BicyclePower

great news guys and girls, finally got the PowerCal working. will have some graphs up tomorrow to view. will be done on the indoor trainer.

no the 4th of July has really stuffed things up with the guys in the states of the office pretty much all of last week, trying again this evening to get hold of them.

yip ideal for short trips to and from club rides and bike shops

thanks for the positive words guys, you can get the bones racks from www.bicyclepower.co.za always topped up with stock.

had one or two problems, tryed to have a Skype conversation with they guys in the states yesterday but they all on holiday (july the 4th) will be trying again today. but good news looks like Joule 1.0 is ready so should be ready to ship out order in the next week or so. so not that long from now.

GREAT NEWS!!!!! the first test PowerCal has arrived in SA this morning, i will be putting it though its paces straight away!!! not too long till we get stock!!!!! i hope to be able to start uploading some graphs. i will be doing all the test rides on a PowerTap so a great chance to see how they compare!!!! exciting times!!!!!

pleasure, we have a few loan wheels we can have ready for people that are interested road and MTB 29" and 26" let us know if anyone is interest in trying one out.

yes it will work with your Garmin 800 as well as the 310XT, 910 XT, 500, 705

as far as i know both the Joule 1.0 and GPS have a report function that will allow you to view lap averages etc however the Joule GPS is a little most costomisable when it comes to display, we are getting a Joule 1.0 in the next week or so so should be able to provide you with more detail on this. the CycleOps product can be download into Power Agent a FREE program that works very well, i will try upload some screen shots so you can see how it works of it you want you can download it off: http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/software.html Joule 2.0 will show you average for the lap you are doing exactly like the Joule 1.0 and GPS

During short max out efforts i.e. 20sec sprints the system might give a true reading as there is HR lag however if doing like a 20min effort taking the HR gradually up to max you should have a more accurate power reading as the duration of the effort is allot longer.

fair enough however I would like to raise a question on "other HR" based system out on the market that also though the use of an algorithm try workout how much energy you have consumed as a heart rate monitor can NOT measure work done this is where the benefit of Power is so great it telling you exactly how hard you are working thus giving instant feedback to work done.

The PowerCals algorithm has included changes in the HR response time, so the fitter you get the more consistent your “Power output” will be. i.e. you won’t have the spikes in power output that would be associated with a first time user so in a way the consistency of your HR will determine performance increases.

OK the DC Rainmaker version of PowerCal was an older version that Saris originally said needed calibration, we got 3 of these to test as well but then go told: Why does it no longer have to be calibrated? After years of research and reevaluation of the algorithm it was determined that the calibration process added no more accuracy than the algorithm alone. Due to the variability of heart rate, both between and among individuals, calibration did not statistically increase accuracy of translated energy expenditure. Some individuals may see improved accuracy through calibration but, as a whole, the results show the algorithm alone is able to translate heart rate to power as well as individual calibration. this was listed on the second page of the thread.

sorry not too sure i understand what you mean by a FTP will help wiith accuracy of the PowerCal, ones FTP will have nothing to do with it as the PowerCal does not need to be calibrated, yes knowing ones FTP will help in generating training zones etc but otherwise yes it is ideal for some of our cleints who have a Road system but do MTB or visa versa.

have a look at the CycleOps Joule 1.0 and Joule GPS, the Joule 1.0 will be launched same time as PowerCal Joule GPS a little later: http://www.bicyclepower.co.za/Products/CycleOpsPowerTaps.aspx

hoping so!!! the TdF will put everyone back in the mood to go training, the weather should be getting better, an ideal time to play with ones new toys!!!!

stock expected as soon as the Joule 1.0 is launched from the states, we have got a pre order in with them already. i am hoping to get in the next next 2-4 week

cool, your names been added to the growing list :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Right guys this is the response I got from CycleOps direct, with all the questions coming in I am trying really hard to answer them as best I can and I am working very closely with America on this as we would really like this product to be a success once launched. “The algorithm was derived from years and years of analyzing power files with HR. We should focus on messaging it that the PowerCal looks at behavior of the heart when stress is applied or taken away from your body, and translate this addition or removal of effort from HR into power readings, enabling a user to receive power and begin understanding the vernacular, share files with coach, and get familiar with the dose (power) vs. response (HR) relationship at a higher level.” “The Powercal looks closely at not only the instantaneous HR to determine wattage, but also how fast or slow the HR is increasing/decreasing to determine the wattage. Again, it is translating (key word!) HR into power metrics for around R1000.00 which is break-through. As an individual increases his/her fitness and their HR remains lower for a given wattage output, the PowerCal will consistently track/notice and therefore measure the wattage output because it is also the changes in HR increases/decreases that are important, not just the instantaneous HR=wattage relationship” Again I bring up the point that it does not have the 1.5% accuracy that the PowerTap has as it does not measure Power like the PT does. “It does, however, calculate wattage based on 10+ years of experience and studying of the HR and wattage relationship and it takes into consideration all the external factors that goes into riding outside instead of a controlled lab setting during a ramp-up test.” If you feel you are at a level where the PowerCal may not be beneficial to you then we would suggest a PowerTap and at the moment Bicycle Power are blowing out their 2011 stock. You can buy a full PowerTap system (hub, computer, HR, download cable etc) for less than R10 000!!!!!

yes it is possible to run with, we have the first test unit on its way to SA as we speak should be here next week, as soon as it arrives i will put it though its paces and try give some states as to what it is like against a PT

your name has been added thanks. we will keep everyone updated on these units in the mean time i welcome everyones thoughts some good some bad but with all new products there is scepticism.

the unit was not just developed by CycleOps but together with the University of Colorado Boulder so surely these has been plelty of verification of the algorithm. your assumption is correct that the PowerCal is just a HR strap with a fancy processor that runs the algorithm

correct!!

Guys please try look at the powercal from this point of view, if you want PowerTap accuracy of +/- 1.5% then spend the R8000+ and buy a PowerTap however if you want a way to track fitness with another metric or are interested in Power Outputs then the PowerCal falls into this bracket at +/- R1000