PowerTap to Gen III (Potential) Convert

[vaduz]

I have been following the progress of iBike with interest for over a year now. I currently ride with a wireless PowerTap and have been very pleased with its performance. My rides consist mostly of weekday morning hammerfests, weekend recreation rides and summer hill climb races (Whiteface, Mt. Washington, etc.).

With the introduction of Gen III, I am considering selling my PowerTap and switching to iBike. The decision is driven by (i) increased access to new and useful data, (2) weight savings for hill climbs and (3) ability to use multiple wheel sets with power. The cost will basically be a push, so my only concern is the quality of the experience and the data.

I would appreciate any comments (pro and con, please) from those who have experience with both.

Thank you.

[coachboyd]

Sounds like you are a guy who loves to climb, and that right there is a benefit to the iBike. Why have a heavy hub and be limited to one wheel when you can get the same accuracy for much cheaper and only 68 grams?

The accuracy question is being asked a LOT less frequently as of lately. People are starting to realize that yes, you can have the same accurate results with an iBike as you can with power meters costing many times as much. And with Gen3, the numbers on the screen are same as you would see after analyzing a ride.

For instance, take this ride I just got done doing (actually I'm still in my cycling clothes eating Halloween candy). I was with a small group and we went out for a 3 hour ride today. I just put the iBike on my bike and rode. I didn't do a wind offset before and I didn't do a tilt correction before. This is unanalyzed data as well, so the actual numbers you would see on the bike


Now, based on the climbs you like to do I am assuming you are somewhere in New England or Upstate New York. Having grown up in Western New York myself, I know what the winters can be like. You will definitely want to get the trainer key so that you can get power data while on the trainer. And if you are riding outside in the cold temperatures, you'll want to have a handy supply of batteries. If you buy the 2032 batteries in bulk, you can get them really cheap. And there was just a post in here about how to hook up an external battery source which will give you very long lasting power, even in the cold.

[vaduz]

Thanks for the advice and the data on your ride. This sounds like a good option for me.

[shmish]

Hi Boyd,

Any guesses on what happened after 25mi? It looks like a pretty significant difference (50W) between the two pm for about 1/4mile.
Thanks!

[coachboyd]

Looking back at my ride file, I was going down a 5% hill at that section. I must have been sitting up and soft pedaling during that because I averaged 18 watts with the iBike and 54 with the Quarq. I could have even been pedaling while slightly braking, this would cause a discrepancy. But having such a low wattage be off for a short time is nothing that will effect any training. When you are putting pressure to the pedals, it works!