Plow13

i am new to all this power stuff...im getting either a garmin 500 or and edge 705..what all do i need to get to do power? Costs?

MrMojoJoJo

Just buy a powertap wheel. ~850 at the low end, to however much you want to spend.

rffffffff

My advice is based solely on budget, not practicality. I completely agree than buying a wireless powertap wheel is the right answer. That being said, once I got my power meter, I really don't care about the garmin anymore AT ALL. The powertap computer is good enough for what I do, and the gps thing, while totally cool, is less useful the more I ride. I am obsessed with power numbers, though, and I would be 'lost' without the powertap!

So, if budget is a factor, or if you are not really concerned with the GPS function, competitive cyclist has wired powertap wheels with the computer and the whole thing for $660, which is a pretty good deal. I got mine on ebay for about $350 when I was done, and a friends was $450. If you don't want the wires, look other places than competitive cyclist.

just to fill in the blanks: wired powertap won't interface with the garmin at all, but you can use the same heartrate strap. The wireless models interface with the garmin directly.

hope that helps

tallmantim

Yeah, I have a PT Elite+. Came with the Little Yellow Computer - which is good for what you want to use it for. You can mark intervals, watch time, average power etc. So for using it the way it is intended (as a training tool) the LYC works very well.

GPS is not important to me - I can mark out segments of the ride in WKO+ later based upon power numbers etc or by creating a new "interval", it's pretty obvious. The only thing that I would probably like is an elevation gauge.

So, my advice would be, buy a Powertap Elite+ (or higher if you can afford it) with a LYC package - you can then always move up to a Garmin 500, 705 or the new 800 at a later point if you want to, but the wheel and computer will allow you to get benefit ASAP.

Silvercivic27

I'd get the edge 800 long before I got a 705, also an ant+ wheel from competitive cyclist for about a grand. They'll bundle with any of the edge units according to their website.

fishermba2004

They're both important to me. The Garmin software has no worthwhile power features but it's great to see where I've ridden. I simply export data from harder rides into a TCX (garmin) file and import that file into PowerAgent. It's an extra step but it allows me to get the best of both worlds with only one device on the bike. Also, the Garmin is much easier to use as a cycling computer.