Is there anything to watch out for when buying a used / older model power tap?
Are they reliable long-term?
Any reason to get or not get wired vs wireless?
Seems there might be some issue with heart-rate straps and older, non ant+ units.
Basically, looking to get into training with power, and not giving up my first-born.
Thanks.
I use two of them (~'06-'07 vintage) without any problems. I’m not sure how old you’re talking about, they have improved them over the years. The cleaner set-up of the wireless would be nice, but mine work just fine.
Thom
I’ve heard some say that the wired ones are more reliable. The downside is if you damage the harness/cable, it’s apparently expensive. They also won’t sync with ANT+ devices. Otherwise, really no advantage to wireless.
All bearings/hubs do have a limited lifetime, however - it depends on how much use the hub has seen.
I have had mine for 3 years. If it went kaput, I would do this deal in a heartbeat:
The peace of mind of the warranty and knowing the history of the unit would be well worth any savings I might realize by purchasing used, which I can’t imagine would be very much.
Nothing wrong with wired at all. I purchased a used wired PT here and still think it was the route to go. That Competitive Cyclist deal is awesome and that is almost exactly what I would do if mine died today.
My PT Pro has been going strong since 2002. I have the bearings serviced regularly. Saris/CycleOps replaced the torque tube in 2005…for free.
I just had it rebuilt into its second rim and it will continue to see duty on my road bike.
The harnesses are the weakest link, IMHO. I keep harnesses on 2 bikes at all times. After the initial outlay for the system and an extra harness, I’ve had to buy 3 more harnesses after they developed shorts or cuts in the cable. Those are $65 per from Saris. But as long as they continue to produce wired PT versions…you’ll be good with any wired PT system.
I have no issue with the HR straps. I had to replace my head unit recently due to my own negligence and got one of the new wired versions that uses coded 2.4 HR strap transmission. Its even more reliable than the original strap which lasted 6 years and was still working (with battery changes).
Long story short…I don’t think you can go too wrong with an older PT, provided it was serviced and taken decent care of. Saris continues to support and service the models.
The only one to avoid are the yellow oldest wired models- they have a known history of eating drive side bearings. That being said, the replacement bearings are cheap, and can be replaced with ceramic, but might as well save yourself the trouble. the black plastic wired ones from the next year are of course fine.
X 2 on avoiding the yellow hub cap models. My wired PT was a great setup and I sold it here on ST Classifieds a year ago. I had a very elegant and nice wire routing system on my bike. It was wrapped perfectly, ran down the down tube and was expertly secured with clear helicopter tape. Totally bombproof. I sold it because I wanted to go wireless with a training AND a race wheel. Other than that, I would have been perfectly happy with just the wired version for the rest of time.
Well…my 2002 model is the yellow cap model. I’ve replaced the bearings and cone once, which is probably about right for a hub that’s seen over 30,000 miles.
I replaced a cone on a Yellow cap model in 10,000 miles.
Think it cost me somewhere around $1
jaretj
I still use wired PT, and it is a great investment. I find it to be super reliable. CycleOps has amazing customer service too. In the event you encounter any issues, they will gladly be there to help.
I own one of the yellow hub cap models and have replaced the bearings once. It works great. I also own a 2007 PT SL wired that is laced to an 808 for racing. Great setup.
yes.
from an old thread"
The only ones I would stay away from are the original Tune hubs. Instead of having a chrome finish the hub body looks more matte-grey. Not shiny. Yellow battery caps are generally newer than black, although it is (or at least was) an easily replaceable part so not really an indicator.
As for CPUs there are a couple generations. Black (non-downloadable), Black (downloadable), Yellow Standard, Yellow Pro (measures cadence and higher recording rate), Yellow Pro 2.4 wired (adds coded HR) Yellow Pro 2.4 wireless (umm, wireless.) If you are looking for one on the cheap I would just make sure it has a yellow CPU.
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.cgi?post=2366796;search_string=;#2366796
As an aside, if anybody has old wiring harnesses that don’t function, I’ll take them. I’ve repaired several successfully.
I have 2 wired PT’s: One on a Zipp 404 and one on a training wheel. I bought the race wheel used and immediately sent it to Saris for repair. ($300). It has worked flawlessly since that repair. I bought my training PT new and I just had a problem with the harness after one year or so and I haven’t had a problem since. Overall, I’m happy with the wired PT but if I had to do it again I would buy one wireless PT and purchase a wheel cover for it and use it for training and racing.