ergomo or power tap?



tmctguer

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Sep 9, 2003
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i'm considering switching from a Polar power unit to either an Ergomo or a Power tap. any feedback on which is the better system, particularly the one with the LEAST amount of problems?
 
i prefer the one that will cause me the LEAST amount of problems. i am OK with +/-5% accuracy.
 
Is ergomo unreliable? (I didn't know that...) But wait... haven't they made few improvement on that side in their latest release?
 
tmctguer said:
i'm considering switching from a Polar power unit to either an Ergomo or a Power tap. any feedback on which is the better system, particularly the one with the LEAST amount of problems?
I think with these technologies, reliability is always going to be less than perfect, so perhaps pick the one where back up and service is good/convenient for you. I think all the systems (Polar, PT, SRM, ergomo) are all great if set up and used properly. If you are using 1 bike only, then ergomo sounds like a good choice but if you need to ride more bikes, then an extra PT harness and swapping a wheel over is probably the go rather than having to replace a 2nd BB. Depends on your budget I suppose.

I use PT, have buddies using PTs, polar and SRM. I have one PT SL in for repair now, my other one has been getting plenty of wet weather riding this last fortnight (some big downpours lately) and has been working perfectly. My track Pro hub has been fine so far.
 
Alex Simmons said:
I think with these technologies, reliability is always going to be less than perfect, so perhaps pick the one where back up and service is good/convenient for you. I think all the systems (Polar, PT, SRM, ergomo) are all great if set up and used properly. If you are using 1 bike only, then ergomo sounds like a good choice but if you need to ride more bikes, then an extra PT harness and swapping a wheel over is probably the go rather than having to replace a 2nd BB. Depends on your budget I suppose.

I use PT, have buddies using PTs, polar and SRM. I have one PT SL in for repair now, my other one has been getting plenty of wet weather riding this last fortnight (some big downpours lately) and has been working perfectly. My track Pro hub has been fine so far.

Sorry, very OT:

Alex Simmons: Noting that you're in Australia, I'm interested to know did you buy the powertap gear from British International (the distributor), or a local bike shop, or did you get it shipped from overseas or buy it while you were there yourself?

Cheers,

RS
 
Roadie_scum said:
Sorry, very OT:

Alex Simmons: Noting that you're in Australia, I'm interested to know did you buy the powertap gear from British International (the distributor), or a local bike shop, or did you get it shipped from overseas or buy it while you were there yourself?

Cheers,

RS
Way back when I was first looking into it, I couldn't even get a response from a local distributor, so I just assumed there wasn't one. BI never returned calls so I let Saris know. The first time I had a problem I had to send it back to Saris anyway. If there was an effective local distributor perhaps they may have supplied an interim replacement.

I had shipped to me 1 x full SL kit from one supplier in the UK (at the time there was a waitlist for many months and he came up with some before the suppliers in the US had them - we had a deal for him to give me an early option when they came in). My 2nd (PT SL hub only) came from a US supplier, my 3rd (the PT Pro track wheel) came via Wheelbuilder.com. I had the road wheels built by my LBS (I've had 6-7 bikes through them). I also have a 2nd CPU I got from Ric S and have extra harness from someone in the US. For me it was a matter of availability. Generally the exchange rate makes purchases of PT equipment from the US a better deal than from the UK.

The only local PT contact back then I got a response from was the Zipp dealer as I enquired about their wheels with PT hub - but they were quoting 2.5 times the price of either an identical wheel from the US - or getting the parts and having a local wheelbuilder put it together. It was ridiculous. I want to support my LBSs but not at 2.5 times the price!
 
Alex Simmons said:
Way back when I was first looking into it, I couldn't even get a response from a local distributor, so I just assumed there wasn't one. BI never returned calls so I let Saris know. The first time I had a problem I had to send it back to Saris anyway. If there was an effective local distributor perhaps they may have supplied an interim replacement.

