Power Meter Brands

smcclaw

godtabh wrote: »

You can use a PM or HRM or both. PM gives better results

Are people typically using a PM on their bike or a PM based trainer along with TrainerRoad?

couerdelion

godtabh wrote: »

You can use a PM or HRM or both. PM gives better results

You don't have to use either. The beauty of trainer road is that as long as you have the speed/cadence sensor on your bike and linked to your computer it can pretty accurately (in most cases) estimate power and allow you train against that figure.

I used virtual power on it for over a year before I switched to a power meter and the readings were pretty much the same.

sconhome

godtabh wrote: »

You can use a PM or HRM or both. PM gives better results

Why do you need to use a PM with TrainerRoad?

The virtual PM built in should give you enough reference points for repeatable training results.

sconhome

smcclaw wrote: »

Are people typically using a PM on their bike or a PM based trainer along with TrainerRoad?

Doesn't make sense to do that. Stick with one set of numbers and work with it.

Either PM with RideFit / Sufferfest type stuff or virtual PM through TrainerRoad or Tacx Flow but can't see the point in training with both on turbo.

mossym

couerdelion wrote: »

The beauty of trainer road is that as long as you have the speed/cadence sensor on your bike and linked to your computer it can pretty accurately (in most cases) estimate power and allow you train against that figure.
.

exactly, virtual power pretty much the main USP of trainer road. otherwise you're really using it as a HUD for the numbers from your PM(and which could be shown on your garmin/polar)


it has the plans, but training plans are available all over the web, some places for free, strava has them among others.

echoes back to the point that trainerroad would be a bigger loss than a PM, training with a PM and trainerroad offers little above virtual power and trainerroad. the main use is when you want to transfer the numbers outside. but then why use trainer road?

couerdelion

mossym wrote: »

echoes back to the point that trainerroad would be a bigger loss than a PM, training with a PM and trainerroad offers little above virtual power and trainerroad. the main use is when you want to transfer the numbers outside. but then why use trainer road?

I think that comes back to what Doozerie said about weather and the ability to sustain an effort without geography/ wind fighting against you.

The one thing I will say is that it needs to be balanced. I spent a winter on TR and hardly anytime outside and feel I've lost a certain amount through not being able to suffer. With TR you are working to a specific power target, once the road goes up and the slimmer lads go, I have to work way above FTP for a period of time to hold their wheels, more than a turbo session of unders and overs would have me do - it took a few weeks of racing to get that ability back (it could just be me though).

mossym

couerdelion wrote: »

I think that comes back to what Doozerie said about weather and the ability to sustain an effort without geography/ wind fighting against you.

need to practise that too though. those conditions could be there on race day. my point was with a real PM you can do your session inside with just a head unit, you don;t need TR. piece of paper with the numbers to hit, and your garmin, and off you go.

couerdelion wrote: »

The one thing I will say is that it needs to be balanced. I spent a winter on TR and hardly anytime outside and feel I've lost a certain amount through not being able to suffer. With TR you are working to a specific power target, once the road goes up and the slimmer lads go, I have to work way above FTP for a period of time to hold their wheels, more than a turbo session of unders and overs would have me do - it took a few weeks of racing to get that ability back (it could just be me though).

is that a TR fault, or more that the plan didn't include and replicate the efforts you see while racing? it is a fair statement though that a lot of the plans are more focused on steady state power output than short duration/bursts. but there shouldn't be any reason you can't replicate the sudden efforts inside, although you won't have the adrenalin fueling:)

couerdelion

mossym wrote: »

need to practise that too though. those conditions could be there on race day. my point was with a real PM you can do your session inside with just a head unit, you don;t need TR. piece of paper with the numbers to hit, and your garmin, and off you go.

