I am looking at possibly investing in a Powertap system. Is the only difference between the SL and the SL 2.4 the wire? Has there been much interference issues with the wireless system from overhead powerlines and such?

I've not heard good things about the wireless, but then again I don't own one. I've only got the Pro.

I spoke to Saris (Powertap) on the phone a few minutes ago. They were praising the wireless saying that it had LESS interference than the wired.....which makes no sense to me.

Those who have the wired versions, how annoying is the wire? It has to go all the way from the back wheel to the handlebars right?

Can the computer be upgraded to wireless without having to replace the wheel?

Yes the wire goes from the bars to the rear wheel and to the crank if you want wired cadence. No, you cannot upgrade to wireless from the wired version. The initial setup of the wired is a bit annoying, but it's not that bad.

I've not used the wireless yet, but I have also heard of problems with interference and data drops pretty regularly. That was when they first were released though, so they may have been updated.

Can anyone confirm if this is still an issue?

It's not. Then again, I chose to NOT put on the cadence sensor as I didn't want another wire on my bike.

1. The wire isn't annoying at all. Certainly not annoying to the tune of $300.

2. There's no other functional difference between the SL and the SL 2.4.

I have a wired SL and have had zero problems with it. I have a teammate with the 2.4 who is on his 3rd head unit from Saris. YMMV, of course.

Nuff said Pete and thanks.

The wires on my Powertap Pro are no more prominant than the wires on my old Cateye cyclocomputer (which had a rear wheel magnet for use with a trainer and cadence sensor). I am glad I saved money and bought the Powertap Pro.

One more question guys. Are all of the SL's created the same? Should a 2005 model be the same as a 2007? Any serious updates done?

IIRC there was a slight upgrade to the CPU (more memory). If you go to the Cycleops website and download the powertap SL manual, it shows you the subtle difference between the "Yellow 1" (old) and "Yellow 2" (new) CPUs. It's something like the location of the CycleOps logo on the face.

On the weenies board they talked about the wireless version. Said that Saris got bad antennas on the first batches of the wireless. Supposedly the very latest versions should clear that up. I'm not sure if the the fixed versions are already in the market though. Here is the link.

I was doing a search and came accross this thread.

I'm currenty running a loaner PowerTap 2.4 wireless from my LBS. I can't say how the wired ones are, but I have found that the connection between the wheel and head unit seemed to drop quite frequenty throughout my ride for a second or two. The result was that I had a ton of data files when I went to download the workout (which was about 1.5 hours).

The software gives you the ability to consolodate them easily, but if I end up buying one I think I'll go with the SL wired.

Is it because you stopped pedaling for a while? I have a wired system and I usually get about 5 files for one ride because of this. How many files are you talking about?

No - definitely not that.. It happens while pedaling, and it shows the same graphic as when the unit is searching for the hub for a second or so. Though that did happen to me also after waiting through a light. I had to hold both buttons to initiate the "find" to get it back.

I'm talking about 20+ files.

Dang, that's a lot of files.

I have 1 wireless computer and 2 wireless hubs. One hub NEVER drops out. The other one drops out ALL THE TIME. I'll be sending that one back.

I had the wired version and 2 hubs. The wired version was fine. never had drops. friends have the wired units with good results as well..

cheers

The new SLs use a newer heart rate strap with ANT technology. Its coded and less interference prone than the older ones.

In my case the HR never failed, it was just the hub transmission.

edit: and AFAIK, this is the newest one - the 2.4 wireless.

The wireless also has the newest heart rate technology.

Unless you're really desperate to save all the weight you can or are riding Campy I would go with the Pro over the SL. They just upgraded the Pro model so that it looks exactly like the SL, has the upgraded bearing and seals of the SL, and has a steel cassette body instead of the SL's aluminum. The steel cassette body is nice because 10sp cassettes don't eat into it the way they do into aluminum cassette bodies. Plus, it's $300 cheaper. Also, if you're going to get a front wheel to go with it consider the matching hub. I kind of got forced into buying one and thought it was going to be crappy, but was pleasantly surprised by it. The hub is close in quality to a Record hub.

I believe the SL also has different bearings, which may make it more desirable long term.

My father has had the wired Pro for several years with no problems, and has had the wireless unit for a couple of months. He has had problems with the wireless losing the heart signal when he is in aerobars.