Powermeters - advice

BalmainBoy

Hi all

I'm seriously thinking of investing in a power meter. The new Garmin vector piqued my interest, but given it's not available yet, looks expensive (although elegant), and prone to damage if you fall off...I'm leaning toward a powertap. For similar money I can get a set of Cosmic Carbones with a powertap hub + a head unit. Feels like a better deal to get similar data with a decent wheelset too.

Anyone have experience of this set up?

Also on the head unit - what's the best bundle. Not interested in maps, but do want cadance, HR and power.

Any advice appreciated, along with best place to buy

Cheers

Pokerface

Not the cheapest place, but can recommend www.cyclepowermeters.com

They are busy so call them rather than emailing (or email a few times). But they are the best place to go for PT in the UK. You can even rent one for a few months to try first before investing the serious money if you want.


Re: head unit - Garmin 500 probably the best bet. Small and offers lots of customisation of what you view on each screen.

Someone like wheel smith will also build you up a wheel but cyclepowermeters know power inside and out and can sort any problems faster.

amaferanga

For less money than the Cosmics or the Vector you could have a Power2max crank. If I was going to buy a power meter at the moment and had about a grand that's what I'd go for (currently have a PowerTap Pro+).

Comprehensive review here might help you decide if it's for you or not.

BalmainBoy

Thanks. The power2max looks pretty cool. Very comprehensive review - conclusion seems to be they all have their quirks

doyler78

How can you say that the new vector is prone to damage it involved in falls when you have never used it or know anyone that has. You might speculate that it may be susceptible to this however it all remains to be seen.

As regards powertaps. Wait for a month or so and the new powertaps should be out. Completely new design on the above pro models which should make servicing easier.

I can't vouch for their great reliability though as I am currently without my powertap as it has broken down again. This is at least 6 times in 2 1/2 years with this being the 3rd occasion in the last 2 and a bit months. I now have get the wheel striped down, the hub sent back and the wheel rebuilt. All a bit of a hassle but hopefully this time I will have my hub replaced as that is what I was promised the last time they "repaired" it. Pity it didn't happen in a couple of months time as I could possibly have got a new design hub out of it. Whatever I just hope this one proves more reliable than the last.

Others seem to have better luck than me though.

bahzob

I use powertaps but not sure I would recommend them to someone starting off.

Biggest issue is that if you cycle competitively you are likely to use a variety of rear wheels which will either result in large expense or mean you dont have real race data to use as a basis for understanding your training.

I have also found mine to be unreliable. For reason above I ended up with 5 wheels and on average they only last for 2.5 years before failing. Fixing requires return to Powertap and a bill for several hundreds of pounds. This makes an already very expensive product prohibitively so imo.

If the Vector proves to be reliable and robust it would be my meter of choice. It seems to solve the biggest issue with other systems, including cranks, which is that you want the meter to be easy to swap between the many bikes you will typically ride.

bigcgilmour

Slightly off topic but I didn't realise that this was such a problem and assumed it must have just been my luck with a dodgy powertap, recently got my powertap back "fixed" and it went within a few rides... although my mate has one and has had no issues whatsoever

doyler78

bigcgilmour wrote:

Slightly off topic but I didn't realise that this was such a problem and assumed it must have just been my luck with a dodgy powertap, recently got my powertap back "fixed" and it went within a few rides... although my mate has one and has had no issues whatsoever

Do you have an SL+ by any chance?

rossere

I am also looking to get a power meter and I am trying to decide between a power2max and a powertap. I am starting to lean towards the power2max option and I was wondering if anyone else out there had any first hand experience of the power2max. If possible I would rather not base my purchase on just one review.

amaferanga

rossere wrote:

I am also looking to get a power meter and I am trying to decide between a power2max and a powertap. I am starting to lean towards the power2max option and I was wondering if anyone else out there had any first hand experience of the power2max. If possible I would rather not base my purchase on just one review.

There's a thread on the Power2max over at the Weight Weenies forum.

bigcgilmour

doyler78 wrote:

bigcgilmour wrote:

Slightly off topic but I didn't realise that this was such a problem and assumed it must have just been my luck with a dodgy powertap, recently got my powertap back "fixed" and it went within a few rides... although my mate has one and has had no issues whatsoever

Do you have an SL+ by any chance?

Its just the elite model but I'm guessing the gubbings inside are similar if not the same!?!

doyler78

bigcgilmour wrote:

doyler78 wrote:

bigcgilmour wrote:

Slightly off topic but I didn't realise that this was such a problem and assumed it must have just been my luck with a dodgy powertap, recently got my powertap back "fixed" and it went within a few rides... although my mate has one and has had no issues whatsoever

Do you have an SL+ by any chance?

Its just the elite model but I'm guessing the gubbings inside are similar if not the same!?!

Nah. I was asking because the sl+ has carbon windows around the hub which seem to be susceptible to seepage hence quite a few complaints about water damage on this particular model. There are even some that have downgraded to pro+ because they are apparently more reliable.

All change now anyway with the new models coming out. I wonder what the reliability on these will be like

golfergmc

How hard is it to fit the Power2max crank, is it just the case of taking off you existing crank and fitting the new one or do you have to get new chain rings etc.