"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - "No one pays retail for an SRM"?

What?! How?

Get them for free from their team, discounted through a team shop, discounted from a coach...

No one pays retail for an SRM unless they're an unattached schmoe like me.

Stay tuned. This new Quarq gadget may be cool. Hoping they finally announce something substantive regarding price/availability @ Interbike. The lack of Mac software for downloading PM data is an increasingly annoying issue at a time when Macs are starting to make serious inroads in computer marketshare (18% of domestic laptop marketshare in the most recent quarter and growing fast). Learning how to use a PM and download the data is bad enough. Throw in the prospect of having to deal with Windows (and PAY for the crap) is far worse. I can't stand the thought of loading that crap on my Macbook Pro. That's like putting tank treads on a Ferrari.

Re: Quarq

The iBike has taught me a lesson about unproven technology. (I bought a $400 device that tells me what time it is, speed, cadence and tilt.) Beware of terrible pieces of junk, totally useless for training purposes. I feel like the iBike company stole my money and that always makes me mad. The only guy I know who is happy with his told a friend he'd averaged 500 watts over his last TT.

I would never buy a Quarq unless, unlike with the iBike, the early reviews are 100% glowing with no reliability or accuracy issues and the thing is priced under $1200.

Re: Quarq

The iBike has taught me a lesson about unproven technology. (I bought a $400 device that tells me what time it is, speed, cadence and tilt.) Beware of terrible pieces of junk, totally useless for training purposes. I feel like the iBike company stole my money and that always makes me mad. The only guy I know who is happy with his told a friend he'd averaged 500 watts over his last TT.

I would never buy a Quarq unless, unlike with the iBike, the early reviews are 100% glowing with no reliability or accuracy issues and the thing is priced under $1200.

I would generally agree. I'll watch and wait. The iBike is garbage as far as I'm concerned. Waaayyyy too prone to various errors. Essentially useless for a number of reasons. Maybe for a real tech weenie person who lives on glass smooth roads, I am neither. Mine goes on eBay very soon.

No one pays retail for an SRM unless they're an unattached schmoe like me.

I can't stand the thought of loading that crap on my Macbook Pro. That's like putting tank treads on a Ferrari.

Everytime I launch Parallels (for MS Project and Visio) it just looks wrong....

No one pays retail for an SRM unless they're an unattached schmoe like me.

Stay tuned. This new Quarq gadget may be cool. Hoping they finally announce something substantive regarding price/availability @ Interbike. The lack of Mac software for downloading PM data is an increasingly annoying issue at a time when Macs are starting to make serious inroads in computer marketshare (18% of domestic laptop marketshare in the most recent quarter and growing fast). Learning how to use a PM and download the data is bad enough. Throw in the prospect of having to deal with Windows (and PAY for the crap) is far worse. I can't stand the thought of loading that crap on my Macbook Pro. That's like putting tank treads on a Ferrari.

The lack of a Mac version of the software speaks to the limited market and thin margins the power meter/analysis industry is working from. Here on BF, we know what, 20 guys who have power meters and use CyclingPeaks? 50 guys? Not many.

That said, I would have written CyclingPeaks in Java and had Win/Mac/Linux versions in simultaneous release. No reason not to. My first software engineering job was at Quark (as in "XPress"), where every engineer is responsible for fully supporting his/her own code on Macs and Windows in various flavors.

I can't stand the thought of loading that crap on my Macbook Pro. That's like putting tank treads on a Ferrari.

Yeah, yeah, but it gets the job done. Works well on my new Mac Pro. :D

If you're paying retail for an SRM, you're a schmoe (see: Patentcad). Most coaches who are a dealer will give you some kind of discount.

The markup on those, even just from the dealer to you, is massive.

I got me a discount.

Smart person's discount is even better than the one I got. Buy used.

Are you calling me a schmoe? At least I'm an aero-schmoe.

Dr. W. doesn't need a Power Meter. He needs to learn how to harness his mutant powers.

http://www.vfxtalk.com/feature/xmen3/xmen3magneto.jpg

Then he can really start destroying all you puny humans.

Are you calling me a schmoe? At least I'm an aero-schmoe.

Dr. W. doesn't need a Power Meter. He needs to learn how to harness his mutant powers.


No, you're not a Schmoe.

If you say so...

If you're paying retail for an SRM, you're a schmoe (see: Patentcad). Most coaches who are a dealer will give you some kind of discount.

The markup on those, even just from the dealer to you, is massive.


I know a guy who knows a guy :D who is a dealer for them and the markup isn't very much. As waterrockets touched on there isn't nearly enough of the cycling population using powermeters to mass produce on a large scale and lower production costs drastically. Its a nitch market.

That being said I got mine the smart way, used from a guy with WAY to much bike stuff.

Are you calling me a schmoe? At least I'm an aero-schmoe.

Dr. W. doesn't need a Power Meter. He needs to learn how to harness his mutant powers.

Then he can really start destroying all you puny humans.

Totally love the new TT helmet. :D

Get them for free from their team, discounted through a team shop, discounted from a coach...
ebay. Yeah most coaches who are dealers would try to sell you the SRM or some other power meter at discount. The main money they make is not on the sale of equipment, but on higher rates for programs that rely on power data.

So what does a typical dura ace SRM cost with a "hook up"?

