Ergomo vs. PT - initial review

Well I got an Ergomo a while back - then proceeded to destroy my tri bike so my Ergomo was in limbo for a while (didn’t put it on the road bike…) but I used a powertap for a while in between…

Ergomo - Best points: any wheels, weatherproof, hard-wired, and I do not have to worry about wheel problem = loss of PT. Worst - no intervals and big computer. The main issue I have with the big computer is that it is hard to find a place to put it. The interval issue is not that big a deal if you use the cyclingpeaks software and a computer - you can find your intervals on the graph super easy - highlight them and get all your info. Any wheels is pretty obvious. Weatherproof - seems solid though I have not used it in nay bad weather but I wouldn’t be scared to (like PT). Hard wired = no dropped signals. Hard to swap to another bike unless you want to swap bottom brackets…The wires are fairly clean - one from bottom bracket to rear wheela nd one up to computer. If they made the computer smaller/sleeker and with intervals it would be close to perfect. Also Ergomo is rechargeable - no batteries to deal with. I have not had either serviced and not sure how that works…

Powertap - Best points: easy swap between bikes with 2nd wiring harness, nice sleek computer. Worst points: need to have dedicated rear wheel so you have to worry about trashing it if its a nice/race-like wheel (or its a heavier/sturdier wheel - or you buy multiple wheels…), and weather issues. Weather issues - I got nervous if it rained and I would not leave it in the car (on a hot day for a brick work-out as I was told that the heat can fry it though this may be a rumor). The wiring is a little more messy if you run the cadence wire as you have 2 wires - one from seat stay up and along top tube and another from chainstay along downtube. I dropped signals occasionally but never a problem. Intervals are cool and does make it easier to see on the computer (different shading), and if you travel without a computer, you can view interval data still. You can only view 3 things at once (which is plenty usually) and the display is quite customizable.

Which is better? I guess that all depends on how you want to use it. I did not ride either for more than a couple months so not sure how long/durable they are. I was happy with either and they both have pluses and minuses…I prefer the Ergomo on a tri bike as long as you have a place to mount the computer - especially if you want to run a disc or nice race wheel - or if you ride on nasty roads a lot and go through wheels…the powertap is nice if you want one powermeter on a couple bikes or to share with a buddy.

SRM - no idea.

Dave

I think Ergomo has a big problem on their hands since everyone is starting to make integrated cranks and bb’s. They’ll have to make their own crank arms soon, but then they’ll just be a poor man’s SRM (maybe not a bad thing). Isn’t the new computer going to be smaller? Either way, I think time is running out for Ergomo, at least with it’s current design.

Also, the Ergomo only reads the left leg’s power.

The Ergomo only reads left leg power but the PT only measures power to the rear wheel…

Seriously though - not sure if thats an issue (I don’t think so - I think L to R power stays pretty constant). I’m going to put a PT on my tri bike/Ergomo and compare the 2 to see how that looks.

Dave

My issue w/ Ergomo (besides the size of the computer) is that when downloading the data,cyclingpeaks software converts the miles to lesser miles thinking that it is km’s inthe first place. So my 75 mile ride will read 45 miles with a 12 mph avg spped. Cycling peaks says that they know there is a prob but no fix yet. Very frustrating. And I have no issue with the current trend to integrated crank arms/bb…the 9 speed Dura will be available for along time. I’m not worried…

My ergomo never did that with either the Ergoracer version of cyclingpeaks that came with it or the cyclingpeaks software that came with the PT that I used. Miles was miles.

Dave

I’ve had the Ergomo for just under a month now and have had 0 issues with it. The computer is huge, but it fits between the aeroobars on a standard computer mount. I haven’t had the same issue with the cyclingpeaks software, maybe it’s a different version? I realize that the unit only measures left leg power, but it’s not something I think about while riding. I don’t believe that it would affect the way I pedal unless I was subconciously trying to chase watts.