What wheel would you use with the PT? I started where you are at now and bought a cheap wired PT in a training wheel. However, once I started using it, I decided I didn't like the wired computer, so I found another ANT+ PT in a training wheel. Then I thought is would be nice to have power in a race wheel, so I got another PT. Then a PT disc for my TT bike. Race wheel died and I couldn't find a good rim, so another PT. ...

I only have 4 now, sold 3, but you see how these can get out of hand. Something like a Stages, 4iiii, is the same up front cost and you only need one for each bike.

I think I saw Excel Sports had Giro Advantages for 88$. Maybe not as fast as the Aerohead, but you could get a helmet and the PM., which solves your original dilemma.

Be Smart...power won't make you faster but the Aerohead damn sure will.

The Giro Advantage 2 can be found on Ebay for about $40 sometimes, and $60 on random google search. So, yeah...no reason to choose between the two.

I use my training wheel with a PT as my race wheel. I just add a cover for races. So, I don't need N PT hubs. PT G3 can be found on ebay for $3-400-ish if you are patient.

I use my power tap to tell me to slow down in longer races. If you can do that with PE, then get a helmet. I could not.

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Team Zoot So Cal

Neither of those is strictly accurate.
Power might make you faster IF it improves your training and pacing (I'm quite happy with virtual power on the trainer and HR+PE on the road so haven't bothered as yet). The Aerohead will almost certainly make you faster compared to a standard road helmet, but not necessarily compared to another decent aero helmet. Depends very much on position I believe.
For race performance, if you're happy you can train well and pace yourself well in races without power data then go for the helmet first. If you want power data for training because you'll enjoy it more, or if you have difficulty pacing yourself, then maybe the power meter is more important. A power meter will be used all the time. An aero helmet will most likely only be used for racing. I'll ride about 7000km this year and plenty of you do a lot more. Only <5% of that was racing. If I used a power meter it would most likely be used the entire time.

The correct answer is get both as some of the helmets now are <$80 on sale for older models.


Still, I can't believe people are recommending the aero helmet over the powertap. THe powertap is WAYYYYY more useful than the aerohelmet.

The aerohelmet is something you'll use what - like 4-5x/year, and it'll make you a hair faster. The powertap is something you will use on EVERY ride and you will love the data, even if you're not using trainerroad with it. I get the posters that say that without power-based training you won't make the most of it, and that's true, but still, I guarantee 100% that once you see your power data (esp TSS scores and peak 5' or 20' power on hard climbs), you'll be really really interested and very glad you have it, even if it's not absolutely required to ride fast.

You can even use the powertap while you're not in 'serious training' mode - still nice to have ride metrics so when you decide to pump it back up, you can see how far along you've come.

The aero helmet in contrast, gives you small time gains on race day. I had a Specialized TT2 for a few years, and even though I used it about 15 times, I still wondered often why I spent so much money on something that I barely use, compared to my powertap which is used every single time. Still, the aero helmet is likely better bang for the buck that pricey Zipp wheels!

spend $25 on a used Giro Advantage 2 and ALSO get the powertap hub

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

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be smart... the Aerohead won't make you any faster but the powertap damn sure will

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

“You are experiencing the criminal coverup of a foreign backed fascist hostile takeover of a mafia shakedown of an authoritarian religious slow motion coup. Persuade people to vote for Democracy.”

PowerTap hub for sure. Building up the engine is way more important. The Aerohead helmet is just icing on the cake on race days.

To be clear....I'm saying get the PT. Power based training IS all its cracked up to be.

"If you can not measure it, you can not improve it."

I'm also saying get a CHEAP aero helmet. But, you don't need that until closer to your race. So, if even a $50-ish A2 is too much, get the PT and get the A2 later.

This is like asking a race car driver if he wants an rpm gauge or to upgrade his spoiler from stock to a carbon fiber one. They are both good, but the first one is way more gooder. The goodest, even. ;)

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Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
http://www.zentriathlon.com

I would be willing to bet that less than 1% of the population could ever do a decent job of pacing a TT on PE. It is just too hard to hold back enough at the beginning when nothing hurts yet. If you have never seen the numbers (I.e., used a PM) trying to explain to someone "go like SUPER easy for the first 5 minutes" will never get them close to an optimal pacing strategy. And this is coming from someone who still does a lot of TTs on PE.

Yes, I remember starting the bike at Oceanside feeling great! I then looked at HR-175 and power was 220. Both are way too high for me. Used power ever since.

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Team Zoot So Cal

^ this.

I thought I was ok at pacing until I used a PM. You can also train better, test yourself and of course, aero testing - so you’d know if that fancy aero helmet works for you.

Edit: Powertap hubs are also very good power meters. They’re my preference for aero testing.

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Developing aero, fit and other fun stuff at Red is Faster

Funny. But it rings true. Helmet will save 45 seconds over 40 Km compared to a road helmet. Training with power he could gain 5 minutes. Or 10 minutes.

It's true OP. Look it up. GA2 tests around 45 seconds and is one of the best helmets, certainly best for the money. It can be consistently had for under $100 brand new. Just buy both. Remember you will need to pay someone to lace that powertap hub to your wheel. Or buy a whole wheel with a powertap hub. BTW G3 is just $600 brand new. I would not pay more than $400 for a used one, and even then you might be buying someone else's problem. It'd be hard to test accuracy and precision before handing over the money.

As some have said, I bought 2 giro advantage 2 helmets for $50 or less. One on eBay, and one on a clearance table at a LBS. Great price for a helmet that tests well on many.

Every workout I do is based on power since I got a PM. Used virtual power before on trainer road and it was nice for the price, but wasn't accurate or repeatable due to a cheap trainer. I now know that as my work out goes on, trainer resistance drops for a given RPM and I have to kick the gearing up. I wasn't going hard enough after the trainer warmed up. Id buy a PM again in a heartbeat.

don't know if $50 more to get both is an issue financially, but if you're like most and this season is done, you can probably save up again before you need the helmet for a race (which is one of the only times you'll be wearing ut)

I was a little concerned if ST would come through on suggesting that getting a PM is a good route to go. I am a recreational level roadie if anything and got my first wired PT hub in 2008 and have been through a series of PT SL hubs (wired and wireless) that failed to the point I vowed to never get another one, but I ended up going with a G3 when I had a friend build me a set of wheels for my road bike. I have two fairly new Quarq on other bikes, but that G3 on the road bike has been absolutely rock solid in performance and reliability and through all sorts of terrible weather.

That being said and coming from a guy that needs all sorts of engine improvement those power meters have been the best investment that I have made for improvement. Training with using a power meter to guide the efforts took me from getting dropped in aggressive no mercy group rides in the first 10 miles to finishing with the lead group and dishing out some suffering to some of those lead cyclists. I still have a long way to go, but again it has been the best thing for improvement and if I did compete I would do everything possible to convince my opponent to get the helmet and forget about the power meter. :-)

^^This

Think of the PowerTap as baking the cake, once you bake the cake then you apply the icing.

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

So would your suggestion be to just for over the extra $$ and get a brand new G3 hub? I was leaning towards the PT anyways, its just hard to pass up the option sometimes of getting a helmet that at least makes you look fast! lol I have a GA2 now but its about to run out of certification date.