DRAwpt said:There seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for it at Topica, so are there any opinions here?
I really don't know what list you are reading because Hunter and a few other fellows gave it a resounding endorsement after he did La Ruta de Los Conquistadores on one. A couple of fellows with new ones have been complaining mightily about download issues. They may just be the minority - the only ones speaking out about it are more likely to be the ones with an unsatisfactory experience, otoh, Hunter's software is bundled with it, then on the other other hand, maybe every one else is happy with it and silent.DRAwpt said:There seems to be a lack of enthusiasm for it at Topica, so are there any opinions here?
WarrenG said:It looks like I'll be testing one pretty soon.
I've seen higher wattage numbers on my PowerTap CPU - when a wheel went bad but the manual says the max is 1999 watts.acoggan said:SRM users who can generate >2 kW can avoid the problem by using their software (but only if you download using it, not via CyclingPeaks), but if you're using an Ergomo or PowerTap, there's nothing that you can do (although come to think of it, I'm not sure either of the latter will generate power values that high in the first place...anybody recall what their limits are?).
For those who don't have the SRM budget, but would like to train and race on a powermeter, what is your opinion regarding this device. I won't have to worry about hitting 2000 W . I was thinking of either a powertap or ergomo. It just appears that on the Topica forum that the SRM is the gold standard, and the Ergomo is not even worth discussing.acoggan said:I take it that proposal from UC-Davis to Ergomo got accepted?
Anyway, since you're a big guy and a sprinter, there's a limitation to the CyclingPeaks/Ergoracer software of which you should be aware: it will only display/accept power values between 0 and 2046 W (which is 2^11-1). Anything above the upper limit will be knocked down to that value, thus potentially underestimating your true peak/maximum power. I pointed out this problem to Hunter and Kevin fairly early on, but by the time I discovered it they had already committed to the very compact structure of the .wko file format, and it was too late to change (early PowerTap users may recall how the Microsoft Access database of .csv files would grow to many megabytes and so would be very slow to load...this was one of Kevin's motivations in writing CyclingPeaks as tightly as he could). SRM users who can generate >2 kW can avoid the problem by using their software (but only if you download using it, not via CyclingPeaks), but if you're using an Ergomo or PowerTap, there's nothing that you can do (although come to think of it, I'm not sure either of the latter will generate power values that high in the first place...anybody recall what their limits are?).
DRAwpt said:For those who don't have the SRM budget, but would like to train and race on a powermeter, what is your opinion regarding this device. I won't have to worry about hitting 2000 W . I was thinking of either a powertap or ergomo. It just appears that on the Topica forum that the SRM is the gold standard, and the Ergomo is not even worth discussing.
I keep hearing people worry about that. I have both and find no real difference between the two in terms of measured power. I suppose if you have truly uneven pedal stroke with your left (?) leg producing all of your power and the other just along for the ride then it wouldn't work. But at least in my case that hasn't proven true. This last week I have ridden a little easier than normal due to a calf injury and while I haven't benchmarked from this last week they are about where I would expect them to be with with regards to the injury.Squint said:I remember some discussion about downloads not working and the numbers not lining up with someone's PT, probably due to the fact that only the left leg is measured by the Ergomo (yet they claim 1.5% accuracy).
I'm not sure where that impression comes from (the Ergomo not worth being discussed on topica).DRAwpt said:For those who don't have the SRM budget, but would like to train and race on a powermeter, what is your opinion regarding this device. I won't have to worry about hitting 2000 W . I was thinking of either a powertap or ergomo. It just appears that on the Topica forum that the SRM is the gold standard, and the Ergomo is not even worth discussing.
acoggan said:... there's a limitation to the CyclingPeaks/Ergoracer software of which you should be aware: it will only display/accept power values between 0 and 2046 W (which is 2^11-1). Anything above the upper limit will be knocked down to that value, thus potentially underestimating your true peak/maximum power.
Of course your Polar (just like spinscan) doesn't really tell you what your legs are doing...WarrenG said:Hmm, maybe I shouldn't bother with it then. I'll be happy if I see a 14xx or 15xx for a few seconds. Who knows? I intend to test the question about leg balance-that the ergomo measures only the left leg (more or less) and I'll use the Polar to indicate just how bad the balance has to be before the ergomo is telling me something that is misleading. Hopefully I can put it on my track bike too for a 200mTT and some sprints I'll do at the end of March at the track.
WarrenG said:I intend to test the question about leg balance-that the ergomo measures only the left leg (more or less) and I'll use the Polar to indicate just how bad the balance has to be before the ergomo is telling me something that is misleading.
scotmart said:Of course your Polar (just like spinscan) doesn't really tell you what your legs are doing...
Scott
I did a search for "ergomo" and the last post was dated 09/16/04.scotmart said:I'm not sure where that impression comes from (the Ergomo not worth being discussed on topica).
Scott
WarrenG said:I don't understand what you're saying.
DRAwpt said:I did a search for "ergomo" and the last post was dated 09/16/04.
The Polar, and Computrainer's SpicScan, just give you a net power. The 'left' and 'right' just coorespond to the power produced during those phases. Your left leg will be a combination of the positive torque your left leg makes minus the negative torque your right generates (from having to lift the right on the upstroke).WarrenG said:I don't understand what you're saying.
I get every topica email sent directly to my email account and I only delete the way off topic discussions. There has been plenty of activity talking specifically about the Ergomo this month, and last year. The topica search function sometimes sucks. If I use my email search function, this matches my recollection of Ergomo discussions. There are email discussions of the Ergomo as recently as Feb 2 and Feb 1.DRAwpt said:I did a search for "ergomo" and the last post was dated 09/16/04.
Anyhow, thanks for the input. I may pull the trigger later today...
scotmart said:In one of Burke's books he said that everyone they have measured has had a negative torque on the upstroke at sustainable intensities. The degree varies, but it's there.
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