Ok, so I’m about to take the jump into the power pool but can’t seem to find any concrete answers on a few questions - hoping the hive mind here might be able to help.
I have a P2 ultegra with FSA Omega compact crank. I’ve looked at Stages but their cranks are basically Ultegra with an FSA version coming out (maybe…) in Jan. Love the price but don’t like the 5+ week order turnaround.
Powertap - haven’t really thought about this option much as it means buying two (one for race wheels and one for training wheels) plus the issue of getting the built up. Considered a wheel cover, but meh.
Crank based power seems to be the way to go but I am utterly confused about which options would work for a Shimano based system. Seems everything is SRAM based. Best I can tell, SRM seems to be the only real option out there…
Could consider the Garmin Vector. A pedal based system. I have considered this and Rotor power cranks. Either way you to analyze both legs to help correct any pedal stroke issues.
Powertap - haven’t really thought about this option much as it means buying two (one for race wheels and one for training wheels) plus the issue of getting the built up. Considered a wheel cover, but meh.
Well, since you same to be pre-disposed against arguably one of the most efficient setups (Mavic Open Pro or similar with cover for racing), I can’t really help. Go ahead. Spend more. It’s your money.
Based on what SurfingLamb said, I looked up the quarq SRAM (which seems to be pretty plentiful) and it seems as long as its with an English threaded BB, something like SRAM GXP would work and I’ve seen a couple of random threads with people talking about using SRAM chains on Shimano drivetrains and vice versa. So are they fairly interchangeable/compatible for each of the various components?
Was anything I said about Powertap wrong? It would seem that either pedal, crankarm, or crank based power meters inherently offer greater fleixibilty. Is that incorrect or am I just not looking at it in the right way?
If you ride one bike with different wheels (race,train etc.) : crank & pedal based are ok. (No costs from several wheels, and you need the power also in your race wheels)
if you ride several road bikes (and potentially race&train wheels: wheel & pedal based are ok (you then by power to each wheel)
if you ride several different type of bikes and are happy to use road shows: pedal based are ok
Crank spider based power and wheel hub based powermeters have been around for long time…
Greater flexibility doesn’t necessarily equal better in the long run. For all but very few situations (Kona or the few other races that prohibit a disc) a disc or wheel cover is the fastest option. If that’s the case, what benefit is there to this flexibility? If you shop wisely you can be all-in on a Powertap setup plus cover for probably less than $750 and you’ll have a setup that’s good for just about every race on the planet.
You could also go with the Power2max which is a crank based power meter from Germany.
They’ve fixed a drift issue that some units had with an inbuilt temp sensor.
Garmin Vectors as suggested would also be a really good option as you can then switch between bikes no matter what wheelset you were using.
Ok, so I’m about to take the jump into the power pool but can’t seem to find any concrete answers on a few questions - hoping the hive mind here might be able to help.
I have a P2 ultegra with FSA Omega compact crank. I’ve looked at Stages but their cranks are basically Ultegra with an FSA version coming out (maybe…) in Jan. Love the price but don’t like the 5+ week order turnaround.
Powertap - haven’t really thought about this option much as it means buying two (one for race wheels and one for training wheels) plus the issue of getting the built up. Considered a wheel cover, but meh.
Crank based power seems to be the way to go but I am utterly confused about which options would work for a Shimano based system. Seems everything is SRAM based. Best I can tell, SRM seems to be the only real option out there…
all power meter work well now. stages is the least accurate but cheap. if you could use new wheels anyway, consider the power tap. even if you buy two it is not that expensive and you can o from road to tri bike.
if you want a crank system get a used SRM. The NEVER ware out and work perfectly.
I’ll throw in another opinion on the Vectors- They are awesome. I ride a racing TT bike, racing road bike, and an old beater road bike for Northeast winters, and I can get power on any of them in 10 minutes thanks to my Vectors. But if you are set on crank based… I have a used SRAM Red Quarq, 53 x 11, 170 mm that was only used for about 4 months, buy it so my wife will let me buy more new toys?
