Please end my misery and tell me which power meter to buy!

Triathlon Forum
1

Usually, I am a very decisive person, however, I am completely befuddled by the plethora of power meters available and need some help. Bought Training with Power and although it is a great book, it didn’t help me decide the most basic question: which PM. Will someone who actually knows something about these things just tell me what to buy to get this over with, please?

Some background:

Me: racing sprints to Half IM.

Goal: to assist in training (90%); to help race pacing (10%).

Technical ability: I am not a technical person by nature or ability. However, I will do what needs to be done to learn to use the PM software. However, all things being equal, the less techno the better.

Budget: Like everyone else, <$ is better. Willing to spend up to a Power Tap (assume Elite+ or Pro+?), no way I would spend the $ for an SRM. Wireless is a must.

Accuracy: I don’t care so much if the thing is perfectly accurate in an absolute sense (really does it matter if my FTP is 4w/kg or 4.02/kg?), but would like it to be reasonably repeatable.

Current wheels: Have a Hed Jet disc. That is one of the things that is screwing up the decision. If I go with Power Tap, then would have to either not use it for racing or forego power meter for racing (I’m sure that hundreds before me have faced this issue).

So far, my best thought had been to get a FP 60 wheel I already own retrofitted by Wheelbuilder.com with a PT Pro+ (their pricing was pretty reasonable). Then I started to second guess that and wonder if it would make more sense to just buy a Mavic PT Pro +. Since I would getting a disc cover either way, I couldn’t see why it would be helpful to use the FP.

Finally, do the ibike or Polar power meters work well enough to satisfy a normal AG guy? I couldn’t qualify for Kona even if I tried, but I would like to improve. If the non-PT meters work, it would be really nice to be able to use them with the wheels I already own and not worry about any of this other stuff. I did a search of prior threads and the ibike review looked pretty bad to me.

Thanks for any advice,
Phil

2

i’ll also go ahead and tell you when to poo each day!

3

Easy…Quarq CinQo paired with Garmin 705.

End of thread :slight_smile:

4

Thank you for the constructive input! I know I sound just like my wife when she is buying shoes, but, thought someone on this board might be able to help with this decision.

So, when should I poo each day? :wink:

5

+1, but you may look into the new 310xt Garmin. It has the potential to be a do all, with ant+, water proof, and GPS!
-mb

6

+1, but you may look into the new 310xt Garmin. It has the potential to be a do all, with ant+, water proof, and GPS!
-mb

True…my only reservation on that so far is some reports of connectivity issues with the CinQo when not in the exact right spot on the bike (like worn on the wrist)…but yeah, that would work too :slight_smile:

That said, there’s apparently going to be a plethora of new ANT+ compatible “head units” coming out soon, including offerings from Saris and Specialized…

7

If you live in shitty weather, Computrainer.

If you want to see your power as you train/race, SRM

8

I read that also on the wattage forum. I think they are just nit picking a bit. I mean really just move it to your right arm. Because 99% of the time you will have it wrapped on the bar when riding.
The one thing that has not been talked about (cause it’s summer) is noise from an HID light. Since I just thought of that and I just got a 310 I’m going to try it out. By the way I have owned a Powertap and moved to the SRM so I can choose wheels and move between bikes (own the DA version). Now I’m going to sell the SRM and move to CinQo. Once I’m good with the 310 being water proof.
-mb

9

No question if you want to use your race wheels and wireless. Quarq with a 705.

10

x3
.

11

I went through the same issues and ended up with a Quarq w/705 setup. My deciding factor was that my road bike and main tri bike are 700 wheels but I still ride my 650 tri bike on occasion. With the Quarq I can use any wheel and I ended up putting BB cups on all 3 frames that are compatible. I’ve only changed it over a couple of times but it takes about the same amount of time and effort as it would to change the rear wheel around.

12

I went through the same issues and ended up with a Quarq w/705 setup. My deciding factor was that my road bike and main tri bike are 700 wheels but I still ride my 650 tri bike on occasion. With the Quarq I can use any wheel and I ended up putting BB cups on all 3 frames that are compatible. I’ve only changed it over a couple of times but it takes about the same amount of time and effort as it would to change the rear wheel around.

Heck…it takes LESS time if your bikes aren’t all the same “speed” (i.e 8,9,10, or what-have-you) and you have to do a cogset swap…especially if you have to keep track of those dumbass 1mm spacers for 10sp stuff (Damn you, Shimano!)

With BB cups preinstalled on all the bikes, it’s literally an ~1-2 minute job.

13

I want to thank everyone for their input and advice on this issue.

Phil

14

No question if you want to use your race wheels and wireless. Quarq with a 705.
I would have agreed, but then the 310XT came out, so Quarq + 310XT.

15

The el cheapo powertap deal at Excel Sports. $660 for a PT, CPU, download cradle, harness. Sure it’s wired, but it’s cheap. Train with power enough and you’ll be able to pace without the powermeter. Or if you do want to race with it, get the wheel covers.

For the price it can’t be beat.

16

I picked up the Polar CS600 with power on Amazon for 375.00. The seller is HRMeters. This is my second and it works great and no problem with wheel since it goes off chain speed and tension.

17

I picked up the Polar CS600 with power on Amazon for 375.00. The seller is HRMeters. This is my second and it works great and no problem with wheel since it goes off chain speed and tension.

Don’t forget that the OP originally stated he wanted WIRELESS. Although the Polar has a wireless connection between the head unit and the power module, I wouldn’t exactly call the system “wireless”…after all, there’s quite a few wires on it.

That goes for tigermilk and the PT “wired” wheel deals out there as well.

18

It is simple then. Buy a Power Tap, unless you have a Garmin 705, then quark. If you need, give me a call and take advantage of my Slowtwitch discount.

Cheers,

Rich

19

No question if you want to use your race wheels and wireless. Quarq with a 705.
I would have agreed, but then the 310XT came out, so Quarq + 310XT.

After seeing your pics of the “quick release” setup with the 310XT, I’d have to agree that for tri use the 310XT appears to be the slicker setup…and cheaper too, no?

20

Why not SRM - Gossamer paired with 705?

Dave