I had shipped to me 1 x full SL kit from one supplier in the UK (at the time there was a waitlist for many months and he came up with some before the suppliers in the US had them - we had a deal for him to give me an early option when they came in). My 2nd (PT SL hub only) came from a US supplier, my 3rd (the PT Pro track wheel) came via Wheelbuilder.com. I had the road wheels built by my LBS (I've had 6-7 bikes through them). I also have a 2nd CPU I got from Ric S and have extra harness from someone in the US. For me it was a matter of availability. Generally the exchange rate makes purchases of PT equipment from the US a better deal than from the UK.

The only local PT contact back then I got a response from was the Zipp dealer as I enquired about their wheels with PT hub - but they were quoting 2.5 times the price of either an identical wheel from the US - or getting the parts and having a local wheelbuilder put it together. It was ridiculous. I want to support my LBSs but not at 2.5 times the price!
I agree with these comments. I find BI unresponsive with very poor customer service.

I used Wheelbuilder.com when purchasing my PT. I have found the service and advice first class - particularly after sales support. I've had a problem with the harness and also the plastic hub cover cracked. Both of these were handled without any issues.

I've found Sydney has fewer LBS's that sell PM's than in Melbourne (where i used to live). However, as Alex says, the cost is much higher than dealing direct with US distributors even after accounting for exchange rates and taxes. Sorry to side-track the original question, to which i would have to agree with Alex's initial comment as well.
 
Get the Ergomo - The product has many more features and seems to be more reliable than the PT. Just having the altitude feature makes it so much more easy to analyze the file after the ride (if you happen to live in a hilly area). I have used my unit for almost 1/2 year and L O V E it. There is only one wire going up to the handlebars.
 
TamMan said:
Get the Ergomo - The product has many more features and seems to be more reliable than the PT. Just having the altitude feature makes it so much more easy to analyze the file after the ride (if you happen to live in a hilly area). I have used my unit for almost 1/2 year and L O V E it. There is only one wire going up to the handlebars.

but don't people on (e.g.) the wattage list keep complaining they're not accurate compared to an SRM or PT?

ric
 
ric_stern/RST said:
but don't people on (e.g.) the wattage list keep complaining they're not accurate compared to an SRM or PT?

ric
The Ergomo is very consistent which is important. My power values are fully in line with my computrainer. Never had any issues. And does it really matter if one device shows higher or lower power values? Not really from my point of view. As long as the values are consistent and enable me to train effectively, I am cool with that.
 
TamMan said:
The Ergomo is very consistent which is important.

How do you know it's consitent?

TamMan said:
Not really from my point of view. As long as the values are consistent and enable me to train effectively, I am cool with that.

What if a year or two down the road you buy a different powermeter. Now you can't compare.

Sounds like you've already made up your mind. Why did you ask in the first place?
 
TamMan didn't start the thread, and owns an Ergomo already, so in fact he made up his mind long ago when he bought his. :D

i started the thread and do appreciate all the feedback. a little bit of background......i've been very happy with my two Polar units for the past 3 - 4 years. i broke the main cable yesterday by not watching how i re-installed the rear wheel after changing tires. so i am taking the opportunity to get feedback on Power Taps and Ergomo's before making a decision.

my LBS is VERY high on the Ergomo. they claim that the have changed from recommending PT's to Ergomo's earlier this year. i don't know if their margin is better on the Ergomo's, but they say that they get lots of positive feedback from their customers on the Ergomo.

i will probably repair the Polar and use it as a spare, or put it on a future bike. although my two bikes are different, if i go with the Ergomo (where i am leaning at the moment), i will be able to compare Polar wattage results & Ergomo (or PT, should i buy that unit) to see how the two units compare. that is, using the same bike on the same route with different wattage measuring devices.
 
