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Power Tap question

kurshingkurshing
in General Training Discussions

So, have a Garmin 310xt (and obviously a bike)...can just get a Power Tap hub and basically be ready to train with power?  I have stock Shimano wheels on my P1 and will likely just rent race wheels with power tap for my next race...

What PT unit would you guys recommend and what would just the hub run me do you think? Is buying one used a viable/adviseable option?

 

Thanks!

Comments

  • Steven FordSteven Ford

    EN goes thru  www.wheelbuilder.com and you get a discount. My 2 cents is if you are going to invest get a new one as you will have a warranty.

     

    Also look at the post from Rich regarding buying your powertap

  • Chris GChris G
    As long as it is wireless and either new enough to have ant plus or been upgraded you are good to go. If you buy a used one and have any issues with it then it is out of warranty (one year) they will charge you 300 and just put all new guts in the hub which will then give you a new warranty. Having a wheel built by wheel builder is an awesome way to go. As suggested just ping rich.
  • Nemo BrauchNemo Brauch
    X2 pinging Rich- he'll get you some numbers to work with.

    If you are looking at "just the hub" remember that it has to be built into your wheel. So you'll need to pay the LBS to do that work for you, and you need to be careful about which hub you buy and if it will fit to your wheel (number of spokes being the biggest factor).
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    Posted By Nemo Brauch on 05 Nov 2010 10:40 AM

    X2 pinging Rich- he'll get you some numbers to work with.



    If you are looking at "just the hub" remember that it has to be built into your wheel. So you'll need to pay the LBS to do that work for you, and you need to be careful about which hub you buy and if it will fit to your wheel (number of spokes being the biggest factor).

    Make sure to choose a wheel that a wheelbuilder wheel cover can be purchased too, so you get disc-like racing wheels.



     

  • henrysaccohenrysacco

    I did just exactly as you suggested at the beggining of 2010. I had a 310xt and bought a PT hub only. I did have the tire/hub built for me. Using power with just the 310 and no "head" for the PT worked great. I could run and bike with one device and not have to change it during workouts or transition. The only downside was having to view the data while riding. Its a bit tough to look at your 310 on your wrist while in aero (if you care to). You can get an adapter that allows you to move the 310 from your wrist to handlebar, but it seemed awkward to me. In the end i ended up buying a PT head for short money through RnP :-)

  • jzillesjzilles
    I just joined EN and purchased a PT wheel through Rich. Process worked great. I also have the 310xt and so far is working good with the PT. There are issues if you want to see rolling averages (as the 310xt does not), but to have one cpu thingy to worry about - it works great. As far as the mount - I bought the garmin bike mount and it works great moving from my wrist to the bike and vice versa. I used it that way this past year at races. You do have to remember to take it off your bike to transition to the run - I made that mistake at a race and had to "feel" my pace. I realized I'm not that good at that.
  • charrischarris

    To pile on what the others have said: Short answer is the 310XT is fine (not perfect, but fine), the Elite+ hub (the entry level one) is fine.

     

    Longer answer (and a bunch of rambling) is here:


     

    x10 on Rich at Wheelbuilder - he/they are awesome.  If you want to poke around with permutations/combinations of pricing to ballpark things (e.g. to see how much removing the LYC saves you, etc.), go here for an example:


     

    And you may as well buy a wheelcover at the same time from him...save yourself the shipping later.

     

    As far as "ready to train with power" goes - you'll probably also want to buy WKO+ and the Power webinar.

     

    Have fun!
  • Chris M.Chris M.

     Also be sure that your existing wheel can have a PT hub built into it.  This is what I was going to do, but I found out from the manufacturer (Planet X) that it is not recommended.  Hed has a disclaimer about this on their site as well, saying NOT to retrofit a PT hub into a Hed wheel.  

    I bought a Hed Belgium with SL+ hub and use it with my 310XT.  The quick release mount is very easy to use and makes going from bike to run as simple as it could be.  I have one mount on my aerobar, another on my aero bottle for when I use it, and another standard bike mount on my road bike.  It's just a 90 degree turn to take it from bike to wrist and the kit is $13 from Amazon.

    http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-010-11215-00-Quick-release-kit/dp/B002NJRLJ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1288976358&sr=8-2

  • charrischarris

    There's also an updated Quick Release Kit:

    http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-receiv...B003CP0MTO

    The original one Chris linked to is not bad at all, but the updated version is arguably better (it lets you use the original 310XT orange/grey strap instead of the ghetto replacement strap).  
  • Chris M.Chris M.
    Posted By Craig Harris on 05 Nov 2010 12:19 PM

    There's also an updated Quick Release Kit:

    http://www.amazon.com/Garmin-receiv...B003CP0MTO

    The original one Chris linked to is not bad at all, but the updated version is arguably better (it lets you use the original 310XT orange/grey strap instead of the ghetto replacement strap).  

    I didn't know that existed or I would have bought it as I prefer the cool orange wristband.  

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