thysmeades Posted January 14, 2010 Share hi guys, looking around at costs of power meters, my eye has fallen on the polar RS800 with the WIND polar power meter. The costs seem reasonable (compared to others) and the cheapest option out there at the moment for power measuring. Does anybody have a similar setup or that exact setup? Have you had good/bad experience with this? Anybody else have comments? They will be much appreciated. Thys Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minion Posted January 14, 2010 Share I believe the RS800 uses the same power meter as the CS600. I did some research on it last year and the reviews were not overwhelmingly positive. Some of the issues expressed were: - Time consuming and finicky setup required to get it to work properly - Extremely inconsistent power readings when used on an IDT. - Occasionally inconsistent power readings on the road. - Some users reported problems with the battery wiring disconnecting over time. You can also look for reviews on the previous generation Polar power meter. It operates on the same principle as the WIND one and suffers from similar problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoLefty!! Posted January 14, 2010 Share better to wait till mid 2010. a few newer meter will be on the market and will be cheaper than powertap. The polar is finicky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Break Posted January 14, 2010 Share Thys Meades. Unless you have a coach who is able to sort out a program on power and you are willing to do interval sessions and the like, then a powertap is just goiing to waste your money.The main benefit over using a power meter vs a heart rate monitor is that power is instantaneous, whilst HR takes time to change and can vary slightly with varyiing conditions. This means if you are doing shorter interval work then you can see immediately what your power is, whilst HR you don't know till it stabilizes and then normally it is too late as you have been either over or under. If you want to use the meter for a serious training program with intervals, timme trials, controlled easy rides and the rest then yes, the power meter is the way to go. If you just want it because it matches your Ralf Vigors and bakkie, then no. Rather buy some better deep section wheels. P.S. Powertrain still rocks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighter-Lights Posted January 14, 2010 Share VDO Z-3 PC Link (5 year guaranty) Apparently the Polar is a schlep to set up with all the sensors... The Z3 also has some cons but power reading is consistant... and so far the HR strap has been reliable and the Altitude is also consistant... I got to like mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighter-Lights Posted January 14, 2010 Share The_Break is referring to REAL power meters. Thys enquired about the cheaper option. The cheaper type meter doesn't give an instant reading, but a delayed reading, as it needs data input such as speed, cadence and elevation change to do calculations to get the power. The compuster is set up with rider weight, bike weight and tyre resistance (road or MTB) And like we all know, even different MTB tyres has different rolling resistances. While it's not always as accurate as a real meter, (the Z3 doesn't take wind speed into account) the Z-3 is pretty consistent and THAT helps you to compare rides and see how you're progressing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thysmeades Posted January 14, 2010 Share thanks guys, your comments ROCK! Johannes, the graph looks hectic man!! 180HR, I'd be dead if did those intervals! The Break, i had to smile. it's typical for me to have the gadgets, but I really want to improve, and not only have the bling to match the bakkie! Aren't you a bit of a gadget man yourself?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Break Posted January 14, 2010 Share Thysie, I think I said this a year ago, if you want to improve there are 2 ways, ride more or get a coach. As for me, not a gadget man, those were business investments. One of the lucky ones who now cycles for a living. or at least I can say I cycle for a job, I am still living, now I must get start getting paid for all of it, but yeah, without my power meter and my coach I would still be working the 9-5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thysmeades Posted January 14, 2010 Share Johannes, what is the source of the power output sensor for the VDO Z3? Hub, crank, ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thysmeades Posted January 14, 2010 Share dougie, what power meter are you using? and I am coming to you for some coaching lessons... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Break Posted January 14, 2010 Share Powertap - if you need coaching for sure. I am a qualified club level coach now in any case. hopefully soon to have my UCI level 1 rating.The_Break2010-01-14 10:29:32 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Break Posted January 14, 2010 Share These are the kind of sessions power meters are worth buying for. 3sets of 5x1min with 1min easy and 3min between sets. Thats after 2 days of longer intervals and heart rate will be showing higher than normal tempting HR users to back off a bit. Here, you are still able to maintain power so it is good. It is also a nice tracking indication if you feeling weak and HR is being affected by other things as you will directly be able to see if you can maintain power or not. Nice thing is it regulates your training rides to. But like I said, it all needs to be carefully worked out or else you gonna want to crank big figures all the time. Coach is my advise if you need one, but then you need to do all the other good stuff that comes with that. Lekker set of deep sections and your HR monitor will probably get you just as far my man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighter-Lights Posted January 14, 2010 Share Thys, the Z3, Polar and others that don't use a mechanical strain guage, use an algorythm that calculates Watt from, speed, cadence, rate of acsent, taking in account rider weight, bike weight and rolling resistance. While not as accurate as a real power meter (SRM, etc.) mine is pretty consistent and gives me something to work with. (Just the way they calculated Contador's average Watts and VO2 max on his Alp Duez attack... ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linnega Posted January 14, 2010 Share I would suggest foregoing Polar in general. While the support from IHF is still fantastic the products are rubbish and overpriced. The GPS unit for example does not integrate with Google Earth. Polar's power meter unit was probably a good idea 10 years ago as they were not able to bring a decent unit to market, so it filled a gap for those wanting to dip their toes into Power meters. By now though they really should have a quality power meter - they don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brighter-Lights Posted January 14, 2010 Share Powertap - if you need coaching for sure. I am a qualified club level coach now in any case. hopefully soon to have my UCI level 1 rating. What were your results before you got a power meter and coach? Meaning, how far behind the pro's were you? What percentage do you think the power meter and coach made you improve? Thanx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowbee Posted January 14, 2010 Share ok so help a fella out here - I can see the value in having a power meter for your bike couple of questions ... does having a GPS function (other than linking alititude) make any difference to the type of training? does a power meter make a difference to the way you train on a mtn bike ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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