Harlan

Pioneer does an install of their PM on your crank (single sided) for $500. Anyone done this?

https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...ters/SGY-PMLTC

mike868y

maybe i'm weird but i feel like it's not worth saving the $60.

Harlan

Vs what? Stages? A few of us haven't had the best experience with them.

mike868y

the pioneer left side meeting is only $560 for the ultegra version with a brand new arm...

https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/P...ES+POWER+METER

Harlan

Gotcha. I am definitely intrigued by Pioneer. They have a good track record from what I hear.

revchuck 

Those options are in the same price range as a used SRM. For context, my used PM6 SRM was $875.

hubcyclist

back today fretting about different fit stuff (I moved on from the handlebar thing lol). I was with my wife helping her maybe get a road bike, and I again was drawn to the synapse again. i've been trying to put my finger on what I like about the synapse and a trek I rented while traveling in the fall, and I finally got around to measuring the reach and stack of my current ride to compare. As it turns out, the stack is 55cm and reach is 39. In comparing my measurements to some popular models, the stack seems to be akin to 52cm models I see now (mine is a 56cm top tube) and the reach similar to 56-58cm models I see now. Anyhow, glad to have a good frame of reference when and if I go out actually looking for a new one for myself (or at least in getting a different stem and spacers on my quill stem converter), but right now I'm kind of committed to replacing my wife's 20 year old mountain bike

Sizzle82

So I just got a new powermeter with compact gearing and I'm wondering how much different it is going to be coming for standard gearing. Will I notice a big difference? Its mostly flat where I live. I race mostly flat crits. Any body got any experience about which may be better or worse. I haven't put them on and tried them but though I would ask!

TheKillerPenguin

If it is a mid compact you are getting the best of both worlds. If it's a full 34t little ring compact if there are races with extended downhills you may be at a slight disadvantage on very rare occasions. For flat crits I doubt you'll have any issues unless you can sprint at like 45mph.

carpediemracing 

I'd stay with a 52T (mid-compact) or bigger. This is assuming you're running an 11T. If not then you should run an 11T regardless. The thing about big gears is that when you can use them you can really use them. Think massive tailwind sprint, slight downhill, big downhill, etc. At the same time if you're doing flat crits you'll rarely if ever use the small ring. I did much of a season using the big ring just as an experiment (a broken cable stop for the front derailleur instigated the experiment). At the time I was still training outside. I also never shift into the small ring in crits because there's a chance of dropping the chain. If I never shift the front it reduces the changes of a dropped chain so I don't use the small ring. I have to guess it's been may be 10 years since I've been in the small ring intentionally while in a race (I'm quick to drop it down once I get shelled).

Also, as you fatigue, you can't spin as fast, so the whole "just spin faster" argument starts losing some steam in real life. As proof just do some alternating 30s intervals, first in a 53x15, then a 53x12, then the 15, then the 12, etc. You'll soon find that spinning the 15 is really hard and turning over the 12 seems positively easy. When you are trying to be as conservative as possible and the field is moving along at 38 mph and you're massively sheltered and you want to move up, spinning just a few rpm slower is super useful.

Keep in mind that BMX racers do north of 2000w peaks, averaging 1000w for 40s races, but they're not going super fast. I mean, okay, they're doing jumps and stuff, but a road rider would easily be going 45 mph with that power. They're doing 30 or 35 mph. The thing is their cadence is absolutely sick, like 160-200 rpm, and those are on really long cranks (to get better start gate acceleration). Once they get up to speed much of their power is going into moving their leg mass up and down. You don't want to be doing BMX racer stuff on a road bike. Imagine racing a crit with an absurdly low gear that still allows you to go 25-30 mph, like a 39x21.

