My First Power Meter
Hey guys, I'm training for my second IM in 2013, IMTX. This year I'm looking to purchase a power meter since most of my training will be indoors starting Dec/Jan. I would like to purchase one sooner so I can get outdoors and test it (if possible).
What I'm looking for is feedback from people who have owned some of the power meters on the market. I've read the reviews but none of them seem to provide any personal insight or feedback. My wallets open at this point, but I'm not going to spend the highest amount possible for extra small features.
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I've had no issues with my Quarq so far and it works well with my garmin toys as well as trainerroad which I use for indoor training.
If you go Quarq just be clear about your bottom bracket spec and also get the BB mount magnet so you don't have to glue the magnet to your crank arm.
2.5 yrs ago I wanted to train/race with power but could only really get 1 unit, so I bought a set of tubular Zipp 404's with a Powertap SL+. Then after a while I didn't want to train all the time on my race wheels so I bought a set of Powertap Training wheels. Then I cracked one of the 404s on a pothole and was sick of the tubulars so on short notice before my A race last yr, I had my Powertap hub built into a Firecrest Clincher 404 set (was worried to race on something different than I trained on). Long story longer, the Powertap wheels worked great, but I always wanted a crank based system. So this yr during the TDF, I bought an SRM on competitive cyclist for less than what a Quarq costs on one of their deals. And like mentioned above, I bought a GXP version so it can be easily swapped between my multiple bikes.
So... The Powertaps worked great for yrs and I really have no complaints on the functionality... But if you want flexibility to use multiple wheelsets, or want the freedom to rent race wheels (without worrying about calibration issues), I think it's better to just start with one of the crank based systems. If you want the cheapest solution, buy a Powertap training wheelset on ebay and get a disc cover for races.
The Quarq seems nice in that you can charge it yourself. The SRM needs to be sent back to the company for battery charges and other maintenance, but is often regarded as the gold standard of power systems.
The cheapest option always used to be a wired PT hub built into an aluminum clincher training wheel, then slap a WheelBuilder disc cover on it for raceday. However, from everything that I've seen, CycleOps no longer makes wired PowerTaps, the cheapest PT hub now is the PT Pro hub ($900), which is more than the old wired PT + LYC + training wheel deals used to cost together
On the crank based options, you currently have the Power2Max, the Quarq and the SRM going from cheapest to most expensive.
The Power2Max is not currently distributed in the US and has problems with temperature drift, supposed to be addressed in an update soon, but still would likely hold off on that due to lack of US customer support.
The Quarq has become one of the more popular options, and is what I own, good reliability, accuracy and fantastic customer service. They are based out of South Dakota, so good turnaround time from Iowa too.
The SRM was the first widely used PM. Usually more expensive, have to send it in to perform regular maintenace (like change the batter), but lots of Pros still use them.
My recommendation would be to talk to Rich and try to get a qoute on a Quarq SRAM S975 compact, or check out the ST classifieds and try to grab a Quarq in any compact (make sure you don't get BB30), or cruise classifieds for cheap deals on PowerTaps. Remember that with pretty much everything these days, power is going to be transmitted wirelessly over ANT+, so you'll also need an ANT+ cycling computer like a 310xt, 910xt or Edge 500.
a word of caution - Indoors and Outdoors are totally different...test indoors to establish your indoor training numbers....then test outdoors ...IMHO. Others can weigh in.
I did it backwards last year...starting working with a Power number via TrainerRoad...then tested outdoors when outdoor training got into full swing and I had power meter in April...again just IMHO
Ryan,
Here is something I wrote for my tri club's website. I wrote it in January and I need to update some info - specifically the updates to the pedal based power meters and the SRAM Red Power Meter.
Edited for new info on Sept 10, 2012
Hope it helps!
Power Meters
What is a power meter? To put it in very simple terms, it’s a device that measures the power output of the rider. It measures the number of watts of energy the rider is producing and the number of joules of work performed.
Why is a power meter so advantageous? The measure of power is more or less “variable proof.” A watt is a watt is a watt. A watt doesn’t care if you’re riding up a hill, riding into a headwind, how hot or cold it is outside, how you’re feeling, etc. Other forms of performance measurement on a bike are subject to outside variables. It’s what I call an anti-stupid meter. Remember… the bike sets up the run in triathlon. Fry yourself on the bike and you’ll pay for it on the run. The longer the distance triathlon, the more important that concept becomes.
I’m sure most of us started out cycling and bought a basic bike computer. It measured speed and maybe it measured cadence. Wind and hills wreak havoc on speed and cadence numbers. It’s obviously harder riding uphill or riding into a headwind. People that race or train for a goal speed number are truly chasing Fool’s Gold unless the conditions are basically perfect. Those people may end up averaging whatever speed they wanted but at what cost? They just see 20 mph and think it’s all good. What if that course is the Galveston half-Ironman course, for example? They think it’s flat so they’ll just tear it up and average 21 mph. Guess what? That course is really windy. Usually the first half of that ride is into some kind of headwind. They busted their butt averaging 21 mph and did not realize it took 15% to 20% more energy to ride 21 mph than if the winds had been calm. Wanna guess how that 13.1 mile run is going to go for them. Not good. We have all heard people say things after the race about how they were well trained for the run and they should’ve run an 8:30/mile pace but instead ran a 10:30/mile pace and walked and puked too much. They weren’t trained to bike 15% or 20% beyond their means for that distance.
