WANTED: Power Meter

[shannen]

Hey guys! I am looking for a CHEAP power meter.. anyone have one they are trying to get rid of or don't use, or know of where I can buy one? lol
Hope you all had a great New Years!

[Christopher J!]

A power tap is the very last thing that you get as you become a pro cyclist, and most still don't have them because they're too expensive...I'm at my coach's place right now and we actually talked about these last night, the dude came 8th in a world cup in his prime and he said not to ever bother wasting my money and unless it's free most guys don't worry about it. Only one guy on these forums has one I believe try kijiji maybe but don't expect one cheaper than like $1000, maybe $500 if you're lucky. Invest in a coach if you want to get fast, what bike would it be for anyway? Sounds like you're hanging out too much with triathletes

[rachel]

I'd say power meters are only worthwhile if you're really willing to put in lots of time reseraching, planning and assessing workouts. If you're willing to do that, they're awesome-- but if not, HR monitors are a bit more simple to work with....

As for where to get one, I'd say keep an eye on the Canadian cyclist classifieds, trisport canada classifieds, MEC classifieds, etc. I think Mark (who used to be on this forum) might have had one kicking around, but he won't be in Ontario for the next while...

[andrewm]

A powertap is going to be your best bet. Even then you are looking at least $300-500. The cheapest would be the wired 2.4+ or Elite series (I believe Mark was selling the Elite). The price of powermeters certainly has dropped significantly in the last few years (this one especially), but it is still pretty pricy.

Here are some good sources if you want something new since Rachel hit some good used sites:
www.competitivecyclist.com/product-components/2012-cycleops-powertap-sl%2B-powermeter-systemmavic-open-pro-rim-10202.380.0.html

www.wheelsofbloor.com/parts-and-gear-specials/ (Sell the zipp rim and replace it with a cheap clincher rim. That will offset the cost by about 40-50%)

I know craigslist, canadiancyclist and pinkbike will occasionally have some pretty cheap ones. I would personally wait until March/April when many roadies will switch to Garmin's pedal system or the new version of powertaps and try to offload their old PM for the new one. You might save a good bit of money.

[Aaron]

Jan 2, 2012 15:54:05 GMT -5 rachel said:

I'd say power meters are only worthwhile if you're really willing to put in lots of time reseraching, planning and assessing workouts. If you're willing to do that, they're awesome-- but if not, HR monitors are a bit more simple to work with....

As for where to get one, I'd say keep an eye on the Canadian cyclist classifieds, trisport canada classifieds, MEC classifieds, etc. I think Mark (who used to be on this forum) might have had one kicking around, but he won't be in Ontario for the next while...

+1

You can get really far with a simple heart rate monitor.

Like rachel said, the powertap is good if you are willing to put in the necessary time to sift through data.

Personally, I feel its hard to realize the inherent virtues of a powermeter until youve put in a few years of rigorous racing and training.


My advice would be to buy a nice HR monitor instead of a used cheap powermeter.

[Kaylynn]

When I was going to school in Victoria, PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence) was my team's main sponsor and they lent us their power meters for weekend training and races. They are actually amazing, but only if you or your coach knows how to interpret the files to your benefit. If you don't, then there isn't much point, but if you do have that training and knowledge then they are probably the best training partner you could ask for!

But like Aaron and Rachel said, HR monitors are probs more useful.