Powertap pro - still no good if it's wet out



velomanct

New Member
Dec 21, 2003
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i am really dissapointed with the powertap. after a couple weeks of riding outside on roads that have some melting snow on them, my hub bearings and cassette body have sucked in sand.
i had the same problem last year with a 2nd generation powertap.
so right now, my wheel is at the shop getting repaired.

note: i have never had this problem with mavic or shimano hubs.

does powertap even test their product out before selling it? i mean this is ridiculous. i ride on some wet portions of road and bam!, the hub has collected sand inside it and is making some nasty noise.

i bought the new model, the pro, because i thought they solved this problem, but surprise surprise, my wheel is back in the shop.

in conclusion, powertap systems are only designed to be ridden on bone dry roads with no sand. how do you like that? that means training with power about 10% of the time(right now due to melting snow). oh great! i spent $725 so i can train with power 10% of the time!

thanks powertap, you guys really know how to make a crappy hub.
 
Originally posted by velomanct
i am really dissapointed with the powertap. after a couple weeks of riding outside on roads that have some melting snow on them, my hub bearings and cassette body have sucked in sand.
i had the same problem last year with a 2nd generation powertap.
so right now, my wheel is at the shop getting repaired.

note: i have never had this problem with mavic or shimano hubs.

does powertap even test their product out before selling it? i mean this is ridiculous. i ride on some wet portions of road and bam!, the hub has collected sand inside it and is making some nasty noise.

i bought the new model, the pro, because i thought they solved this problem, but surprise surprise, my wheel is back in the shop.

in conclusion, powertap systems are only designed to be ridden on bone dry roads with no sand. how do you like that? that means training with power about 10% of the time(right now due to melting snow). oh great! i spent $725 so i can train with power 10% of the time!

thanks powertap, you guys really know how to make a crappy hub.

not sure what's up with your hub, but mine get's ridden in some of the most atrocious rain you're ever likely to cycle in. i regrease the drive side bearings about twice a year, as i used to do with any other hub. in fact i've not used any rear wheel other than a PT since 99 when they first came out. probably do 600 to 700 hours training/racing a year.

my PT has outlasted my front wheels and most of my bike kit (actually i think all my components).

by the way the PT Pro is the same hub as the 2nd generation unit, i.e., there's only two different hubs the Graber matt finish one (the original) and the shiny finish Cycleops

and by the way it can rain really hard in Wales

Ric
 
If it is of any use...

I order my PT Pro about 3 weeks ago - the new version with a hard-wired cadence sensor. Having spoken with the dealer there appears to be a delay - apparently there is some fault in the new curcuit board inside the hub and hence I am still without my power tap.

Life goes on. Still, I'm not sure I will be a good test case anyhow - I don't take the bike out in the Rain. Freezing cold - yep, no problem. Heatwave - again, no problem. If the road is slightly damp then it is an indoor day. I get tired cleaning the bike and re-lubing.

Hope this is worth the bandwidth it took up.

Tom.
 
I race in Belgium on the 1st worlds most terrible roads in all weather & have two Powertaps which have both worked flawlessly. For some reason Powertap fits cheap 3rd party shimano size cones in its hubs which seem to be made out of cast iron! I replaced my cones immediately with Shimano ultegra & both hubs have been silky smooth for the last 18months. Some riders have swapped the whole freehub & axel with dura ace & saved a fair bit of weight.
 
Originally posted by velomanct
i am really dissapointed with the powertap. after a couple weeks of riding outside on roads that have some melting snow on them, my hub bearings and cassette body have sucked in sand.
i had the same problem last year with a 2nd generation powertap.
so right now, my wheel is at the shop getting repaired.

note: i have never had this problem with mavic or shimano hubs.

does powertap even test their product out before selling it? i mean this is ridiculous. i ride on some wet portions of road and bam!, the hub has collected sand inside it and is making some nasty noise.

i bought the new model, the pro, because i thought they solved this problem, but surprise surprise, my wheel is back in the shop.

in conclusion, powertap systems are only designed to be ridden on bone dry roads with no sand. how do you like that? that means training with power about 10% of the time(right now due to melting snow). oh great! i spent $725 so i can train with power 10% of the time!

thanks powertap, you guys really know how to make a crappy hub.



I have ridden my standard powertap for just over a year now, 3 months of which were in the dead of New Hampshire winter - through salt, sand, water, etc. I also ride in the rain - often - and haven't had a problem. Maybe its because I pull the battery cover off and dry the system. I also check my hub regularly, especially after having ridden in crappy weather. Its just a matter of preventative maintance. Hope you have better luck in the future.