Wheels and powertap question
 

Due to a bunch of reasons, I have decided to splurge on a bling bike after all (since no BFers live in my neck of the woods, I am safe from the shame of being droped by the gigantic guads that lurk here). Leaning towards a BMC or Ridley right now.

To go with the bling bike, I am considering getting a nice, 50mm aero wheelset.

I like riding/training with power (recently got a Powertap hub on my current bike, which I will keep in my other domicile), so I was thinking of getting these wheels laced to a Powertap hub as well.

However, I've realized that if I will not really be able to switch wheels in such a case. Why would I want to switch wheels? Not really sure how often I will need to, but it'd be nice to have the option to swap in regular wheels or whatever, if need be, but without losing the ability to measure power.

So are there any alternatives to hub-based power measurement systems at more or less the same cost - something that can be moved from one bike to another relatively easily? The SRM cranks, at $2k-$3k just for the cranks, are not an option - too expensive. iBike Pro III seems like it might be accurate enough for my needs, so that is an option, I suppose.

Alternatively, do you guys think that carbon, aero wheelsets will be fast enough for daily riding on moderately rough roads, with a 180lb rider? If that is the case, then I'll just stick to the Powertap hubs.

Thanks,
V

Quarq

used Srm.

50mm carbon rims + daily riding?

I know people will say, "Well.. cause I can and want to," but to me that combination is just stupid.

Yes.

Why?

Why, if you dont mind my asking? I enjoy riding all out, and bettering my own times. 1-2 hours of pain and speed on the bike totally helps me mentally and physically. The reason I was thinking of aero rims is that they would help me go a little faster for the same power output. So what am I missing - miniscule benefit? Reliability concerns? "Fred"?

Not arguing - merely curious.

V.

If big carbon wheels makes you ride more, than do it. However, a lot of people seem to like spending a lot of money on bike parts because they think it's makes them faster and...well...that's about it. Seems like a waste of money, but as long as it's not my money, I don't care.

Is there something about aero wheelset you don't understand? They do make you faster, that's the point of them.

Moderately. But that's not the point. What do people get out of going faster for their evening health ride? Or their Saturday morning club ride? Some of the gear I see on these rides is absurd. I know a guy who has a $7,000 TT bike that he rides with his group of friends. None of them race or compete in any way.

agree

you might want more than one set of wheels; you might want more than one bike; having more than one crank is a perhaps less common desire; moving the crank is not hard

if you decide to get p/t then don't bother with the external cadence sensor; mine reports that i pedal 250+ rpm; i'm returning it; the derived cadence from the hub is occasionally inaccurate but this is well-known and accepted by the maker and users (which is puzzling to me, but i've been told I wouldn't understand such things; i should get money back on my BSEE then)

Well....thank god for guys like him. They help make the bike industry go around. :p

vkalia - I am still working up a quote for you but I have been spending time catching up on a huge wheel backlog and putting together pricing options for the 50mm full carbon clincher and carbon tubular rims I now have in stock..... :thumb:

...with powertap and 705 package deals that will blow anyone else away. ....cause I'm good like that...

If this new job pans out...I may be hitting you up on that offer...

Quarq is great when you have a lot of different wheelsets you want to run and always want power. When you have a ton of bikes though....i prefer a powertap.

Right now i am running a powertap with 705 head unit. I can use the headunit on any bike either with or without the powertap obviously and I don't have to have magnets, cadence pickups, etc... When I have a race where I want to use a particular wheelset without a powertap (let's face it PT's are heavy) then no biggie. I only use the power data after the fact anyway.

Last count I had approx 10-12 bikes in my house.....wait 14......no....hmmm...15 last night.....a quarq just wouldn't make sense for me.

You better not be selling MY powertap Psimet.

williams has 58mm carbon clinchers available with powertap hubs...

PSI's are cheaper. By like... a lot.

I dont race, but I do compete - against myself. That is why I enjoy riding - every day, I get to see if I have gone faster than someone else. That's my reason and if someone else doesnt get it, well, no big deal.

Cool, will check it out. That looks like it might be the ticket. Although a big gulp at the price - $1500 excluding the cranks and head unit? Well, least it is cheaper than SRM...

You know, the more I think about it, the more attractive the iBike III starts to get. Yeah, it is computed and not actual power, but it is a LOT cheaper and easier to move around. And based on the comparison with SRM and Powertap, it looks to be quite accurate as well.

I'd prefer not to get used in this instance, mainly due to my remote location.

Indeed you are. Btw, finally got that Rival groupset. Will be installing it next week, thanks - and no big hurry on the quote. Will be tied up until the 2nd week of Sep.

V.

Fortunately, you don't need to spend money on gear to improve your own time. In fact, if anything, that would be a false indication of improvement. But again, I don't really care how you spend your money...

Depends on the OP's location. Quarq won't sell into anywhere except the US and Canada at the moment.

If you are competing against yourself, what's the point of buying speed? "wooho, I'm now .18 mph faster on the Thurman Lakes loop!" If you did that by training or riding harder, then it's worth something. It shows that your work paid off. If you got that speed by opening your wallet, it's pointless. Any fool can spend money.


All-carbon rims have some serious downsides. They don't brake very well in the wet, and they dont' handle the heat from prolonged braking like you'd get on a long twisty descent as well as all-aluminum rims, or carbon rims with aluminum brake tracks. I have blown the tire off my carbon rims descending the road I live on (which is admittedly very steep and tight and requires a lot of braking). I use plain old aluminum rims for training and save the carbon rims for some races.

"Quarq is great when you have a lot of different wheelsets you want to run and always want power. When you have a ton of bikes though....i prefer a powertap."


I never thought of this when I bought my first bike and wanted a powermeter on it. When I decided to buy a TT bike also, I was glad I picked a Powertap so I could use it on both bikes. I would have been SOL with a Quarq.