Power systems - any good reviews comparing the options??

Kirky · August 2008

Hi all, I’m thinking of taking the plunge over the winter and going for a power measuring set-up on the bike – but there seems to be a few options out there and I would really appreciate peoples thoughts / feedback. Due to the cost of it, the main two that are in contention are the Powertap and Ergomo set-ups.

On the face of it, the Ergomo would seem the better option – it’s built into the BB so you can use with any wheels, it’ll be well protected from the crud when on the winter bike and it would appear it’s cheaper than the Powertap. So what’s the catch??!! Granted it’s not wireless, and I won’t be able to use my lovely Campag Ultra-Torque carbon chainset – but that’s the only two downsides I can see at the moment!! Or am I missing something completely!!

Anyone else got any experience of both units, or seen reviews of them as a direct comparison against each other?? (I know some years ago C+ tested the Polar Power sensor vs. the Powertap vs. the SRM cranks – and as they were across three completely different price brackets it was simply a case of you’ll get what you pay for!!)

Cheers in advance for the advice.

KIRKY

Jungli · August 2008

I believe that Ergomo has recently gone bust so that is definately something to consider.

:?

I have a PowerTap and am happy with it. The display options on the COU could be a bit better but its a minor gripe and overall it works very well. The recent ones are also supposed to be weather proof unlike some of the earlier ones (I am told).

Might be worth renting one and then deciding from there. Thats what I did from cyclepowermeters.

Good luck!

Kirky · August 2008

Jungli wrote:

I believe that Ergomo has recently gone bust so that is definately something to consider.

:?

Yep – that’s certainly good to know!! I’ve just emailed cyclepowermeters re. Ergomo going bust to see what they say. It would be a shame, as that would appear to be the best option

The thing I don’t like about the Powertap is that I would need so many flippin new wheels!! i.e. training wheel, deep section road race wheel and a TT disc – and that’s a shed load of money!! For that much I guess I might as well buy the SRM’s!! And that’s what puts me off the Powertap!!

KIRKY

Jungli · August 2008

Sounds like the SRM is the best option for you if you want to run multiple wheelsets.

There is a new system that has recently been launched called Quarq (sp?) which is a spider that attaches to compatible cranksets but there is little experience with them.

http://www.quarq.us/

Not sure if you are a member of the wattage forum but there is a post on the Ergomo issue there that seems reliable.

Kirky · August 2008

Wattage forum?? New one on me!! What's the address and I'll get signed up - guess it could be a useful tool for me too

KIRKY

Jungli · August 2008

Ummmm, its actually a google group.

http://groups.google.com/group/wattage

You have to join the group etc but there is lots to learn as long as you dont mind getting technical.

Kirky · August 2008

Cheers for all the help - really liking the look of the Quarq!!

Alex_Simmons/RST · August 2008

Kirky wrote:

Jungli wrote:

I believe that Ergomo has recently gone bust so that is definately something to consider.

:?

Yep – that’s certainly good to know!! I’ve just emailed cyclepowermeters re. Ergomo going bust to see what they say. It would be a shame, as that would appear to be the best option

The thing I don’t like about the Powertap is that I would need so many flippin new wheels!! i.e. training wheel, deep section road race wheel and a TT disc – and that’s a shed load of money!! For that much I guess I might as well buy the SRM’s!! And that’s what puts me off the Powertap!!

KIRKY

Depending on the events you intent to TT in, then a set of disk covers are a highly viable option for converting a PT wheel into a wheel with all the aero benefits of a disk. When done, you can simply take the covers off.

The measured aerodynamics of a set of deep section Zipps with quality disk covers are, as I understand it, as good as the equivalent disk.

Have a look at wheelbuilder.com for details on the covers.

You can typically set up with 2 x PT wheels for somewhat less than an SRM.

Of course changing a wheel from one bike to another is a bit easier than changing cranks over, so if you're running more than one bike, it starts to even out again depending on how often you ride different bikes.

Both are good systems and both have their flaws. I use both. My clients use PT, SRM, ergomo and Polar power meters.

ergomo have filed for Chapter 11, so service from many retailers is probably going to be a problem until it gets sorted. I can't say for the UK but it's definitely been an issue in the US and I have one client that gave up on it here in Australia. ergomo has some great features but IMO the cons of the ergomo system outweigh those (left leg measurement only, not possible to check calibration without reference to another power meter, difficult install).

Quarq is definitely an interesting option but just remember that it is very early release for them and essentially all early adopters will need to accept the fate that comes from being an early adopter of any new niche product. Their CPU is not available as yet (I think) and so you need to mate it with something like the Garmin 705.

As far as power meters go, Polar make good heart rate monitors.

I have no personal experience with iBike.

Jungli · August 2008

As far as power meters go, Polar make good heart rate monitors.

Kirky · August 2008

Thanks Alex - some great advice there, and basically the sort I was after!!

I'm going to investigate Quarq a bit more - although at the moment they're saying they will only ship to the US (got plenty of friends in the US though, so that's not the end of the world!!). One thing I like about it is that it will talk to the Garmin 705 - which I've been toying with the idea of getting anyway (I like my toys!!).

Not sure why, but I'm still stuck with that hang-up over the need for different wheels with a Powertap - but like you say, if I want to use a system on a couple of bikes it could actually be the better option it would just mean a few new wheels - or at the very least re-building some of my current wheels with the PT hub. Will have to look into the price of that!!

I guess (for a training bike) I could always get a 2nd hand hub and build that onto a training wheel - I take it the older hubs will talk to the new systems??

There's always the FFWD disc as well - not quite as expensive as the Zipp!!

It will be interesting to see how things develop with Quarq as on the face of it it would appear to be a good product - although a lot of that will depend on the price!!

And you're right - Polar do make good heart rate monitors

APIII · August 2008

If you're sold on getting the garmin 705, then the SRM needn't be such an expensive option. The wireless pro version without the powercontrol retails for £1175, which is still a lot of money, but it does bring it much closer to the cost of the wireless powertap.

Kirky · August 2008

APIII wrote:

If you're sold on getting the garmin 705, then the SRM needn't be such an expensive option. The wireless pro version without the powercontrol retails for £1175, which is still a lot of money, but it does bring it much closer to the cost of the wireless powertap.

An option I hadn't thought about - thanks for that.

KIRKY

Kléber · August 2008

These do cost a lot of money but they hold their value quite well.

Shop on ebay if you like, look out for people selling perfect wired SRMs for the wireless version, as you can save some money but not much.

So for spending £1000, you can often sell the kit in two years' time for £800. So it's not like the money goes down the drain. Hardly an investment, still a lot of money but worth thinking about.

Power systems - any good reviews comparing the options??

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