Power meters selection - pros/cons

Back by popular demand, the general all-things Road forum!

Moderator: robbosmans

Post Reply
tsutaoka
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:42 am

by tsutaoka

my coach wants me to train with a power meter, so i'm evaluating options. my set-up includes a dura ace 7900 drive train, edge wheels, and dura ace pedals. all components that i really like...and therefore changing one for a power meter is a tough choice. i also have an ant+ head unit in the garmin 705.

what are the pros/cons of the following options:
a) metrigear vector (pedal based - expected to market sometime in 2010)
b) powertap (rear hub based)
c) srm dura ace 7900 compatible standard crank (crank based - note i have a compact and would see a standard as a positive)

my analysis attributes include:
a) Weight
b) Performance
c) Maintenance/Issues
d) Price
e) Other

any input is appreciated. thanks in advance.

Murphs
Posts: 1117
Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:04 am
Location: Gold Coast, QLD, Australia

by Murphs

Just to make it easier, I would look at the Quarq too

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Ruds
Posts: 765
Joined: Thu Jan 25, 2007 3:56 pm

by Ruds

Is an SRM comfortably in your price range? If it is then I would go for an SRM over any of the others except the vector which looks like it may be interesting. I'm currently on my 2nd & 3rd SRM on my RR and TT bike and they have been faultless for me. Expensive to start but after that I've enjoyed watching all my friends and team mates Powertaps break when it rains :mrgreen:

Rodrego Hernandez
Posts: 1227
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2005 7:11 pm
Location: Out there

by Rodrego Hernandez

SRM is the go. Powertap are very high maintenance, the bearings seem to be made of paper and fail when it looks like rain and the rest of it isn't much better. Quark has some positive feedback but is still pretty new. There are some pedal based ones coming out soon but haven't seen them on the market just yet.

_SJ_
Posts: 181
Joined: Thu Sep 07, 2006 6:39 pm

by _SJ_

Quark is the dog's. Recently I had a battery go dead in mine while on a training ride, 5 minutes and 3 euros later, with new battery in, it was working like new again. Try that with a SRM... And the OP already has an Edge 705 which works perfectly with Quarq.

User avatar
stella-azzurra
Posts: 5066
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 6:35 am
Location: New York

by stella-azzurra

the battery is not that difficult to replace on the srm.
I never took drugs to improve my performance at any time. I will be willing to stick my finger into a polygraph test if anyone with big media pull wants to take issue. If you buy a signed poster now it will not be tarnished later. --Graeme Obree

tsutaoka
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:42 am

by tsutaoka

thanks for the opinions. what i've seen from another forum is:

wirless srm + garmin 705 (i already have one) + trainingpeaks wko+ = great one bike, many wheels set-up. please let me know your experiences.

cswi9367
Posts: 1308
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2006 1:40 pm

by cswi9367

tsutaoka,
easy decision then.
if you already have an ANT + and want wheel changes whenever, then rule a powertap out.

that leaves SRM and metrigear on your list. metrigear i wouldnt buy just yet, as its first version. they will have some growth to do. SRM are expensive, especially for wireless ANT+ models. they also require about 150.00 in maintenance per year on batteries.

with all this b eing said, quarq is the way to go. priced like a powertap, but quality and ANT+ like an SRM, its a great item. you can even use your existing cranks. weight penatly is somewhere aroudn 150 grams, so quite light. battery replacement is capable by you and yo ucan use your ANT+ headunit you already have. Quarq is also capable with wko+ and training peaks.

i am not saying anything bad about SRM, as the only issue is battery replacement, and you can time that over the winter usually. but for twice the cost, i just dont see it worth it. i have 2 SRM units myself, and love them, but if i were to do it all over agian, i think the quarq is the best setup on the market curently. price and ANT+ reasonings (i have wired SRM's for budget reasons). i may sell my SRM's and go for quarq this season.

good luck!

