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Ciclosport HAC 4 Heartrate Computer
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Anyone have experience with the Ciclosport HAC 4 Heartrate Computer?

http://www.excelsports.com/...;major=3&minor=2

Want wattage on the TT bike but use a disc (no PowerTap), Rotors (no SRM), and not down with the whole Polar mess.

Read lots of good and variable reviews on the HAC 4, that it provides a pretty good wattage estimation - compared to PowerTap.

Thanks

- G money
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Re: Ciclosport HAC 4 Heartrate Computer [TimeTrial.org] [ In reply to ]
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It's a very nice computer, it's a horrible, horrible power meter. I used a HAC4 before getting a powertap this year. For the first few weeks after getting the powertap I rode with both (eventually had to stop becuase the wireless speed pickup of the HAC4 was interfeering with the PT HR receiver). The power readings were not even in the same ball park. The HAC4 uses speed and elevation gain to estimate power, which is fine, but it ignores any other factors (since it can't measure them). So downwind at 30mph the HAC4 might read 400 watts when the PT said 200, and upwind at 18mph might read 200 watts, while in fact your making 400. The only time it was even remotely accurate was on steep hills (slow speed so fewer variables) but even then it was slow to respond to changes. Even in this best case scenario, it was close only in the sense of average power for the hill (and by close I mean +/- 15-20%), not instantaneous power.

I am an absolute believer in using a power meter to train, I am very skeptical about using one to race (that's a very hotly debated topic, check out the wattage list at topica.com). My personal bent is that for beginner TT'ers a powermeter can help with pacing, but for people that have a sense of what level of pain they should be feeling, it's just confuses things.

Scott
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