Based on what SurfingLamb said, I looked up the quarq SRAM (which seems to be pretty plentiful) and it seems as long as its with an English threaded BB, something like SRAM GXP would work and I’ve seen a couple of random threads with people talking about using SRAM chains on Shimano drivetrains and vice versa. So are they fairly interchangeable/compatible for each of the various components?
Agreed - I’m currently using a Sram Red Exogram crank and chainrings and the rest of the drivechain is Shimano. I’ve had no issues with performance. Pretty sure they throw insults at each other when I’m asleep though.
Based on what SurfingLamb said, I looked up the quarq SRAM (which seems to be pretty plentiful) and it seems as long as its with an English threaded BB, something like SRAM GXP would work and I’ve seen a couple of random threads with people talking about using SRAM chains on Shimano drivetrains and vice versa. So are they fairly interchangeable/compatible for each of the various components?
I’ve used a SRAM Quarq with Shimano, Campy, and SRAM drive trains, all with no trouble.
If you’ve got multiple bikes with GXP (or even one with BB30 with a GXP adapter), it literally takes two minutes to move the crank. That is faster than the Vector, maybe not quite as fast as swapping a wheel … but yes, much more flexible as you can then use any wheel or any indoor trainer (incl. something like the LeMond) and have power.
Unless you are sure you want to race with a wheel+disc cover for EVERY race you do, I would advise against Powertap. It’s a solid system but it seems to me that most people tend to want wheel choices. If money is no concern, obviously SRM is consistently the best system out there, hands down. Conversely, if you’re on a budget, I’d highly recommend looking on the Classifieds section here or ebay for used quarqs or SRMs. A nice used crank-based will be better than a brand-new option that is not as high-end or optimal. If you don’t mind laying down wires with electrical tape, then you can get a wired SRM for cheaper than you think (cheaper than a new Powertap/Stages even!). A good condition used quarq will be maybe about as much as a new PT, and a wireless SRM a bit more than that. Look around, I’m sure you’ll find a great deal.
The only compatibility issue you have to think about is BB30 versus BSA. That’s it.
check into the Power2max. i just bought one for my bike…not installed yet, I did alot of shopping around and decided on the P2M. You can have a brand new crank based powermeter for under 1000$ if it is compatible with your cranks(which i believe it is with FSA). I chose it because of affordability, looks cool with color choices, and i needed to get shorter cranks anyways…so i ordered the Rotor 3d+ crnakset, aero q-rings, Power2max, and a tool for changing out the cranks for 1500$. I have heard nothing bad about P2M.
They also seem to have very good customer service directly from their website and here on ST. Check em out.
… I’ve seen a couple of random threads with people talking about using SRAM chains on Shimano drivetrains and vice versa. So are they fairly interchangeable/compatible for each of the various components?
The chains, cassettes and chainrings are totally interchangeable. I usually run an Ultegra chain on my bikes and I have SRAM shifters on the road bike (full Force gruppo) and the TT (mixed SRAM/Shimano). I have a small selection of cassettes too, and most are SRAM but at least one is Shimano. No issues there. Just make sure that you pair 9-speed with 9-speed, 10 with 10, etc.
The front derailleur is largely interchangeable. Note that the newer SRAM Red with the “yaw” setting requires the shifters, derailleurs and chainrings to all be of the “yaw” type. Other than that it doesn’t matter whether you have SRAM or Shimano (though some claim better results with certain front derailleurs … YMMV). My TT bike actually has an Ultegra FD and ancient Dura-Ace crankset (soon to be changed to some less ancient FSA), but SRAM R2C shifters and Force RD.
The above is only true for Shimano/SRAM. Campagnolo is different. Occasionally Campy doesn’t even seem to be compatible with Campy (but it is still beautiful and I have two vintage bikes with it: 1 a '94 Merckx with Record, and a '78 unknown frame with Nuovo Record.)
Rear derailleur and shifters must be matched, unless your bike has friction shifters for the rear (which is extremely unlikely).