I am in the same boat as you tmct... polar power on my TT and road bike... but thinking of upgrading... I too vacillate back and forth, but for me it is between Ptap or SRM, a couple of guys locally have ergomo's around here, and they are always creaky but I admit I have not asked them about it. Why not consider the SRM amateur just to confuse things more?
 
wilmar13 said:
I am in the same boat as you tmct... polar power on my TT and road bike... but thinking of upgrading... I too vacillate back and forth, but for me it is between Ptap or SRM, a couple of guys locally have ergomo's around here, and they are always creaky but I admit I have not asked them about it. Why not consider the SRM amateur just to confuse things more?
I too have been riding an ergomo for almost 6 months and love it. I haven't had any problems with the unit except for some weirdness in the head unit when it gets REALLY low on batteries. It kind of goes into a defensive mode where you can't do anything... not even charge it! It is pretty easy to fix though, but it does require a reset which will trash any data you haven't downloaded yet.

Ergomo is good about releasing software updates on a regular basis. It is really easy to flash the unit. I am sure they will get my bug fixed soon enough.
 
tmctguer said:
i'm considering switching from a Polar power unit to either an Ergomo or a Power tap. any feedback on which is the better system, particularly the one with the LEAST amount of problems?
Neither is perfect.

I have had a PTsl for the last two seasons and it's been sent back twice after dying. Once it died after getting caught out in the rain and once for torque tubes or something as it sputtered in and out to a slow annoying death over the period of a couple of weeks. The wiring harness has also been a PITA as the CPU mount rattled a ton and needed to be super glued. It happened on both the mounts I have so I doubt it’s an isolated case. The contacts also wear over time and getting a signal can be a PITA.
Overall it works and is functional, it just has left me hanging more than once and it’s been at the wrong point in the season both times.

My Ergomo Pro from day one was quirky and both the head unit and bottom bracket portion have been replaced once. It initially was not stable and became less stable every time out until the bottom bracket unit completely failed. I've got my replacements and to date everything is well. It has been super stable with 0 changes in offset. It spent most of the summer on my TT bike so mileage is limited but I've moved it to my road bike for the fall so I can put some miles on it. They have also released the flush mounting kit for it which looks about 100 times better than the old over the bar “dork” mount (very similar to the SRM but better IMO as you’re not limited to one bar size).
As for accuracy, the Ergomo Pro reads within 1-2% across the board when run with the PTsl with the lower wattage stuff being almost dead on and the higher wattage intervals reading just a touch lower than my sl. Not a big deal as it's been very consistent.
 
TamMan said:
Get the Ergomo - The product has many more features and seems to be more reliable than the PT. Just having the altitude feature makes it so much more easy to analyze the file after the ride (if you happen to live in a hilly area). I have used my unit for almost 1/2 year and L O V E it. There is only one wire going up to the handlebars.
I keep hearing how great the altitude feature is on the Ergomo.
Just curious, but how does knowing how much climbing you did fit into a training program? I'm not familiar with a plan that tells me to climb a certain amount of elevation per effort.
 
Sprint2Win said:
I keep hearing how great the altitude feature is on the Ergomo.
Just curious, but how does knowing how much climbing you did fit into a training program? I'm not familiar with a plan that tells me to climb a certain amount of elevation per effort.

The benefit of the altitude feature is in post-ride analysis and the ability to "see" your ride more easily. You look at the file and can see the climbs and descents (vs. having to infer them via speed/cadence/wattage changes.)

I really miss this from using the Polar 720, where I found it particularly useful for analyzing courses, eg look at a race file, determine the length and % grade of key climbs, go train on similiar climbs.
 
peterpen said:
The benefit of the altitude feature is in post-ride analysis and the ability to "see" your ride more easily. You look at the file and can see the climbs and descents (vs. having to infer them via speed/cadence/wattage changes.)

I really miss this from using the Polar 720, where I found it particularly useful for analyzing courses, eg look at a race file, determine the length and % grade of key climbs, go train on similiar climbs.
Makes more sense now.
Thanks!!