Now contradict that with the athlete who has trained and raced with a power meter. That athlete knows his/her goal power numbers. They pay attention to the power number and stick to that number. Does it mean they will go slower into a headwind or up a hill? Absolutely! That’s the point. They start the run without having overextending themselves on the bike.
A heart rate monitor is a great measuring tool but it’s also the one most affected by all the variables. Everything affects your heart rate. How you feel physically, how much sleep you had, how much you ate, how hydrated you are, how much coffee you had, how hard you’re working, how hot it is, how cold it is, etc. Don’t get me wrong – your heart rate is extremely important and should not be ignored. Using a power meter and a heart rate monitor can be extremely effective. Heart rate and RPE go hand in hand. For example, averaging 200 watts for one hour when it’s 95 degrees out takes a different toll on your body than averaging 200 watts for one hour when it’s 60 degrees out. Your heart rate is going to be higher when it’s that much warmer. Your RPE is going to be higher. While a watt is a watt is a watt… your body’s ability to produce that watt can be affected by several things. Make sense??? I don't wear a heart rate monitor for sprint, oly or HIM races. I do wear one for when I'm doing an Ironman just to make sure my heart rate doesn't creep too high. That can be an issue during a hot weather race like IMTX. My HR was fine throughout the bike but it got jacked up during the run as the temperature went into the 90's. I had to slow things down after the first 6 miles because my HR was a little too high for my liking. It was either slow the pace down or pay dearly for it later.
Types of power meters
There are several power meters on the market and they basically come in three flavors: crankset based, hub based and pedal based.
Crankset based: The power meter is located on the crankset via strain gauges usually placed on the spider arm. SRM and Quarq are the two companies that dominate that market. SRM was basically the first company to make power meters and were the gold standard for many years. Quarq has been around for a few years now and has taken much of the market away from SRM for several reasons. Both companies use ANT+ technology that allows for the use of any ANT+ head unit (computer) like a Garmin or Joule. Quarq is much cheaper from a price perspective. A Quarq power meter w/crankset is $1,800. SRM equipped cranksets run from $2,200-$4,000. For comparison, Quarq’s SRAM S975 power meter is $1,800 and SRM’s SRAM S975 power meter is $2,800.
SRM has more options available, as they have been able to machine and re-engineer their power meters into some fixed spider cranksets. Quarq requires a removable spider. That rules out popular cranks such as Shimano Dura-Ace, Shimano Ultegra, SRAM Red and SRAM Force. In all fairness, SRM has only come out with a Dura-Ace model but it uses the old 7800 Dura-Ace cranks and not the newer 7900 model.
You can use just about any chain rings you want. I had SRAM Red chain rings on my Quarq and recently swapped out the big ring for 54 tooth SRAM TT ring. Swapping out chain rings does require the power meter to be recalibrated assuming it’s a completely different chain ring. Replacing the same ring does not require recalibration like replacing a worn out 53T SRAM Red ring with a new 53T SRAM Red ring. You can recalibrate the unit yourself but it requires some equipment that will cost you $$$. Or you can just send it back to Quarq and have them do it for free. SRM’s recalibration process is similar.
There are other advantages Quarq has over SRM besides price. The Quarq’s battery can be easily changed. Simply screw off the battery cover and put in a new battery. Battery replacement on the SRM requires the unit to be sent to a SRM service center. Quarq has world-renowned customer service. SRM, from what I have read, is not a very customer friendly company to deal with.
It should be noted that Quarq was purchased by SRAM in 2011. I'm not sure what that means in the future as far as them selling Quarq equipped cranksets that aren't SRAM. My guess is they slowly start to drop all the non-SRAM cranks but that's just my speculation.
Quarq recently came out with the SRAM Red power meter. It's a more integrated design that is lighter, more accurate and more user friendly. It has many advantages over existing Quarq power meters like Power Balance which measures power output differently by emulating left/right power and the ability to swap chainrings without the need for recalibration as the power measurement is now independent from the chainring. The new tech comes with a price tage about $200 more than the SRAM S975 version and it must be paired with the new SRAM Red chainrings and front derailleur.
Quarq has also started selling spider-only power meters with the same tech as the new SRAM Red powermeter for the Specialized S-Works cranks and Cannondale Hollogram cranks. This appears to be a pricey option as the spider is $1800, plus you would need the Specialized or Cannondale cranks plus chainrings.
The one big advantage over a hub based power meter is the ability to use whatever rear wheel you want.
