DI2 or Quarq?
 

OK, I'm sure this needs to be the 41 but I want racer opinion.

I'm will be racing next season, in cat 5 and the old guy cat when I have to, planning to spend the minimum time in cat 5. I have a bike that I love and want to upgrade some. Its a Giant TCR Advanced with Ultegra component group. I have two sets of nice race wheels, Vision 50mm carbon sew ups and Mavic Ksyrium SL. I want to either upgrade my cranckset to a Rotor crank with Quarq Cinqo or my group set to DI2. I like the thought of training with power to figures out where I'm at and where I need to be. But I don't want to be the tool in Cat 5 with a power meter...

or, you'll be the tool in cat 5 with Di2.

Do your time, and gtfo cat 5. Once you're a 4, the quarq will actually help you get out of cat 4. If you like the way Di2 shifts/feels/etc, and you really feel like blowing the money, then go for it, but it's not going to make you any faster, nor any better a bike racer.

welcome to road

Everyone starts as a 5. You won't be there for long.

Di2 in Cat 5?

:wtf:

Updating your grouppo is waste unless you have stuff in need of replacement. Ultegra v. DA (Di2 or not) isn't a limiter in improving your racing.

By virtue of the fact that you asked which to get was evidence enough that this belonged in the 41. There's only one correct answer to the question. That answer is do nothing right now and save your money for a SRM.

I'll be the odd man/tool out - go for the Quarq. A power meter is a great aid to measuring and improving your fitness. How well you do as a racer is a separate issue. :D

A third possibility presents itself - do you still have the stock wheels that came on your bike? If so, having the rear wheel re-built with a Powertap would be a good bit cheaper, and wouldn't be so obvious. That way you could train with power and not look like a tool. ;)

Used properly, the Quarq will improve your performance a lot over time. Di2 just makes you lazy. ;)

Bob

I agree, Quarq is what I would do if I were you. Yu can better plan your training and actually see what helps and what hinders your performance. I have had one for 2 years and my race performance and training has improved. I now know what I should be doing and when. There are also a couple of books you should read once you get one (Freil's book is good and I have another whose name escapes me now....).
Don't let anyone bug you with the "you can't have X component or wheelset in CatX..". Do what you want, spend it like you want and have fun. But get faster or else we will make fun of you. :)

First big upgrade I purchased for my bike was a cycling computer. Even though I'm a newbie, I know it's better to keep accurate track of your progress than to buy component upgrades and not notice any improvement at all (or worse, to notice improvements that really aren't there).

If you're interested in racing, and presumably trying to improve your performance, a power meter is going to be so much more useful for you. I don't see what problem you'd be fixing with Di2.

put your $$ down on the quarq. I did about 4 months ago and I can't imagine not having it now. once you get it, you'll wonder how you ever did without it.

Quarq it! Then tell me how it works out because I need one too.

I think the general rule in Cat 5 would be don't race what you can't afford to replace to many crashes you could get tangled up in, my friend found that out the hard way.
Race what you have for now or build yourself a race bike for that purpose.

Yeah, lots of crashes In 5. Too many folks don't have a clue how to race.

Read Training and Racing with Power. Your answer lies within.

Whatever you get, you won't be the only cat 5 with it.

Same with cat 3....it just happens at a consistently higher speed.

Gotta agree that if you had raced even once you wouldn't be asking this.

Races aren't won on the Internet or with your credit card. They are won with sweat and hard work.

Keep in mind this is coming from a guy who sells wheels for a living.

If you just HAVE to spend money I would throw 100% behind the quarq.

Just remember - it's a tool for training, not a penis measuring device.

Everything is meaningless though until you pin on a number and toe the line. If I had a dollar for every "racer" who seemed to be all revved up at the end of the season...."I'm going to Race!".....I could take long tours in Europe.

You don't actually toe a line in bike racing..just saying

Quarq. No better training tool than a power meter. Also helps you in races

How? Sounds like the kinda thing that puts a cat 5 into a curb.

If a rider can't glance at their power data on a sustained climb w/o crashing, maybe that person shouldn't be racing or driving for that matter.
But yes it is much more useful in training than racing. I've never almost gotten in a wreck looking at my data though.

I'd say most cat 5s would do well to keep their eyes on the road, and hands off their power meter. It's not like every cat 5 race is decided on sustained climbs, or even has a climb, never mind a sustained one.

I pretty much agree w/you. I rarely look at my watts when racing, mostly just go by feel and the pack. Just sayin' it could be useful in various forms of racing, but def more of a training tool.
Also i find analyzing my race data to be very informative.

i keep my power meter on my race bike all the time for two reasons:

1) i can review my data later
2) when ur going crazy in the first 20 minutes of a race trying to get into the winning break (most local races'winning break are set in the first half), i can quickly look down at my average power and see that if its over 350 watts for the first 20 minutes maybe i should chill out :)

My input though would be get either a powertap or a quarq, or wait and get an srm (srms are major bling, but i could never find any cheap enough). A power meter will completely change your training outlook, and hopefully will cause you to train smarter, and get stronger. di2 on the other hand will just make ur perfectly shifting bike shift a tiny bit better.