You can but for the cost of it it's nice to have something telling you the figures to hit and counting it down.

mossym wrote: »

is that a TR fault, or more that the plan didn't include and replicate the efforts you see while racing? it is a fair statement though that a lot of the plans are more focused on steady state power output than short duration/bursts. but there shouldn't be any reason you can't replicate the sudden efforts inside, although you won't have the adrenalin fueling:)

Yeah, agree totally my fault. If I would have got out of bed on the Saturday mornings though I'd have been pushed into those types of sessions by club mates and would have benefited from the variation in training.

mossym

couerdelion wrote: »

Yeah, agree totally my fault. If I would have got out of bed on the Saturday mornings though I'd have been pushed into those types of sessions by club mates and would have benefited from the variation in training.

think you took me up wrong, i meant that you should have been able to build short sharp efforts into your work on the trainer, not that you needed to get out more. the lack of those types of efforts in TR doesn't mean you can't train them on the turbo

lennymc

I read there are a few guys on here using the 4iiii precision. How are you getting on with it? Any thoughts?

tunney

couerdelion wrote: »

You can but for the cost of it it's nice to have something telling you the figures to hit and counting it down.

Why not just use Goldencheetah and erg files. Thats free

BikeRacer

lennymc wrote: »

I read there are a few guys on here using the 4iiii precision. How are you getting on with it? Any thoughts?

So far I've clocked up 60+ hours with it and no issues to report. It might be left leg only but for around €400 all in I'm delighted with it.
If you or anyone else is thinking of buying, order off the clever training site and use the code 'DCR10LFW' to get an extra 10% off.

Stevieg2009

BePro powermeter anyone any opinion on these seem a good price
http://buy.bepro-favero.com/

StevieGriff

lennymc wrote: »

I read there are a few guys on here using the 4iiii precision. How are you getting on with it? Any thoughts?

My factory installation date was the 8th of June. Last I heard from Precision was that they are experiencing delays and haven't heard anything from them since the 9th of June. Paid fully for mine on the 2nd of May.

crashoveroid

Stevieg2009 wrote: »

BePro powermeter anyone any opinion on these seem a good price
http://buy.bepro-favero.com/

Been looking for some reviews or feedback but not much seems to be about. I know DCR has just got a pair and starting a review.

Stevieg2009

crashoveroid wrote: »

Been looking for some reviews or feedback but not much seems to be about. I know DCR has just got a pair and starting a review.

http://www.powermeter24.com/blog/der-neue-bepro-powermeter-im-test-review/

fat bloke

Stevieg2009 wrote: »

BePro powermeter anyone any opinion on these seem a good price
http://buy.bepro-favero.com/

That's a serious price! Less than half the price of the Garmin system!!

thekooman

Stevieg2009 wrote: »

BePro powermeter anyone any opinion on these seem a good price
http://buy.bepro-favero.com/

the single pedal would be great for anyone getting into power @ 500 euro. ive the Vector S and its great.

StevieGriff

Took delivery of my 4iiii Precision yesterday. Got it up and running very quickly, very well packaged, included two batteries and 2 stickers.

RST

How long were you waiting for delivery Stevie? Also did customs hit you for import duties?

StevieGriff

RST wrote: »

How long were you waiting for delivery Stevie? Also did customs hit you for import duties?

Paid on 2nd of May. Was US Customs tape all over it and it had been open but nothing from the Irish side I don't think, 4iiii have "Warranty Item" put on the declaration so hopefully won't get a bill in the post from revenue.

Stokolan

How much did you pay for the 4iiiis with delivery?

StevieGriff

Stokolan wrote: »

How much did you pay for the 4iiiis with delivery?

Worked out to €390. Forgot to mention the process of posting my crank,installation and return only took 5 working days.

nilhg

Interesting first ride report on the dcrainmaker site on the new powerpod power meter. The unit itself is essentially a stripped down version of the ibike newton which seems to have reviewed well for its operation and accuracy but poorly for the ease of setup and features of the built in head unit, and also for ibike's habit of charging dearly for extra features (a key to connect the unit to it's GPS app is €69).

The unit doesn't measure force directly but after measuring (or estimating) all the forces on the bike and rider and the speed it calculates the power required to achieve that, sounds a bit hairy but reading the article and comments it seems to work reasonably well, but it's early days yet.

I'm not inclined to jump on one myself but have to say I'm intrigued by the product, the price seems to be in the right area and the fact that it's mounted up on the bars and can be moved between bikes easily (and hopefully various bike profiles can be stored and activated) and quickly would be a major plus, though no real turbo support might put off quite a few, it does seem to support some turbos with speed/power curves that can be uploaded, how well that would work remains to be seen.

