Racer Ex 

Hell of a deal.

dmb2786

bought one in august. thanks to this and trainingpeaks, i know that my fitness has not improved since Dec. 1. what a piece of crap.

botto 

i'd love one. then again, if i was really in the market, i'd get a psimet wheel.

actually, if i really went for what i want, i'd get a DA SRM.

palesaint

Yep, jumped on this last August with the r1.1 rim. Exact same price. Whats the difference with the r465 rim???

It's been a good investment for me. I believe that I've raised my FTP from 200W to 225W and I am seeing pretty impressive (for me) gains in 5 minute power.

Greg180

i'm your mamma, i'm your daddy
i'm that ***** in the alley
i'm your doctor, when in need
want some coke, have some weed
you know me, i'm your friend
your main boy, thick and thin
i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman

haha

ain't i clean, bad machine
super cool, super mean
feelin' good, for the man
Superfly, here i stand
secret stash, heavy bread
baddest *****es, in the bed

i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman
i'm your pusherman

RichinPeoria

what about the crank set mounted power meters? SRM?

Here is a wiki page about them https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycling_power_meter

ElJamoquio

What about them?

RichinPeoria

Hi Ej Ive only started thinking about pms. How does the SRM compare to the Saris stuff. It would seem that a crank mounted power meter would be easier to work with since its not trapping in a wheel.

bdcheung

There are pros and cons to each system.

SRM's are more expensive, but had been the "gold standard" in the past. Competition may be pushing them from this spot now. It allows you to use whichever wheels you choose, which is a benefit if you prefer to race with a power meter and cannot afford multiple PowerTap hubs.

Saris/CycleOps/PowerTap is the low-price power meter (aside from the iBike, which most label a power estimator) and its lower price, relative to the SRM, is the main benefit. The major drawback of this system is for riders who prefer to train and race on different wheels, and desire power measurement both while training and racing. For these racers, you would need two hubs laced to two wheels - one for training, one for racing.

Quarq Cinqo is the newest power meter offering in production, and measures power at the crank (the spider) like the SRM. Main benefits include lower price, more easily replaceable battery. Some drawbacks include adolescence compared to SRM and PowerTap, limited (but growing) choice of mated crankarms.

Each system requires additional sensors if you want the full range of data. SRM/Quarq require a speed sensor, PowerTap requires a cadence sensor, and all systems can be matched with a HRM. All systems also offer ANT+ compatibility on select models.

RichinPeoria

thanks bd

I also see in what Ive been reading that ANT is the standard and Im guess this is some kind of communication protocol.

caloso

I see the needle and the damage done
A little part of it in every one
But every junkie's like the setting sun.....

rydaddy

Heh, I'm watching the history channel right now... subject: junkies

Anyway, I'll be a power junkie soon. Waiting for that box from Illinois. Killer price on a Pro+ w/Edge 500.

bdcheung

Yes, ANT+ is an "open source" (i think a more accurate term would be "shared platform") communication standard that seems to be the trend nowadays. It's beneficial in that you can match any ANT+ accessory with any other ANT+ accessory. So, you can pair an ANT+ SRM with the SRM PC7, Garmin Edge 500/705, PowerTap Joule, etc.

But don't think you have to get ANT+. There are plenty of people training with wired powertaps and wired SRM's and they're doing just fine.

But having ANT+ (or at least a wireless system) allows you to more easily move the power meter between bikes.

ElJamoquio

pros/cons are swapping wheels between bikes is generally easier than swapping cranks.

If you have one bike and a billion wheelsets, the decision is easy.

If you're just getting started, I'd get an old wheelset off of ebay, with a 6 year old hub that's heavy and still measures fine. I bought mine for ~400 in a wheel about two or three years ago, and the price has gone down since then.

ElJamoquio

You know what? Never mind. This is a better deal. You're going to spend ~1800 for a quarq, or more for an SRM. If you wait for the pedal meters to come out (allegedly Q2 2010), they're supposed to be ~1k.

bdcheung

yeah this deal is pretty damn good. Everything you need to start measuring wattage. and who cares if it's wired - everyone has a favorite bike and that's likely where the PM will live.

except tube and tire.

RichinPeoria

good info ... the crank mounted one sounds like less of a problem if something goes wrong with it

bdcheung

They're all a hassle if something goes wrong.

Other benefit of the PowerTap: Auto-zeroing when coasting. The Quarq (I believe) also has an auto-zeroing feature.

With the SRM, you have to go through a zeroing process at the beginning of every ride, and sometimes during the ride if the temperature changes a lot. It's not a complicated procedure, but the auto-zeroing of the PowerTap (and maybe the Quarq) is nice.

Grumpy McTrumpy

I have both.

SRM is better.

you can zero it while coasting as well.

ridethecliche

Buy a used wired SRM.

If you buy the octalink, you can swap between bikes very easily. The campy ST stuff is good too, but I've read that you damage the cranks a little each time you take them out. In time the cranks won't work with the BB. This will likely take many many many cycles, so it shouldn't really be an issue for years.

merlinextraligh

Quarq doesn't require a speed sensor if you use a Garmin as the head unit. Limited crankset choices is true, but the importance of that is questionable. And as Quarq has been out in the market for 18 months or so now without issues, and used by a Pro Tour level team, the untested issue is fading.

As long as the BB's are compatible on the bikes you're moving an SRM or a Quarq to and from, it's very easy to switch the cranks. 5 minute job at most.


all that said, I'd still go with the pedal system if it actually hits the market and is anywhere close on price and accuracy.

And if the price is an issue, its hard to beat a powertap for $659

aham23

if i were getting a powertap i would so contact that psimet guy. oh wait, i did that. roll your own folks. later.

bdcheung

Good point re: garmin head unit.

I'm just reporting facts, not any conclusions based on those. I never said the quarq is untested, just that it is the newest. Nor did I say the limited crank choices are "important".

patentcad

I like my Ptap.

That is all.

Racer Ex 

Fixed. I know of several failures. I know of several that have run without issue.

Wired units aren't a big deal to swap PM's back and forth, you just buy another harness and head mount. I've got 6 different bikes set up for wired PM's, you can usually find the harnesses on Ebay for less than wholesale.

Crank based units are pretty quick swap outs, maybe two or three more minutes than a wheel change.

Biggest benefit is very precise training. You can also learn a lot about optimizing cadence, pace TT efforts, and quantify training loads. If you're the type who trains intuitively, it can tell you if your intuition is right.

There's a learning curve though, and I wasn't ready or knowledgeable enough to really use mine initially.