Power Meters / Powermeters (SRM, Powertap, Quarq, Ergomo, Vector, Stages, power2max, P2M, 4iii, InPower, Cinch)

FTP is about 175, 185 is about 20min power, MHR around 200. What age does the decline begin?

Tomorrow.

I can't afford a power meter. HR is all I've got :)

RPE

what's the most affordable way of owning/renting a power measuring device? Powertap?

Used Powertap.

Just buy an old Wired SRM. Be ~£600 all in. Or less for SiSl Cannondale one as they're only good on cannondales.

Wired SRM >>>>>

Annoying, fiddly pieces of shit. Can you tell I don't like them much?

How do you get around only having one power device? The thing that puts me off is forking out once, then having it on the training bike, but not on track/tt/road bike?

Buy 32h spoked Powertap wheel for training and turbo. Then put aerojackets on it for racing. Smart man's solution.

Track = you're screwed. Ain't no cheap power for track. Cheapest is probably PT conversion.

Yeah you did already!
I still don't get why. I mean it's a bit annoying sometimes sure. But it works every time., without fail. I've ridden it though over the big ring fords. It've abused it. I've not cared for it. And it still works every time.

We must have had different experiences.

This is going to sound rude, but most of you should be losing some extra timber before investing in power measuring devices.

absolutely. I am just curious, I can neither afford nor justify it performance/wise.
Lost 2 stone in the last year, another 2 and I can think about this stuff more.

That SRM is still more, second hand, than a brand new P2M.

I agree about the gold standard part mind you.

The gold standard is a bit of a marketing crock. Most of the high-end power units tested with similar degrees of accuracy and if you forget to zero the SRM you're screwed without doing stupid corrections.
2% in real world situation is basically impossible to actually ride at as the swings you can notice are greater than that and if you're using it on a turbo then you're using the same device so it's +- 2% either way all the time anyway (unless you have an old P2M that temp creeps).

This is going to sound rude, but most of you should be losing some extra timber before investing in power measuring devices.

sits back, strokes beer gut

p2m sounds a bit dodgy from the reviews I've read

The old ones, yes. But they've got a fix for that and the new ones are sorted already.

Yeah you did already!
I still don't get why. I mean it's a bit annoying sometimes sure. But it works every time., without fail. I've ridden it though over the big ring fords. It've abused it. I've not cared for it. And it still works every time.
We must have had different experiences.

If the sensors move even a fraction away from the back of the crankset the recording would stop. The sensors have to be ridiculously close to the magnets to work properly. Get any leaves, dirt, water, anything in there and the sensors scour the back of the crankset and/or move and then the unit turns off as it's not receiving any data. I lost too many rides to continue using it. The PT just ticked along as expected. I prefer the PT head unit display although I prefer the SRM mounting system by far.

This is going to sound rude, but most of you should be losing some extra timber before investing in power measuring devices.

Watching my power to weight ratio increase. Was one of the most motivating trainig aids I think I've ever had. Both for fitness, and weight lose.

Went from 85kg/230watts to 80kg/266watts. So 2.7w/kg to 3.3w/kg

Thats mainly weight lose, and pacing technique. With little improvement in cycling ability. To be fair I could monitor that with some scales, and my turbo set-up.

there is no way for me to justify the cost. Other than the realisation that I'm going to piss a large sum of money up the wall at some point during my middle aged crisis. And this seems as good a crutch as any.

Never had one of those issues. Never.
Though my reed sensor is secured with Araldite.

Your frustration seems well guided now.

just buy an old wired srm. Be ~£600 all in. Or less for si cannondale one as they're only good on bb30 compatible frames

ftfy :)

Wired SRM on SI SL cranks will be quite a bit more.

Wired SRM installation on my CAAD9 seemed to be straightforward and it's worked from day 1 - but then again it doesn't go out in the rain.

sits back, strokes national champion winning beer gut

ftfy

I fitted my SiSl cranks to my Boardman CX bike and rode it through winter- axle deep in water for the entertaining "fuck all the roads are flooded" period over Christmas.

Never missed a beat.

However- this is all anecdote, best to get what comes up for a good price, be it SRM or powertap.

Notably they are the oldest two systems out there and the only ones with a total system, meter, computer and software.

Never had one of those issues. Never.
Though my reed sensor is secured with Araldite.
Your frustration seems well guided now.

I've heard of other people gluing the sensors for this reason but it was a test installation so I thought that was excessive.

I would certainly still consider a wireless SRM (though these are meant to be less accurate and chew far more battery) but really the P2M with their user-replaceable batteries are where it's at should I go crank-based power.

ftfy

Trying to hold my gut in for the whole 24 hours was the hardest part of the race... ;0)

Trying to hold my gut in for the whole 24 hours was the hardest part of the race... ;0)

Banned by the UCI as a external fairing?

Nah, it's ok because it's 'structural'. I was holding my guts in for the photos, obvs.

Andy was only talking to me anyway. Hippy can be as fat as he wants, he's still faster than everyone else.

It wasn't just you, Dan.

Anyway, I'll stop being rude for a bit.

Nah, it's ok because it's 'structural'. I was holding my guts in for the photos, obvs.

From zipp....

But Hippyisfat has a less pronounced bulge and maintain a near-constant width almost all the way. Without giving up the proven benefits of the toroidal shape, Hippyisfat is the first aero profile that effectively controls airflow around the backside. The performance benefits are substantial. At 1,375 kgs, the Hippyisfat is a plucky all-around performer that floats up mountains and provides superior aerodynamics on the flats and descents. The Hippyisfat has become the go-to profile for the Omega Pharma – Quick-Step Cycling Team at the Spring Classics and the body of choice for many of the women on Team Exergy TWENTY12. Australian Pete Jacobs provided us with the answer, blasting the 112 mile cycling leg at Kona with a Hippyisfat profile to capture the 2012 Ironman® World Championship. “The crosswinds were never blowing me across the road. I always felt in control,” Jacobs said. “During the race I was thinking, “Wow, Hippyisfat feels great.”

I replaced a SRM battery in<10min. And that was first time.
Given I'm pretty handy. It's not hard but you do need to be able to use a soldering iron, just.
I don't know how places charge ~£50

Mine has taken at least 4 days to replace so far.

Mainly because whoever did it previously munged up the o-ring (and I'm waiting for a replacement), and the inside of the unit was full of some unknown goopy shit.