So what does a typical dura ace SRM cost with a "hook up"?

still too much

still too much

That's what I was figuring

I am not afraid to say it. I got my DA SRM for a 10% discount. My understanding was that my bike sponsor shop could not get it for that price "wholesale"

So the answer is "Too Much"

still too much

Well... Really depends, some people spent almost as much on a second bike, racing wheels set, etc, but think spending the same amount on a power meter is too much. *shrug.

I am not afraid to say it. I got my DA SRM for a 10% discount. My understanding was that my bike sponsor shop could not get it for that price "wholesale"

So the answer is "Too Much"

That seems to be the running discount rate, even though the markup (from what I know) at the dealer level is somewhere on the order of 30%.

But yeah, too much.

Well... Really depends, some people spent almost as much on a second bike, racing wheels set, etc, but think spending the same amount on a power meter is too much. *shrug.

if i had the choice i'd take an SRM over a second bike and day of the week.

if i had the choice i'd take an SRM over a second bike and day of the week.

I'm not saying that I wouldn't buy an SRM but its hard to get an SRM at wholesale. It seems that SRM does all of their sales directly. I personally haven't called them up yet and say "A customer of ours..." (referring to me, oh note, I work at a bike shop)

But now that Sram has come out with their version of the SRM crank, its available through QBP. Its still really expensive, the percent markup isn't that high, and really I don't want to buy a Sram version. I'm waiting for Campy to come out with their version with the ultra hollow crank arms.

The coach I was talking to a couple weeks ago said that the demand for SRMs has really spiked in the last year or two, and the US demand is like 5x what it is in Europe. He said that there have been periods where the supply had dried up briefly. So, maybe the demand will start to lower prices (assuming the supply goes up). Competition from Quarq can't hurt (prices).

if i had the choice i'd take an SRM over a second bike and day of the week.

Same here, but some people view it differently.

the BB30 SRMs were really the cheapest ones you could get with discount though you have to buy a bike. That said there's a place in Britain that is now renting them at 15 some odd pounds a week, and while the price may be high, they may be on to something.

It is the best investment in cycling I ever made.

There is no "discount" or "wholesale" pricing out there. (Checked everywhere). I bought mine through a coach who threw in the installation, calibration, threshold testing and a sixteen week training program. All for the retail price of the SRM.

This is the best type of arrangement. I not only got the SRM but also learned how to train with it...invaluable in my opinion.

It is the best investment in cycling I ever made.

There is no "discount" or "wholesale" pricing out there. (Checked everywhere). I bought mine through a coach who threw in the installation, calibration, threshold testing and a sixteen week training program. All for the retail price of the SRM.

This is the best type of arrangement. I not only got the SRM but also learned how to train with it...invaluable in my opinion.

there's only one drawback, that i know of.

based on how SRMs have changed one my best friend's training, he now finds it nigh impossible to ride with other people.

there's only one drawback, that i know of.

based on how SRMs have changed one my best friend's training, he now finds it nigh impossible to ride with other people who don't also have an SRM and fixate over it.

If I may?

If I may?

you may not, because that's not the case.

his problem is that his training is pretty simple. he rides at XXXwatts for X.X hours.

when he rides with other folk, the SOP is that they're too slow on the flat, and they're too fast going uphill (he's not a small guy).

there's only one drawback, that i know of.

based on how SRMs have changed one my best friend's training, he now finds it nigh impossible to ride with other people.

I have friends like that too.

I have a power meter, but I don't let it dominate my training like that. I realize that TSS and CTL are great tools, but they aren't taking everything else in your life into the equation. You can't say that you're fresh when your TSS/CTL indicate it, when you have the flu, nor can you say you're overworked when you've upped your hours and intensity on the bike on a summer vacation, and have tons of time to recover, as you can sleep for a couple more hours a day.

I am a fan of structured training, but will never go so far as to remove group rides from my training. Sure, they might cause fluxuations in the amount of power you're putting out, but, in the grand scheme of things, isn't the goal of training to replicate racing? Doing nothing but 15s sprints, and 1, 5 and 20 minute intervals will make you strong, but it can never replicate a hard race.

I have friends like that too.

I have a power meter, but I don't let it dominate my training like that. I realize that TSS and CTL are great tools, but they aren't taking everything else in your life into the equation. You can't say that you're fresh when your TSS/CTL indicate it, when you have the flu, nor can you say you're overworked when you've upped your hours and intensity on the bike on a summer vacation, and have tons of time to recover, as you can sleep for a couple more hours a day.

i should also probably add that where he lives (bumf*** germany) that there's not too many other folk to ride with, and the the ones that are there are idiots.


I am a fan of structured training, but will never go so far as to remove group rides from my training. Sure, they might cause fluxuations in the amount of power you're putting out, but, in the grand scheme of things, isn't the goal of training to replicate racing? Doing nothing but 15s sprints, and 1, 5 and 20 minute intervals will make you strong, but it can never replicate a hard race.

he doesn't race anymore, so i would suppose not.

that said, riding with him is like riding with a motorcycle.

that said, riding with him is like riding with a motorcycle.

I would dump you on my ST like Sheryl dumped Lance.

http://www.psndealer.com/powersportsdlr/images/NewVehicles/2004_1_st1300.jpg

I would dump you on my ST like Sheryl dumped Lance.

http://www.psndealer.com/powersportsdlr/images/NewVehicles/2004_1_st1300.jpg

possibly.