patentcad

https://www.quarq.us/

Read it and weep. Yet another overpriced power meter.

Oh well.

botto 

NoRacer

Another group who has jumped on the ANT +Sport technology bandwagon:

https://www.ibikesports.com/documents...nouncement.pdf

ElJamoquio

No thanks. I can get three used SL's for that price, with $300 to spare.

Hammertoe

Wow...

You have to buy the CinQo and the Qranium from Quark (or have an ANT +Sport enabled reviever)...

Makes me feel better about my recent purchase...



Even if it is because it doesn't have a stupid name...

NomadVW 

Personally waiting for the wireless sharkfin for my wired power taps. Unless someone buys me an SRM, I'll never change now.

waterrockets 

Looks like I'll be getting a new rear wheel.

UTracer

The price of the Quarq wont look to bad once SRM releases the prices of their new wireless stuff. I can almost guarantee that they will cut out the pro and amateur versions and stick with the DA, FSA type and then raise the price to almost $4000.
If this Quarq works well, I will be selling my SRM. Also, from what I understand any of these meters with ANT + Sport can be interchanged, so you could possibly use the new Garmin headunit with the quarq or the new SRM. Everything can be interchanged, so you could possibly get the quarq and the garman (seems to be around $500) for $1600. Right in the realm of the Ergomo and probably much more accurate. Either way I am excited to see how durable this thing will be when they release it in 2008.

botto 

You know this from your contacts in Jülich?

waterrockets 

Don't forget you still have to bump the price by 15% for your new cranks...

UT_Dude

$2100 is not as bad as I was thinking.

biffstephens

I am a little miffed at the crank options...

FSA Team Issue
FSA Krono TT
Truvativ Rouleur Carbon (SRAM)
Cannondale Hollowgram
Specialized S-Works Carbon
Rotor Agilis
Sibex Sports
Track - To be determined

1195 is not bad though...if it works!!!!

texascyclist

I had high hopes of something less than 1k. I'm severely disappointed. Ibike here I come.

edit: Ibike now can talk to garmin 705 and does heartrate: https://www.ibikesports.com/documents...nouncement.pdf

also, I know white is now in, but I like my computer to be black. They have black now.

Phantoj

You should check if the iBike can read from the Cinqo spider. That might be an option if you want a power meter that actually measures power at some point...


I think the pricing of the Cinqo and Qranium is fair. In an August press release, Quarq said:

So I think they have a plan to bring some cheaper stuff to the market in the future.

patentcad

I'll sell you my iBike cheap, complete with several oversized handlebar mounts and spare batteries. I can't handle this dopey thing. Maybe you can. PM me if interested. Used like once. Brand new.

Powertap here I come.

biffstephens

I had high hopes for your ibike experience....

patentcad

To much F-ing around with the unit. Forget it. Pcad is a lace'em up and go kinda dude. In fact I have grave doubts that I'll ever be patient enough to download PM data into a computer program that requires me to load Windows up on my Mac.

I want to ride my bicycle faster. I have no interest whatsoever in Sports Science. What I need is a coach to say 'do this ahole'. Then I can say 'OK' or 'F yourself'.

waterrockets 

Cinqo doesn't measure power. It measures impedance across a strain guage, and calculates power.

I'm not taking away from the deserved dig on the ibike -- as its calculation method is highly variable.

Phantoj

Give me an example of a device (not necessarily bike related) that does measure power, then.

UT_Dude

I have hopes (because I'm a nerd like that) that they'll release a Quarg for MTB stuff. Then, I could buy one of the Garmin head units, and use it for all 3 of my bikes. That would make me seriously happy.

Then again, I'm not doing anything til they've been proven for at least a couple of months.

patentcad

Powertap may not be the slickest unit out there, but it has several major advantages:

• It's proven

• It's reasonably priced

• It can be used on multiple bicycles (I have three I'd like to set up for the PT)

My plan now is to get a set of Zipp 404 clinchers with a PT SL rear hub. That will work on a number of fronts. I have a local acquaintance who may be selling a Zipp 404 clincher rear with a PT SL soon. Hard to find them on eBay. I may splurge and by the set with the PT new early next year.

Phantoj

The design of the spider would need to change a lot to work with a triple. Maybe you could run a 2x9 setup with a compact road crank in front?

UT_Dude

I probably won't do it, b/c I don't MTB enough to justify that. I'm just saying it would be cool, but yeah, I see your point on the spider.

Phantoj

Here's the cheapest crank-based power setup I can think of:

(1) Cinqo spider, at MSRP ($1200)
(2) Truvativ Rolleur Carbon crank, ebay, $150 (maybe as low as $100, if the triple would work)
(3) Garmin Edge 705, $400 (what they are listed for on internet discounters at Google Product Search)

So that's a full power-measuring setup for about $1750. Compared to the NEW prices of what else is out there, that seems fair to me.

Consider also that this setup gets you a very advanced head unit with full GPS and mapping...

waterrockets 

Power can only be calculated from other measurements. The purest form would be a spring scale, ruler, and a clock to give you Nm/s

You can easily fool a Quarq or similar system. If you locked the wheel in place, hung 200 lbs off the forward-facing crank, then tapped the cadence and speed sensors with a magnet, it would read power, even though no power was going through the system at all.

An ibike would be much easier to fool. Just tip it up, blow on it, and tap the sensors with a magnet. So, that's a pretty impure calculation.

It would be pretty tough to fool a spring scale pulling a weight over a distance in a given amount of time.

I'm not faulting Quarq or SRM, but they don't directly measure power.