Which powermeter should i buy?

you should not disregard the ibike newton - you get lots for your money

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by iZnoGouD [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I want to buy a powermeter but i don't know which one to buy, i "only" want to spend around 1000$
Is the powertap good? How long till it starts working bad? Also where do they sell the cheapest powertaps?
What do you guys think of buying a used srm powermeter?
Any advice would be much appreciated.

Thanks

The Powertaps are very good, accurate and well built. I still see the original Tune (pre Saris) versions in use on a regular basis and that first generation had some serious issues with things like water damage yet they're still out there and running.

You can often find very good deals on PT wheel packages from folks like Wheelbuilders or even REI and other major retailers.

You can also get screaming deals on used PTs, SRMs, Quarqs and a few other brands off ebay or Craigslist or places like Slowtwitch Classifieds. I've bought many used PMs for myself, team mates or clients I've worked with and have had very good luck with no lemons yet. It does take a certain risk tolerance but I know many folks that have bought used PMs and had very good success but of course the risk is always there and you likely won't get any warranty when buying used.

The only downside to PowerTaps is it locks you into a particular wheelset and many folks like to change wheels for different race or event situations. It's still not that bad if you buy a PT built into a nice wheelset or run a wheelcover on a PT for things like time trials or triathlons instead of a rear disc wheel but that's the basic downside, hard to change rear wheels anytime you feel like it. Crank based PMs get around that limitation and allow you to run any wheelset but crank based PMs cost more though you can definitely pick up a used wireless Quarq for around $1000 and you can pick up a used wired SRM for much less than that these days if you don't mind the wires. FWIW I personally run wired SRMs, sure wireless would be nice mostly for support of GPS head units like a Garmin but overall I'm very happy with my SRMs, they're reliable and accurate and very affordable these days.

Good luck,
-Dave

These wired srm, how much do they go for this days?
Any advice for what i should be looking at in order to not buy something bad?

thanks

A similar thread was started a few weeks ago and may help you determine what powermeter suits your needs;
cyclingforums.comwould like a new powermeterOpen ↗

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by iZnoGouD [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

These wired srm, how much do they go for this days?
Any advice for what i should be looking at in order to not buy something bad?

thanks

I'm seeing the DuraAce wired SRMs going for around $600 to $750 these days and they're very nice units. The older square taper and ISIS cranks typically go for a bit less and they're also good but not quite as slick.

-Dave

It may cost you a few more dollars, but I would counsel you to try to find an Ant+ power meter. The reason is that you can then choose from a variety of handlebar computer units and other display devices not even yet released (e.g., the new Recon Jet heads-up display). Ant+ has become the industry standard sports wireless transmission and data protocol and many devices are available that can read and display Ant+ data transmissions.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by RapDaddyo [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

It may cost you a few more dollars, but I would counsel you to try to find an Ant+ power meter. The reason is that you can then choose from a variety of handlebar computer units and other display devices not even yet released (e.g., the new Recon Jet heads-up display). Ant+ has become the industry standard sports wireless transmission and data protocol and many devices are available that can read and display Ant+ data transmissions.

This is great advice, ANT+ is basically the industry standard generally new power meters support it, polar is the most notable exception.

ambal said:

This is great advice, ANT+ is basically the industry standard generally new power meters support it, polar is the most notable exception.

I think Polar is the only manufacturer that doesn't support Ant+.

I picked up the Power2max last week.

May be out of budget but possibly another vendor to add to your searches if perusing eFray for used.

Note that PowerTap dropped the price on their G3 hub by $500 this week. They've also dropped the prices on their wheels. It's hard to ignore such a big price change.

Riley1 said:

I was stuck on that decision, myself. If you get a crank based power meter, it'll work for both training and racing, but switching between bikes is unreasonable. If you get a wheel based power meter, it takes 30 seconds to put it onto whatever bike you're riding at that moment, but you can only use that specific wheel. So if you do your training 50/50 on a road bike and a tri bike, and then you train on one set of wheels and race on another, then you're stuck.Â

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