What Power Meter do you use? - Page 4

I voted for other, but actually I'm using a polar CS600 power output. It has is limitations but so have the others. IBike is like a gadget, SRM is too expensive and doesn't allow the change of bikes. The powertap is less expensive but doesn't allow the use of more wheel sets. The Ergomo is between Powertap and SRM regarding price but doesn't allow multiple bikes. Polar is sh..t as it isn't accurate in short power bursts and has some faulty battery connections.

So when will the ideal power meter be invented?????

This poll is between the bad and the ugly.........

I rely on 5 wired Polar Powermeter and they aren't **** to me. They're accurate in the bike workout power levels, but probably not in the 53/11 combo at high speeds. Just not good at high speed sprint power levels maybe, but I'm happier with my Polar than my unreliable ergomo with it's $700 computer that goes bad.

And that's exactly why I voted other as none of the PM's seem to work OK in all fields..
For the next years I'll stick to the faulty polar CS600 as I know which faults it has and I don't have to get accustomed to the other faults of other PM's.

SRM costs 2x Powertap.

SRM Dura-Ace Professional you can swap it between bikes in under 5 minutes.

So, depending on how much racing you are doing, say you have a TT bike and a road bike. And you share a training set and race set of wheels between the two bikes.

Cost between a DA Professional SRM and Powertap is 1:2. You need 2 Powertaps to train and race with power in this situation.

Dead set easy to swap the DA SRM between two bikes. Perhaps not as easy as the quick release on a bike wheel, but still, within the realms of performing anytime.

You've obviously never used an SRM.

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Polar S725 and a day old PT SL2.4

bought an SL 2.4 as my polar PM run out its battery and i couldnt find any battery.

i like the features of the polar especially as you can monitor your power without recording. powertap once running has no button to stop recording and no capability of just monitoring. once the wheel rolls then it records.

but for power measurement, i think i like the PT SL 2.4 more.
i lace it on an american classic cr420 and used the original spokes of the am classic.

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I have an ergomo pro and use it on two bikes with a bb mounted on each. Total cost for the full set up was $1,000 (thanks to ebay and ideal exchange rates for me being european).

I love it. On the TT bike the setup was right from the start and for the race bike to show accurate readings it took me some weeks to fiddle with the k-factor but now both read fairly accurate (compared RPE, time, mileage and HR on a reference hill of 5% to take away the advantage of the TT bike). I have to admit it was a PITA at first with the fiddling but now as they work properly I really enjoy all the nice features it provides. It's a shame that this company ist bust!

I, for one, wouldn't be too sure about that. I purchased a DA Compact SRM in Feb '07. In ~1.5 years it has been sent in at least 4 times for repairs. In February of this year the PowerMeter had to be replaced. Beginning in July I started to lose cadence & power readings after anywhere from 3 min's to 2 hours of riding. I have sent it in twice in the past 6 weeks and they've not been able to diagnose the cause (after speaking with one of their Tech's we determined that it wasn't my set up).

What's scary to me is that an SRM is probably the most reliable of all the PM's currently out there as they've been around so much longer.

Dave

With those SRM complaints - now I'll stick to and be real happy with my old Polar wired PMs!

Why is it a bad thing to record your power at all times? If you don't want the data, don't download it, just clear the memory.

I would've thought it's a plus that it records automatically. What happens if you forget to start recording during a key race or training session? Or you stop recording if somebody punctures and forget to restart?

It's not like it's gonna wear out the memory!!

Problem with the polars is they didn't put enough memory in to record a decent length ride in the first place, so you end up choosing an "option" to not record some data or to record at a much lower sampling rate than is ideal.

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- because once downloaded it takes a lot of time to edit/remove the part i dont want on a particular ride.

otoh my post was posted with a day old PT SL2.4 on my bike and being a Polar guy, i miss the Polar feature.

but after 2 months using the PTSL2.4, i realised that it is much better to have the auto record feature. after all it also got an interval feature which will separate each section of the ride you want from those you don't want.

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Road: Onix Ultegra
Road: Orca Dura-Ace
MTB: KHS Alite 4000 Team Issue
TS850/SAT
FT1000MP
IC-706MkII
AL80H

my first power tap was the pro version,unfotunately i had to send it back to Saris because it stopped working a year after using it.
they fixed it and i use it since ,i also upgrade to sl wired.

in a rain couple of mounths ago the cpu stop working,after few hours in home the the hub and the cpu worked fine !

for sure my next will be the SRM model.
it is the same price if i buy 3 power tap for my 3 set of wheels......

Got a Powertap Elite + hub built into a DT 1.2 rim for training about a month ago, and the new Mavic Cosmics which have a PT 2.4 SL hub in February, so they have seen mostly the trainer.
Been using the Elite + outside since the middle of March, so far no problems (knock on wood!). However, I've yet to use it in the rain...we'll see how that goes, I know there have been issues in the past with waterproofness.
So far, I'd say I'm pleased with both of them. The head unit, when I first got it, I was pretty surprised....looks like something that Vetta or Cateye would have made about 20 years ago, especially with those cheapo buttons
Having said that, tho...no problems yet. The interface, altho simple, works fine.

Just a quick update on the Powertaps I've been using since January. I've ridden both in complete downpours and have had no problems at all. The only weird thing I have noticed is that sometimes after a very long downhill (especially when it's cold), it's important to zero the torque, as once in a while it seems to drift. It happens only rarely though, so it hasn't been a problem. Saris also reccomends zeroing the torque regularly.

As for the 2.4 SL equipped Mavic Cosmics - anyone considering buying these should know that the hub is NOT the ANT+ one, it's the older SL. Perfectly fine for racing, but it's missing the PP-on-the-fly feature of the newer models (30 second, 5 and 20 minute PP calculation). But, I can't imagine wanting to look at that data while racing anyway, so I don't see it as a minus. Having it on my training wheel though (the Elite+ hub) is nice, as I know when I've done enough time in the proper zone.