Calling all weight weenies,
If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard it a thousand times. “I got rid of my powertap b/c it weighed too much. I switched to XYZ power meter instead.”
Did a little comparison on my gear just for grins.
Zipp hub removed from rear wheel: 200 grams
Powertap G3 hub installed on same rear wheel: 325 grams
That converts to just a hair above 1/4 of a POUND!
Now it’s not quite as easy to do the comparison of maybe a Quarq since it involves cranks (~616 grams), etc. but I’m sure it can be done. I’m also not saying that PT is as light as something like Stages, but I can’t imagine 1/4 of a pound being that major of an issue on 95% of age groupers out there. Do the pros worry about that? Probably. Do elite age groupers worry about it? Maybe Do they need to worry about 1/4 of a pound? That’s my question. Maybe if some of these age groupers wouldn’t put 4-6 bottles on their bike, enough “fix a flat” gear to open a bike shop, enough food to feed a small country, and other crap they wouldn’t think twice about 1/4 of a pound.
So yes, a little of this is venting, but mostly I’m REALLY curious to hear everyone’s thoughts on the statement I hear so often about getting rid of PT b/c it’s too heavy. Sorry, I’m not buying it!
Avid PT user since 2007. No plans to switch now.
Jack?
Powertap?
Quarq?
Anyone want to chime in here?
Well, only rarely is there an event where weight matters, but it does happen. I did savageman once, and my wife did an uphill pro time trial once where I really wanted to get to the minimum weight, with power, but couldn’t, because our ptap wheel was a super deep metal rimmed clincher.
The hub adds almost no weight, but makes it harder to borrow a 303 tubie in those cases where that might be best, unless you have a buddy with a 303 tubie and a powertap hub =)
Well Jack since we live in the same city, I’m sure we can work something out. I train on a zipp 101 PT G3 clincher and race on a zipp 808 PT G3 tubular. I don’t foresee myself racing Savageman anytime soon. I may be crazy, but not quite that crazy.
Before G3 many powertap hubs were a bit heavier,and people wrongly believe wheel weight is especially crucial.
So yeah, most scenarios, it doesn’t matter, and even when it does, it isn’t much. (a 202 tubular wouldn’t have changed my wife’s place in the stage race, probably)
Well Jack since we live in the same city, I’m sure we can work something out. I train on a zipp 101 PT G3 clincher and race on a zipp 808 PT G3 tubular. I don’t foresee myself racing Savageman anytime soon. I may be crazy, but not quite that crazy.
If you don’t care about having an on the bike power display, then seems like a smartphone or similar and the Strava app would be the lightest means for getting power - albeit virtual - metrics.
I think most smartphones would be more of a weight penalty than a PT hub + head unit.
The PT hub is lighter than some popular normal hubs!
If you don’t care about having an on the bike power display, then seems like a smartphone or similar and the Strava app would be the lightest means for getting power - albeit virtual - metrics.
Before G3 many powertap hubs were a bit heavier,and people wrongly believe wheel weight is especially crucial.
Yeah…I was using the old PT Pro+. The hub weighed 480 grams. It was noticeably heavier than any of my other training rear wheels. That doesn’t mean it makes you significantly slower, but wheels are something you take off your bike and pick up by themselves pretty often…so it plays on your mind.
People often buy new parts (stems, handle bars, bottle cages, etc) because they are lighter…so it’s not like this is some phenomena specific to power meters.
I’m not expert cyclist but I’ve found it amazing that people worry about every gram of weight. Pro Tour climbing or very intense racing ok sure but average joe’s who think the weight is holding them back are delusional. Collectively a 125g here another there it can add up but some things are non-negotiable (power meter) so if you’ve got one use it and don’t complain about weight and spend more $$$ on another one because it’s 125g lighter or so. Spend more $$$ on a erg trainer or a coach to get the performance out of you through his experience.
People want to feel like the superstars they idolize and even if they don’t have the engines they do have the wallets so they splurge on all pro level kit. Jack obviously outlined some scenarios where it’s applicable but that just shows how much of an edge case it is. The fact we can be so close to the top athletes in our sport probably contributes to this mindset. That and it’s tough not to be a bike geek frothing over new kit for your baby.
So the real question becomes is since we added 100g with a powertap does any other power meter add less than 100g? And of course keep in mind we are talking about a powertap adding 100g to a very light hub.
Does a dura ace SRM add 100G to a crank? It looks like the SRM spec on a 9000 set is 768g. The Dura Ace spec is 683g. 85 grams difference. I see SRM has a carbon offering at an additional 100g savings.
But bottom line you have about the same weight penalty between a PT hub and SRM.
Some computers probably make a difference as well? My Joule GPS is pretty small. Others are quite a bit bigger. Maybe another 25 grams of low hanging fruit?
Some computers probably make a difference as well? My Joule GPS is pretty small. Others are quite a bit bigger. Maybe another 25 grams of low hanging fruit?
joule non-gps even smaller and lighter!
(but not rechargeable)
Whenever I hear someone tout the weight benefits of Stages vs. SRM (or anything else) I just lol. Like 60g of weight saved (when compared to SRM) is going to matter to a Pro Tour team like Sky whose bikes could easily be under the UCI limit if they desired to. It sounds like grasping at straws when someone uses the “hey it only weights 20g” argument.
Sky actually has a lot of trouble hitting the minimum weight as the Dogma was the heaviest frame in the pro peleton.
To get Froome there they had to use a crazy custom rear wheel and seat post, among other things.
That may be less bad now with the new Dogma.
On a related topic of power meter weight -
Whenever I hear someone tout the weight benefits of Stages vs. SRM (or anything else) I just lol. Like 60g of weight saved (when compared to SRM) is going to matter to a Pro Tour team like Sky whose bikes could easily be under the UCI limit if they desired to. It sounds like grasping at straws when someone uses the “hey it only weights 20g” argument.
Yes…and if you start adding up all the other crap age groupers add to their TT bikes, I’m quite certain it is way over 125 grams. Everything everyone has said here is exactly what I tell other athletes when they are questioning one over the other for weight issues. If it added 2 lbs…okay, I’d understand. 1/4 of a pound? I can pee 1/4 of a pound out of my body.
The seemingly obvious “solution” would be to put guys on tiny frames…which already seems quite common.
I wonder what the weight difference is in frame sizes? Maybe 50g? I have no idea just a wild guess.
It depends actually, at a certain point, starting around 54, the weight goes down very little as you reduce frame size due to obscure rules about how strong tubes have to be. You can’t weaken them as much as you should be able to.
But, giving the rider a smaller frame, means giving them more stem and seat post to fit on it. Usually weight is net-higher.
My uppity moto is that until an athlete hits 8% BF they can’t complain about equipment weight (not a problem for a skinny guy like you ). Most triathletes can afford to lose the weight penalty of a PT hub, every week for their entire season.
So the real question becomes is since we added 100g with a powertap does any other power meter add less than 100g? And of course keep in mind we are talking about a powertap adding 100g to a very light hub.
Does a dura ace SRM add 100G to a crank? It looks like the SRM spec on a 9000 set is 768g. The Dura Ace spec is 683g. 85 grams difference. I see SRM has a carbon offering at an additional 100g savings.
But bottom line you have about the same weight penalty between a PT hub and SRM.
BUT the SRM/Quarq, etc. has the HUGE added bonus of it being a power meter no matter what set of wheels you are able to beg, buy, borrow or steal. You never have to make the choice between having power and having the right wheel for the job.
