"ibike" powerMeter

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

Ok, I did a search and all the previous discussions was "hearsay".

 

 

 

Now, my question...Who is using the "ibike" powerMeter and what are the pro's and con's of it.

 

 

 

Yes, its not a ibike vs powertap discussion

 

 

 

The price between the 2 should not be on discussion, but FUNTIONALLITY.

 

 

 

Let go, give it gas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Bruce... I hope you can help.

[Velouria]

Golefty was the iBike advocate....

[Cruxpearl]

Kanppy!!!???

[BikeMax]

 

 

Full comparison of all power meter son the market - function based...

 

http://www.bikemaxpower.com/upload/name/58/Power_Meter_Comparison.pdf

 

[knappy]

Popeye

 

You will NEVER be sorry that you made the investment in an iBike..

 

There are many Pro's to it and the only serious Con that I have noticed is that on rough road the readings and not accurate. I am not sure about you but I try my hardest to stay on the road with my road bike.

 

The software updates that you receive from iBike are excellent and they really listen to their users.

 

You can read all the comparisons etc... but at the end of the day if you only have one power meter you have nothing to compare it too... and if the meter is "inaccurate" but consistently inaccurate then  you have an excellent training tool...

 

I will recommend it ANYDAY!!

 

[splat]

I was looking at pictures of the Microsoft/MTN team on thier training camp in BUYcycling magazine, and it looked to me like they were using the ibike powermeter...

[Cruxpearl]

Yep, they are

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

So, Cruxie.. Waar kry mens daai deng?

[BikeMax]

 

Ok' date=' I did a search and all the previous discussions was "hearsay".

 

 

 

Now, my question...Who is using the "ibike" powerMeter and what are the pro's and con's of it.

 

 

 

Yes, its not a ibike vs powertap discussion

 

 

 

The price between the 2 should not be on discussion, but FUNTIONALLITY.

 

 

 

Let go, give it gas !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Bruce... I hope you can help.[/quote']

 

There is a term used in the technology world - "Early adopters" - these are people who are happy to invest in the very latest technology as it hits the market, and before it has been proven. These guys end up with cupboards full of gadgets that looked promising but did not live up to expectations.

 

I am receiving reports from several users of the Ibike who, having liked it at the outset, have now removed it from their bike - generally due to inconsistent readings and the inability to use it on a trainer. Both of these are major disadvantages - a few spikes here and there may not seem like a big deal but it can seriously skew the data. No indoor option in our current traffic climate is also a problem.

 

So you have a choice - give it a go and take your chances that it will not irritate you (knowing it's limitations at present) or wait until it has been round the block a few more times and there is more long term testing data available.

 

So Popeye - early adopter ?

 

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

maybe bikemax, but does this also count for the powertap SL.

 

 

 

Seems like they plus the sram hit the floor at the same time.

 

 

 

I cab buy 2 ibike powermeters for the price of one powertap.

 

 

 

Than, I'm not going to make any money out of cycling, so do I need the powertapsl of R9000, ?

 

 

 

Do you think the "gatchet" itself needs to improve, or is it the software that needs to be improve to give more data" readings.

 

 

 

Yes, I'm aware the heartrate data will not be available, but how important is that if you have a polar 720. (the ibike on weigh 78gram) i think, so thats only a bar one less in the back pocket,

[bruce]

I have had a look at the powermeter comparison chart on bikemaxpower.com and I reckon it is the most complete one that I have seen.

 

Just remember, one man's meat is another man's poison.  You really have to look at the chart with your own requirements in mind.  There are significant pros and cons with each system, and they are expensive.  If you choose the first PM badly, your second one is that much more expensive.  Very few people that have shelled out a lot of bucks for one will tell you that they made the wrong decision so their advice is often somewhat biased.

 

[BikeMax]

 

maybe bikemax' date=' but does this also count for the powertap SL.

 

 

 

Seems like they plus the sram hit the floor at the same time.

 

 

 

I cab buy 2 ibike powermeters for the price of one powertap.

 

 

 

Than, I'm not going to make any money out of cycling, so do I need the powertapsl of R9000, ?