Having said all that I'll offer a counterpoint to my own argument. In one flat training crit, when my shifter boss broke, I found myself in the small ring (39T). My top gear was a 39x11 (53x15 equivalent, another reason to use an 11T in case you have front derailleur issues, and even if you have rear derailleur problems like the cable breaks you can alternate between a 39x11 and a 53x11). I couldn't go with the big moves but I won the sprint out of my group. The guy that really tried to get me was running a 55x11 and normally beats me but I jumped really early and took him off guard. I knew I couldn't bank on a massive jump due to no big gear therefore I had to go early. This is the same tactic that most Juniors use when racing Seniors, they have to go early because in a straight up drag race their 52x14 puts them at a disadvantage compared to a 53x11 or 12. However, by using a smaller biggest gear you eliminate some tactical possibilities.

Overall, to keep your tactical possibilities as open as possible, I'd get a standard chainring set or, at smallest, a mid-compact.

Sizzle82

Thank you for your answers very much appreciated. I a running a quarq with standard gearing right now 53-39 10 spd 11-25, my deal is I don't make a lot of power (FTP 220) but I am a little guy (145 lbs) and I like to spin. I find myself only using very little of my cassette when I am in the big ring. So I was hoping to go mid compact so I bought power2max with 110 bcd with compact rings in hopes of switching to 52-38 but it looks like the tool I need to remove the cranks to change rings is $60, so I was debating trying compact!!

topflightpro

What tool is that?

Depending on the chainring bolts, you either need a 5mm and 6mm allen wrench or the little Park Tool chainring nut wrench, which costs about $5.

And chainrings can be swapped without pulling the cranks off the bike.

Sizzle82

Its the lock ring tool. On the classic version you have to remove te drive side crank arm to remove the big ring. I can rove the chainring bolts no problem but the ring will not come off without removing the arm.

topflightpro

I see. You want to remove the spider from the crankarms.

carpediemracing 

By "ring" (bold) you mean the spider, as @shovelhd said?

If you have a compact I think you should be able to replace just the rings? I think I'm not getting the whole picture because you shouldn't need to remove the spider to replace the rings. If you bought the 110 BCD Power2Max spider then I'd say go with the 52/38 rings.

Did you buy just the Power2Max spider?

Sizzle82

No unless I am wrong on the Classic version I cannot move the large chainrnring because of the way the battery cover sits. So you have to remove the crank arm from the spider to physically remove the large ring.

Sizzle82

No I did not just buy the spider I bought the older version of the Power2max with the big battery compartment that sits over the big ring.

carpediemracing 

Based on this it looks like you don't need to remove the spider, just the battery cover?

Power2Max Power Meter In-Depth Review | DC Rainmaker

Sizzle82

Well maybe I will try it againI couldn't see how I was gonna get the Opraxis ring off with breaking something.

echappist

quick update, so Edge 520 can indeed turn off auto-zero on SRM.

At least for my SRM units (firmwares updated in fall of 2013 and January of 2015, respectively), no battery voltage info is provided

hack

Rotor 3D issue ... have the 24mm crankset on my TT bike and the non-drive side arm keeps working itself loose. I've sent it back to Rotor and they inspected and replaced the pinch bolt so it SHOULD be fine, but it's not Even took it into the shop and had them tighten it up, yet it still works itself loose.

Sequence for installing that I've used is:

-put drive side on,
-put o-ring on,
-back pinch bolt back about two rotations from non-tension and slide non-drive side arm on,
-use pre-load to snug everything together (~1-2 Nm)
-tighten pinch bolt to ~5 Nm

-ride bike

Anyone else run into this issue?

Also ... regarding the rotor issue discussed above, I believe you either need to remove the spider with the rotor tool or figure out how to work the chainring around the battery cover. I have the type S on mine and went that route to avoid chainring issues.

abhirama

I do one more thing as shown in https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrEXRcZkn34

Wylde06

Anyone have any experience with Williams carbon clinchers, and specifically the 58/85 combo? Been eyeing these for a while and am hoping to pull the trigger on a set of wheels in the next couple of months

caloso

I have the Williams 58s, can't speak to the 85s. They're great wheels. They really want to roll and hold speed better than any other wheels I've ridden. Have never needed truing despite racing them on the roads of VeloPromoLand. Lots of guys in NorCal ride them and have never heard a complaint about them.

Doge

I love their roads.