Originally Posted by
Bob Dopolina
Pul-lease.
Getting you gum from a gumball machine relies on physics too but that doesn't make a gumball machine a power meter.
Strain gauges generate actual, repeatable hard data based on their quantifiable physical properties. The iBike doesn't. Hardly the same thing.
The OP did make a good point about being consistent. If the iBike generates consistent numbers for you under most conditions then it may be of some use. Those number will not be comparable to the numbers generated by other riders using more accurate systems, however.
If this suits your needs then it may be a viable option for you.
For me, I'll stick with the PM I have at the moment.
I find it interesting that this point keeps being brought up (and I am assuming you and others that make this statement haven't used an iBike before). What do you guys think about the evidence out there, some even from credible sources like VeloNews, that suggests the numbers between the iBike and the other systems are very close? Maybe the unit really does a decent job of measuring wind speed and gradient in most conditions, and the assumptions in rolling and aerodynamic resistance are pretty good as well?