EDIT: i take that back, no shimano cranks supported. in this case, i would sell your 7900 carnks and pick something they have. or , if you are lucky enough to be on bb30, you have a few options (cannondale, specialized).
Last edited by cswi9367 on Tue Jan 12, 2010 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Redddraggon
Posts: 982
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:59 pm
Location: North Wales

by Redddraggon

cswi9367 wrote:with all this b eing said, quarq is the way to go. priced like a powertap, but quality and ANT+ like an SRM, its a great item.



The cheapest I can find a Quarq Cinqo is £1200 (and even they don't actually have), whereas Powertap rear wheels start at around £600.

http://www.5339.co.uk/coming-soon/sram- ... rmeter.htm


When I first saw some online reviews of the Cinqo, I was quite tempted when they kept saying (like you) that they were priced similarly to a Powertap - but they look like twice the price to me.

cswi9367
Posts: 1308
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2006 1:40 pm

by cswi9367

buy at www.quarq.com and hav them ship to you?

User avatar
Redddraggon
Posts: 982
Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2008 10:59 pm
Location: North Wales

by Redddraggon

cswi9367 wrote:buy at http://www.quarq.com and hav them ship to you?


Still roughly the same price :noidea:

cswi9367
Posts: 1308
Joined: Wed Feb 01, 2006 1:40 pm

by cswi9367

thats too bad.
if the price of powertap unit is that much cheaper, i would go that route if you are trying to save some cost. maybe you can get a powertap hub built into your edge wheels. that might be your best bet for the cost.

all my teammates use powertaps, and i have never heard of bearing issues or anything going wrong with them, so i would consider them.

i guess it all comes down to cost and what yo uwant to spend.

RichTheRoadie
Tinker, Taylor, Tart
Posts: 2070
Joined: Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:00 pm
Location: Sydney, Aus.

by RichTheRoadie

Only the heavy powertaps are 'cheap', and if you have more than one set of wheels a Powertap is definitely not the way to go.

I'm just waiting for the Quarq Cinqo to come out for the Rotor 3D compact spider, then that's the option I'll most likely take.

markc
Posts: 194
Joined: Thu May 17, 2007 2:23 am

by markc

SRM Wired - Works great, available used at a reasonable price (1200-1500). Allows any rear wheel you like. Eventually will not have replacement parts for PCV but should be a while before it's an issue. Some guys hate wires but for the money a used wired SRM can be a good deal.

SRM Wireless - Works great now that they fixed the PC boards.. Very, very, very expensive. Limited crankset choice.

Quarq - Works great and much better price point than SRM. Limited crank choice. I just got my SRAM 900 / Quarq and it's working very well indeed. Quarq is the best deal in crank power IMO.

Metrigear - you can't buy it yet and probably won't be able to in time for your 2010 season. Looks to be great, hope they make it and they become available someday. I can't wait to put these on my WW bike.

PT Hubs - rock solid, work great, reasonable cost. But this only works if you are absolutely OK with one wheel choice or owning mupliple PT wheels because once you have power you will want it 100%. My wife has one PT wheel for her road bike and one for her TT bike. Both wired, total investment about $1000. She trains 'em, races 'em and she couldn't be happier. Me, I like messing with wheels so I wanted crank power.

iBike Pro - it's not real power per see (meaning no strain gauges) but it may well be good enough and is a lot cheaper. Worth looking into as part of your survey of what is available. Pez and I think a couple others were positive on iBike on a recent thread in the road forum.

Good luck, just pick one and go train.
Last edited by markc on Thu Jan 14, 2010 3:17 am, edited 1 time in total.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



tsutaoka
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:42 am

by tsutaoka

thanks you all. i'm leaning towards SRM due to crank preferences. as i mainly ride 1 bike but have multiple wheels, i'm ruling out powertap as reasoned above.

as for metrigear, i'll wait and see. i'm not a huge fan of speedplay pedals. i prefer dura ace due to the larger platform. although, i guess if i was a true WW i would go for lighter vs. other preferences

Post Reply