This simple test offers a plethora of fascinating insights into the LoreOne’s superior pedaling efficiency.

Anyone who has tried the LoreOne notices the immediate difference in power delivery and pedal efficiency versus conventional shoes. It only takes a couple of pedal strokes. The LoreOne captures more biomechanical input from the rider and translates it directly to the pedal resulting in more watts, more speed, less dead spots, and better pedaling technique. 

While it's experientially self-evident, we have searched for the best method and protocol to quantify these gains into a scalable test format that athletes can employ and repeat on a home trainer using commonly used power meter pedals and head units. (The Garmin Cycling Dynamics data platform paired with Assioma Duo or Garmin Vector/Rally pedals provide a great platform for collection as well as viewing pedaling efficiency metrics). 

The LoreOne Power Protocol specifies multiple maximal efforts that are averaged to smooth data outliers and fatigue as the intervals progress. 

After trialing different test protocol formats, the most consistent test emerged as a protocol of 6x60sec maximal effort intervals: 3x with the LoreOne and 3x with the tester’s conventional shoes alternating between each pair of shoes and incorporating 15 min rest phases between each effort that include low resistance recovery spinning. 

This simple test offers a plethora of fascinating insights into the LoreOne’s superior pedaling efficiency. For the first 30 seconds of the test, the big takeaway is that the higher the effort, the bigger the advantage the LoreOne imparts to its owner. Generally, the data in the first 15 seconds of these efforts demonstrate significant increases in peak power, the ability to sustain peak power for longer periods, and to create significantly faster acceleration (time to peak watts). Translated to the road + track, we know we will be able to accelerate out of corners faster, sprint faster, create gaps on breakaways, chase breakaways, and dominate track starts.

Fig. 1 - LoreOne peak watts and acceleration gains.

Testing the longer duration aerobic energy system efficiency is hard to do in a home environment–– to achieve anything meaningful would require many long controlled intervals (60 min) spaced too far apart, over too many days, to be scalable for athletes and testers without interrupting normal training. Aerobic efficiency is best tested in a laboratory using metabolic markers like lactate, heart rate and regional muscle oxygenation. Interestingly, the last 45 seconds of the standard 60 sec Lore glycolytic power protocol (after the initial sprint burst is completed), seems to act as a crude proxy for the metabolic efficiency gains seen during longer aerobic efforts. I.e. The gain over conventional shoes is not as large as the often 10-20% improvements seen in the first 15 seconds of max intensity, but equally massive in terms of impact on overall riding performance when hypothetically stretched out over time: generally 4-9%,and sometimes more! These numbers corroborate the experiential feedback from Lore riders who consistently report substantially lower overall perceived exertion when using the LoreOne on longer, primarily aerobic efforts.

Fig. 2 - LoreOne FTP gains proxy

A 7th bonus interval can be added to demonstrate the pedaling efficiency of the LoreOne versus conventional shoes in a head-to-head test where the rider wears a LoreOne on one foot and their conventional shoe on the other. This effort can be a simple, sub-maximal (80%-100% of FTP) 2-5 min interval. The goal is to leverage Garmin’s Cycling Dynamics data to directly highlight the contrast in overall powerphase arc length and early pedal stroke initiation evident in the LoreOne vs. conventional cycling shoes.

Fig. 3 - LoreOne Power Phase initiation

Fig. 4 - LoreOne Power Phase Termination

In summary, this protocol is not the end-all, definitive picture of the LoreOne's magic. Rather, it’s designed to be a scalable and easy to perform test that produces consistent proof-of-life results across a broad group of subjects. After testing a range of athletes, we feel confident that it can offer a meaningful glimpse into the significant efficiency and power transmission improvements that the LoreOne brings to the cyclist or coach looking to maximize overall cycling performance. 

Happy Testing!