Will any magnet do for the PT cadence sensor?

Triathlon Forum
1

I must have scraped my crank on the trunk of the car b/c my magnet is nowhere to be found for my wired PT cadence sensor. The wired pick up is fine, but no magnet.

I have a couple of older sensor magnets from older computers…think that would work? Will have to go diggin’ in my attic through a giant Rubber Maid container with ‘stuff I probably won’t ever use, but will keep just in case’. Seems to me it should work…anyone tried it?

2

I think most people ditch the sensor and just use the hub based cadence. It’s pretty accurate in my experience.

3

Any magnet will work.

4

I think most people ditch the sensor and just use the hub based cadence. It’s pretty accurate in my experience.

I’ve found the instant accuracy of the PowerTap to be GREATLY improved when using the magnet. The hub-only calculation works, but it’s not as snappy and precise. The hub uses force and RPM to calculate power, so if the RPM variable is better, then so is power measurement. (This is my experience using a wired PowerTap.)

And to answer the OP, yes, any small strong magnet will work.

5

“The hub uses force and RPM to calculate power”

In a powertap, isn’t it the hub’s RPM that is important, not the crank’s?