on the lap counter!), and speed can be a useful cue for adjusting your nutrition plan if conditions push your ride time longer or shorter than expected.

A Quick Note on Setup

Set your 3-second average power as the dominant field. Make it big at the top of your screen. Arrange cadence and heart rate where you can glance at them easily without hunting. Add lap power and lap time when you're doing interval sessions. Keep speed and distance accessible but secondary.

That's it. Simple screen, clear data, better training.

~ Rory