 

 

 

Do you think the "gatchet" itself needs to improve, or is it the software that needs to be improve to give more data" readings.

 

 

 

Yes, I'm aware the heartrate data will not be available, but how important is that if you have a polar 720. (the ibike on weigh 78gram) i think, so thats only a bar one less in the back pocket,[/quote']

 

Not quite sure what you are referring to re the PT SL - hitting the floor ??

 

PT SL has been on the market for a good few years and has proven itslef to be a very accurate and reliable device.

 

The Ibike is not flawed by it's software but by the design and how it estimates power - it uses many variables to get to it's figure. Firmware and software updates cannot alter this basic premise.

 

In terms of price - the Ibike costs R4460 and the PT Std with rim is available at R5999 - so for an extra R1500 you can have an accurate and proven device that measures power (as opposed to estimating it)

 

IMO it's a no brainer.

 

[Brakkies Sport Fotos]

Bikemax.

 

 

 

So ibike "estimate" power but powertap really "measure" it?

 

 

 

If you can estimate, what % difference will it make in using that data to train correctly?

[BikeMax]

 

Bikemax.

 

 

 

So ibike "estimate" power but powertap really "measure" it?

 

 

 

If you can estimate' date=' what % difference will it make in using that data to train correctly?[/quote']

 

It is not the %age difference between estimating and measuring power that is material - it is the consistency of the data over time.

 

That is where the Ibike appears to be most flawed, in that it can drop data or cause spikes if various situations arise and this causes a skewed average for the session.

 

Riding with power is largely about looking at the data afterwards and understanding what happened - if the averages are not reliable then how can you do this with any certainty ?

 

If I am sweating blood for an extra 10w at threshold, then I want to know that I have really achived it as opposed to it being caused by a few spikes.

 

In short, consistency and reliability is important.

 

[GoLefty!!]

Oh hear we go again...

 

Powertap, Ergosomethin or other, and SRm use strain gauges to measure torque and then the software calculates power.

Srain gauges are temperature sensitive.

 

Ibike measure opposing forces, ie what you hve to overcome to move at the speed you're travelling at. This has the disadvantage that you have to calibrate it more regularly since reynolds number changes with air density and thats affected by temperature, humidity and pressure.

 

With Powertap you're limited to one set of wheels which I am discovering is a pain in the arse.

With SRm you can choose any wheelset but you have an ugly crank and it's ****ing expensive at nearly R24K.

Ergomo is a BB mounted powermeter so you cn still choose your ISIS based cranks and wheels but apparently it has issues.....

 

IF I had to choose again I'd go for an Ibike.

 

Why?

They update the firmware as they improve it.

The concept is great and has potential for Mountainbikers once they can get it working ACCURATELY under high applitude vibration conditions.

 

Powertap is great for the price but I think Ibike will meet most peoples needs.

 

If you need a powermeter on an Indoortrainer as well then save the cash and Get one of the TAcx Fluidflow indoor trainers with an Ibike.

 

Of course Powertap won't need a fancy indoor frame but I'm sure that Ibike + indoor trainer is still cheaper and less limiting in wheel choice.

 

To use powertap on the indoor triner i have to swop tyres which is a moerse effort so I just use normal wheels with my I-Magic and use that power data.

Suddenly Powertap looks like a *** investment.

 

And talk of early adopters like myself.

I went out and bought a Powertap and 8 months later they bring out a wireless version which i incompatible with the previous model....

 

..........now i have an 9month old obsolete product but it still works.

 

Having spoken to the Ibike guys via the email around what they're doing,they seem to be commited to extracting the max out of the hardware you buy so yu may have a product that can be kept current longer than PT.

 

 

[awaits anti aircraft fire from the pro-powertap faction]

[wors]

Bikemax.

So ibike "estimate" power but powertap really "measure" it?

If you can estimate' date=' what % difference will it make in using that data to train correctly?[/quote']

The ibike does not estimate anything. It measures wind speed, rolling resistance and grade, and it calculates power.

The PT does not measure power, it measures strain, and also calculates the corresponding power.

The ibike is as accurate as the PT when the conditions are the same as when it was callibrated, but will be less accurate when the conditions change, such as when you sit up as opposed to being in the drops.