The cheapest way to get power is to Swift Boat yer honorable opponent. Sure worked for old what's his name...

Yes, it does. I rode a wired pt for two or three years, sold it to a buddy of mine. He had it rebuilt (new rim and spokes), rode it for two years and it is still going strong.

Thanks Lowcell, good to know.
How much hassle is it to transfer between bikes? I'm guessing all the wires are external.

I had three different mounting kits so it wasn't bad at all. Just put one of the kits on each bike then all I had to do was swap wheels and the computer head. Only took a minute.

You can also use a regular rear wheel with a magnet and use the powertap head unit as a regular computer.

You can get a complete used wired powertap setup for under $250 (first generation) or $350 (second generation).

I sold a 1040g Powertap SL wired hub in a 30mm deep Kinlin XR-300 rim with DT Revolution 2.0/1.5 spokes and alloy nipples on craigslist with electronics for $300 shipped.

Be sure to check the zero. The Cervo (aka Little Yellow Computer) has a test mode where it displays the torque offset. You want it to be "about 512" inch-pounds according to the manual with a tolerance around +/-8.

A bad zero often coincides with slope changes or non-linearities that lead to bogus power files.

Looks like some on-line retailers are selling new Powertap hubs for not a lot of money, presumably as close-outs to make way for the lighter G3 hub.

You can get a Comp wired hub only for $280 (+ $95 electropack = $375 total) and Elite+ wireless for $500 (if you're already a Garmin user that's a pretty small premium for wireless).

I think you should buy a used wired setup for <$400 or a new wireless ANT+, nothing in the middle. Wired commits you to this computer and this wheel until you replace the entire system, while ANT+ compatibility allows you to swap each piece independently. The price difference between the Competitive Cyclist Pro+ wheel deal and used seems too small.

There will be the new G3 with the separate electronics pod, but the new Pro seems to be a refinement (-20g) of the current Pro+.

What is a good price for the mounting kits? Competitive Cyclist lists them at $70 (!).

First generation = 2005? That's pretty good resale value retention. Are these laced into nice rims?

I'm not real sure. I gave one to a member not too long ago. A lot of people have them laying around gathering dust.

As old as 2002. No newer than 2005ish where the SL wired was introduced. Most likely laced into a Mavic Open Pro.

So what if I got a hub at a good price, and had it built into a rim I already have? How much would that service probably cost?

Probably 50 - 100 plus spokes / nipples.

Thanks for all the recommendations, guys. After much hand-wringing, went with the Pro+ CC deal; I wanted new, preferred current tech, and this seemed like a good price point to get into power. Will use my phone until I get sick of that and buy a Garmin. Should get me through trainer sessions over the winter.

I really wanted to jump on a quote I got from November, but I couldn't justify spending more than what I did. I'm sure the wheel would be nicer than the Open Pro I ended up with, but I doubt the Open Pro will make me hate it.

For anyone else looking, the Pro and Elite hubs are supposedly on some sort of closeout, so it might be a good time to buy if you're like me.

Che Guevarra?

To prevent confusion if someone reads this thread later, the Sony Ericsson Xperia "arc" (line) supports ANT+, and Wahoo Fitness makes an iPhone dongle. Most phones support Bluetooth. There was a pre-production Bluetooth/ANT+ translator presented at Interbike.

I bought this back in the spring and am completely satisfied. There is nothing wrong with wired. If you get the wired version, you also need to get the wiring cover for the Shimano electric shifters -- about $10. and conceals the wiring on the down-tube.

Che..chita?

rim is $50, spokes another $30 or so. Build costs are usually $50.