Hub based: The power meter is located in the hub of the rear wheel. CycleOps PowerTap is pretty much the only relevant player in this market. PowerTap power meters are generally the cheapest option. The PowerTap lineup was revamped for 2012. The options are the G3C ($1,800), G3 ($1,300) and Pro ($900). All three are ANT+. Obviously, a hub needs to be laced to a wheel. Not all wheels can accept a PowerTap hub. There are several wheel options for sale that already have a PowerTap built into the wheel. Expect to pay well over $3,000 for a fancy race wheel w/PowerTap. The dilemma is that you probably don’t want to train on a $3,000 wheel. But you want to both race and train with power, right? The smart alternative would be to have a PowerTap laced into what would be a typical training wheel and slap a disc cover on that wheel for race day. A company like Wheelbuilder.com specializes in that kind of thing.
Good deals can probably be had on the 2011 and earlier model PowerTap hubs if you can find them.
Advantages over crank based power meters: Price, easier to swap between bikes (although swapping cranks is not really that difficult or time consuming).
Disadvantages: You’re stuck with that one wheel.
Pedal based: The power meter is located in the pedal. Pedal based power meters are brand new to the market.
The advantage would be how easily a pedal based power meter can be swapped between bikes since you’re just swapping pedals. Quick, easy and you don’t get dirty! Another advantage would be the ability to measure power from both legs. We’ll see how that plays out in the future.
The obvious disadvantage would be the growing pains associated with new technology. There are bound to be issues so first adopters beware! Pedals also break during crashes. I’ve never seen a crank or hub break. What happens if your pedal breaks?
There will be two pedal based power meters introduced in 2012 – Garmin Vector and Polar/Look Keo. The Garmin Vector is ANT+ and will be priced at $1,500. The pedal is a Look Keo compatible pedal made by Exustar. The Polar/Look product will be around $2,200. It is not ANT+ and requires a Polar head unit – so add another $200-$300 to that price. Why Polar chose not to make their product ANT+ (and price it $1,000 more than their direct competitor) is absolutely mind-boggling. I can’t see any reason why someone would choose the Polar/Look product over the Garmin product.
It should be noted that the Garmin product was set to be released in the spring of 2012 and had been delayed indefinitely. The Polar/Look product is now for sale.
What do I own? I have been running a Quarq on my tri bike for two years now. I also own a CycleOps Indoor Cycle which has a PowerTap built into the flywheel. I’d give some serious consideration to the Garmin Vector if I were currently in the market for a power meter.
What to do with a power meter when you get one…
I think a power meter is a complete game changer for a triathlete. Frankly, it keeps you in check and provides you with real time data that helps you ride more intelligently. Blowing up on the bike should not be an issue unless you’re purposely riding like a fool or screwing up your nutrition. All this hopefully makes for a better run and a better overall race.
There are two books that I’d recommend for everyone with a power meter. The first is Training and Racing with a Power Meter by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan. This is the preeminent book on the subject. The other is The Triathlete’s Guide to Training with Power by Dr. Philip Skiba. There’s just a ton of guidance and education about how to train and race with a power meter in those two books. Concepts are explained in detail, there are workouts, and you’ll understand all kinds of fancy terms like FTP, NP, TSS, VI, IF, VO2, etc.
Much of training and racing with a power meter revolves around the term FTP (Functional Threshold Power). FTP is basically the max power you can hold for one hour that you figure out through testing. Oddly enough, most of those tests aren’t one hour because nobody wants to do a one hour test. It’s super painful. So there’s other testing protocol that exists to approximate your FTP. We can get into all that another time.
Once you have a FTP number, most of your training centers on workouts at some percentage of FTP. Test again every 6-8 weeks or so and use the new FTP number. Periodic testing is important because everyone gains or loses fitness and power throughout the year. My FTP right now in January isn’t as high as it will be in April.
There’s also plenty of race guidance available in regard to FTP. You’ll see, hear or read about athletes and coaches saying someone should race an Ironman at 68-72% FTP, a half-Ironman at 80-85%, an Olympic at 90-92%, etc.
There are also plenty of software alternatives to download and analyze workouts. WKO+, Training Peaks, Power Agent, Golden Cheetah, Race Day Apollo, Garmin Connect, Garmin Training Center to name a few. Some are free, some cost money. I just do a cursory review of my workout numbers and move on. Other people spend countless hours analyzing charts and graphs. It's all up to you how in depth you want to analyze things. Keep it simple or death by numbers!
It will take many months of training and racing until you feel like you got a handle on using the power meter. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU EDUCATE YOURSELF ON HOW TO TRAIN WITH A POWER METER. I’m screaming because if you don’t educate yourself, all you did was spend $2,000 on a fancy bike computer.
Links
http://www.quarq.com/
http://www.srm.de/index.php?lang=us
http://www.cycleops.com/en/products.html
http://sites.garmin.com/vector/#power
http://www.lookcycle.com/en/us/rout...power.html
http://www.amazon.com/Training-Raci...1934030554
http://www.physfarm.com/store/index...b6c3c6fe82
http://www.wheelbuilder.com/
http://www.dcrainmaker.com for great reviews on all these products
I'm talking with Rich right now about getting setup with a Powertap or Quarq power meter and will hopefully have that ordered soon.
@Bob, thanks for the unbelievable amount of information. I'll make sure to take my time in my decision and educate myself; I don't want to just "spend $2000 on a fancy bike computer!"
Me too. Except I use an Edge 500 as the head unit.
http://www.stagescycling.com/
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