An interesting new product, might not suit many but maybe worth keeping an eye on.

Pablo Rubio

Anybody out there using stages ,I'm looking for up to date opinions/experience on reliability etc......... I'm looking to purchase a second/back up powermeter and stages suits me portability wise between different bikes. thanks in advance.

godtabh

Pablo Rubio wrote: »

Anybody out there using stages ,I'm looking for up to date opinions/experience on reliability etc......... I'm looking to purchase a second/back up powermeter and stages suits me portability wise between different bikes. thanks in advance.

I've had one since around March.

it was from the first batch with dodgy seal. Stages were great. Advised how to rest. Sent out a new seal (2 actually) in about 72 hours.

The only thing that catches me out is the battery levels. I get warned every now and again the battery is low on the garmin but when I check it on the stages app it isnt dead. From reading online the battery can get dislodged internally if cap isnt placed on correctly and the garmin reads as if the battery is dead. Just install the cap correctly and no issues.

Inquitus

nilhg wrote: »

Interesting first ride report on the dcrainmaker site on the new powerpod power meter. The unit itself is essentially a stripped down version of the ibike newton which seems to have reviewed well for its operation and accuracy but poorly for the ease of setup and features of the built in head unit, and also for ibike's habit of charging dearly for extra features (a key to connect the unit to it's GPS app is €69).

The unit doesn't measure force directly but after measuring (or estimating) all the forces on the bike and rider and the speed it calculates the power required to achieve that, sounds a bit hairy but reading the article and comments it seems to work reasonably well, but it's early days yet.

I'm not inclined to jump on one myself but have to say I'm intrigued by the product, the price seems to be in the right area and the fact that it's mounted up on the bars and can be moved between bikes easily (and hopefully various bike profiles can be stored and activated) and quickly would be a major plus, though no real turbo support might put off quite a few, it does seem to support some turbos with speed/power curves that can be uploaded, how well that would work remains to be seen.

An interesting new product, might not suit many but maybe worth keeping an eye on.

Not impressed personally with the idea of guessing power based on measurement of the other factors, plus its no better at estimating power on an indoor trainer than Zwift, Trainerroad etc which just use your speed sensor and the same pre-generated power curve for your tacx or whatever.......

nilhg

Inquitus wrote: »

Not impressed personally with the idea of guessing power based on measurement of the other factors, plus its no better at estimating power on an indoor trainer than Zwift, Trainerroad etc which just use your speed sensor and the same pre-generated power curve for your tacx or whatever.......

It won't be for everyone, but it has some advantages, as to whether it's guessing or calculating that'll be in the eye of the beholder, getting a power measurement at an affordable price for most people is going to involve compromises whether that's measuring the left legs output and guessing that it's the same as the right and multiplying by two or taking this approach.

If the figure that you get is consistent and repeatable it's probably useful even if it's not 100% accurate compared to some gold standard.

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, especially once "expert" reviewers like DCRainmaker get their hands on final products to test properly.

One interesting thing about this product is that it seems that it will be possible to use one of them in conjunction with a standard PM to fine tune aero positions for TTs and Tri, at €300 that might be good value for some.

Inquitus

nilhg wrote: »

It won't be for everyone, but it has some advantages, as to whether it's guessing or calculating that'll be in the eye of the beholder, getting a power measurement at an affordable price for most people is going to involve compromises whether that's measuring the left legs output and guessing that it's the same as the right and multiplying by two or taking this approach.

If the figure that you get is consistent and repeatable it's probably useful even if it's not 100% accurate compared to some gold standard.

The proof of the pudding will be in the eating, especially once "expert" reviewers like DCRainmaker get their hands on final products to test properly.

One interesting thing about this product is that it seems that it will be possible to use one of them in conjunction with a standard PM to fine tune aero positions for TTs and Tri, at €300 that might be good value for some.

Fair enough, but a power meter that's no better at measuring your power indoors than your already required and acquired turbo and speed sensor strikes me as a very poor investment.

mossym

nilhg wrote: »

One interesting thing about this product is that it seems that it will be possible to use one of them in conjunction with a standard PM to fine tune aero positions for TTs and Tri, at €300 that might be good value for some.

hadn't thought of that . interesting