ericm979

It's a question that gets debated endlessly but one that everyone has to answer for themselves. It depends on how many bikes and wheels you have, how easy/hard you feel swapping components is, and how much money you have to spend on a PM.

I recommend reading the Coggan and Allen power meter book now. If you can't get through the book, then reconsider buying a power meter. You won't be getting full value out of it. Lots of people go fast without one.

kindablue

I dreamed of a quarq or srm (crank based) but ended up finding a PT pro+ laced to an open pro for 675.00 so I snatched it up. Personally I wouldn't want to continue investing in power tap, because I'd hate to have a second power meter just for race wheels.

I think a SRM is the "gold standard" so most would buy that one if they had the cash... but its effin expensive.

Personally I'd see where this goes
https://sites.garmin.com/vector/#power
If it gets good reviews come spring it would be worth the purchase (imo). Durability is the big concern that comes to my mind, but I'm sure they have a good warranty.

edit: also I couldn't afford to train on a race wheel. One bad pothole on a group ride and I could find a crack in my carbon rim (although I've heard some are very durable). Plus I'd like to have tubulars for racing. Don't have "race wheels" yet as you probably can tell. They are pretty far down on my list of things to buy.

PCS2

Thanks guys, the garmin is appealing as I have several bikes and it gives speed too w/o needing sensors.

Just picked up a new PT SL+ for cheap.

AzTallRider

However it is more accurate with sensors than it is using GPS. I sure wish I could hit 54mph on the flat. Not that speed is a key factor in training, but I'm OCD enough to want the data as accurate as possible, so I have an Ant+ sensor and magnet on the rear of both my bikes.

shovelhd

The GSC-10 is cheap enough. It gets your cadence right, too.

echappist

+1. works with Joule 2.0, too

PCS2

Interesting, thanks guys. I think I might grab the 500 with the wheel sensor, although my OCD for clean looking bikes hates the magnets

I'm assuming that the edge 500 works with TP WKO+?

gsteinb

Now that I'm 6' 150 lbs thanks to Max Tall will I have a better climbing profile?

AzTallRider

Yep.

PCS2

Thanks, downloaded it today. Just finished reading Allen and Coggan as well........good book. Need to read it again though.

Urthwhyte

So racing collegiate this coming year, have the chance to buy a wired PowerTap for about $350 locally with all electropack components. Is it worth it to go wired at this point, especially given the low cost of entry, or should I delay and splurge down the road?

shovelhd

I would say that it depends on when your season starts. If it's like around here, collegiate begins in March. You'll want to do at least 12 weeks of training with power before your first race. So working backwards, do you think you'll have the cash for a wireless PT wheel before the end of December? If so, wait. Wireless could be new, more flexible in terms of head unit, and will hold its value better. If you do end up buying this wheel, make sure everything works, and pay attention to the condition of the wiring harness. It shouldn't be hacked up or spliced.

Creatre

Go for it. Having a wire isn't a huge deal unless you prefer using a Garmin or something that syncing a wireless PTap would be nice for. $350 is a great deal to get introduced to riding with power.

Racer Ex 

Agree.

RecceDG

I found an EBay auction selling PowerTap SL+ based new rental program wheels for $750. Came with a 12-25 105 cassette and a mounted (but not inflated) Conti Ultra Race tire too - all brand new in a CycleOps box.

Put it on my bike. Activated power in the Edge 705. Set one second recording and zero averaging. Unit discovered the PT immediately. Hit "calibrate" and it returned 512. Set head unit to display Power and 3 Second Power

But man... the values I saw seem awfully high....

Attached is the trace of my test. This was a few trips around the block with a couple of hard sprints here and there. It was getting dark and the streets were short, so this isn't a long sustained effort.



Do those numbers seem at all reasonable? They seem high to me.

I'm not a small dude; I'm about 225 lbs but I'm also pretty strong (I win most of my groups's townline sprints). Maybe power is high because it actually takes a bunch of power to accelerate my fat ass that much. Is that why watts/kg is considered more important that just raw wattage? Or is my meter just out to lunch?

DG

shovelhd

Nothing personal, but 1100W jumps at 225lbs. isn't something I'd be bragging about, so to speak.

SalsaPodio

Just got my powertap back from Saris after being calibrated. Feels good to train with power again.

Edit:

I should also mention that their customer service was pretty good. I tried calling a few times and just got the hold music, so I just emailed. I got a response in 25 minutes, and I had the solution to my problem and an address to ship my wheel to in less than an hour. Got the wheel back 5 days (not business days) after I sent the wheel in.

RecceDG

So you think that's low then? Those aren't max-effort sprints (no room, too dark) which is what had me thinking the numbers were high.

But if those numbers are ballpark, or even low then cool; the meter is working properly and I can get down to business getting under 225 lbs.

DG

shovelhd

Whether it's low or not really depends on more than just the number. The point being, I would zero the PT, and then trust it.

hammy56

I cant seem to find online, how to 'zero' or check the toque on my joule...anyone have a link or suggestions?

Skinny Fred

This is a relevant thread from last month that covers wired/wireless and used/new: Cheapest way to get power?. According to that thread, $350 is a fair price for a used wired system.

Skinny Fred

Manuals here: https://www.cycleops.com/en/product-manuals.html I don't have a Joule, so I can't be more helpful.

hammy56

thanks.

shovelhd

Right, but a month ago wireless pt wheels were over a grand.

kvangundy

I tried "peaking" for some summer racing (road/track)...but, as the taper period finished, I didn't "bounce" back into my peak wattages or better than pre-training cycling peaks. My season is attemptedly dual peaked, I have collegiate racing from feb-may (peak 1) then summer track/road june-sept(peak 2).

I lost a bit of weight (185-->175) over the training process (12 weeks) but also lost some W off the top (-~200W) my w/kg also dropped. I retested to see if I had over trained and peaked later but...no dice, still -200 off collegiate season peak wattages. I trained harder, lifted heavier, and am very disappointed in my body crapping out on me.

I missed out on base this year, didn't seem to hurt me during collegiate racing...but after a long enough season, can a lack of base ruin end season peak wattages?

It's "base building" time for collegiate riders, should I build base? or take a break because my body has obviously had too long of a season and needs extended recovery?