What is a good W/kg for cycling?

Using FTP-based W/kg on the Coggan power-profile scale: recreational riders average 2.0-3.0 W/kg, Cat 5 racers 2.5-3.0, Cat 4 around 3.0-3.5, Cat 3 around 3.5-4.0, Cat 1/2 around 4.0-4.8, domestic/continental pros 4.8-5.4 and World Tour pros 5.4-6.2 W/kg. These are sustained 60-minute (FTP) values; short 1-5 minute power is higher.

How is climbing speed calculated?

On climbs, power overcomes gravity (main factor), rolling resistance, and aerodynamic drag. The steeper the gradient, the more gravity dominates and the less aerodynamics matters. This makes W/kg the key metric for climbing.

Is it better to lose weight or gain power?

Both improve W/kg equally in theory. In practice, losing 1kg of body weight is often easier than gaining 3-4 watts of FTP. However, losing too much weight can reduce power. Find the sweet spot for your physiology.

How much does bike weight matter on climbs?

On a 7% gradient, saving 1 kg from total system weight gains roughly 1% in climbing speed. For a 75 kg rider on an 8.5 kg bike at 250 W, that is about 2-3 seconds per kilometre of road climbed, or roughly 35-40 seconds per 1000 m of vertical ascent. The gain is small per kilo but compounds over a long Alpine climb.

VAM (velocita ascensionale media) is vertical ascent metres per hour. World Tour climbers achieve 1500-1800+ VAM on major climbs. Good amateur climbers: 1000-1300 VAM.

BikeCalcs

Power-to-Weight Calculator — Cycling W/kg Analysis

Analyse your power-to-weight ratio with climbing speed, category comparison and weight savings.

Rider Weight

Your body weight in kg — used for the W/kg ratio

Bike Weight

Bike plus bottles and kit; typical road bike 7-9 kg

FTP

Functional Threshold Power in watts (your ~60-min max)

Climbing Gradient

Average gradient of the climb (%); an Alpine HC pass is ~7-9%

How We Calculate This

Power-to-Weight Ratio

W/kg = FTP (watts) / Rider Weight (kg)

Climbing Speed

Power must overcome gravity, rolling resistance and aerodynamic drag (the Martin et al. 1998 road-cycling power model). On steep climbs (>6%), gravity accounts for over 90% of resistance, making W/kg the dominant factor.

A drivetrain efficiency of ~97.6% is applied to your FTP (about 2.4% is lost to chain and bearing friction). The calculator then solves the resulting cubic with a bisection root-finder to find the speed where total resistance equals your power at the wheel — this stays accurate even on shallow gradients where aerodynamic drag dominates.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Last updated: February 2026

All calculations are estimates. Always verify results and consult a professional bike fitter where appropriate.