jcpups608

It seems that most of the pre built powertap wheels I see for sale online are mavic open pro or dt swiss 1.1 or 1.2s. Wondering why.

Another question, should I buy just the pt and build my existing rear wheel around it?(I like my training wheels) or buy a pt wheel already built?


Or, buy the race wheels I'll be buying in the next few months w/ powertap?
I can't afford to have pt on both wheelsets but it makes more sense to me to have it on my training set.

Any help would help..

pharding

You just identified the weakness of PowerTap. My assumption is that you would get the the most out of the PowerTap by training with it. However it is quite useful in competition I have been told. If you get new training wheels wheelbuilder.com has excellent wheels, build technology, and pricing on wheels and the PowerTap. I received my wheels from them yesterday and I am quite happy with them.

Soil_Sampler

if you race with it and get a flat, then...

Apus^2

Because my power tap on my open pro rim is bombproof and reasonably light. No reason not to race and train with it.

waterrockets 

Open Pros are fine rims, but their bomb-proof reputation is a myth. They hold up as well as any rim with that depth should be expected to. I never had one last more than 2 years under me when I was over 200 lbs. My Deep-V on the other hand, is much more durable.

Again, nothing wrong with Open Pros, but they aren't really bombproof.

SushiJoe

Agreed w/ WR.
Do a PowerTap, DT Swiss RR 1.2 rim and DT Competition spokes (or Aerolites if you are feeling spendy) for durability.

DaveSSS 

The reason you see those two rims most often is that they both work well and are both reasonably priced. Whether you need something else may depend on your weight. At 135 lbs, the DT rims with 28 holes are plenty stout for me. I had a pair built by Excel Sports last summer, with the 2.4 wireless hub. I used Revolution spokes, except for the right rear, where the greater spoke tension warrants 14/15 gage spokes. The front wheel weighed in a 680 grams with the PowerTap front hub and the rear weighed 1000 grams.

euphoria

Because Open Pros used to be a no-brainer at $200/wheelset, not so sure anymore now they've crept closer to 3 bills.

Bob Ross

Not sure I see why this would be the case. (Then again, I'm not a recer, so what do I know?) Having power data available during a race seems like a useful training tool, for hindsight/Monday Morning Race Analysis/etc., but its actual value during the competition seems suspect...I mean, it doesn't really matter how many watts you're putting out if the other guys are ahead of you, right?

wfrogge

Correct unless you are racing a TT or going off the front in a break..... x amount of matches to burn...


For the OP, Race on those training wheels except for your A races.

merlinextraligh

These are pretty much the reasons I decided to replace my PT with a Quarq Cinco Saturn.

The data from races is valuable for post race analysis. However I really like racing on tubulars, particularly for Crits, and I don't want to train on tubulars. So you always have the Training/Racing wheels issue.


As for use in races, I think wfrogge is right. Those are the only 2 instances I've looked at it in a race.


And for the TT part, I had the dillema of Zipp 404 with PT or Disc with no PT.

So with the Quarq, I can use what wheel I want (Zipp tubulars, or disc in the TT case) and by a pretty simple crank swap have a power meter on whatever bike I'm riding.

(that and I wanted ANT + Sport, so I would have to have bought another PT anyway.)

I realize that every Power meter solution out there involves a tradeoff. But for me I'm thinking the Quarq is best compromise.

Apus^2

What if you use longer cranks in a TT (180 vs 175)? Can you switch crank arms also?

Duke of Kent

I've never, ever taken a look at my computer during a break attempt, nor have I seen anyone else in a successful break do that.

The guys who look down at their computer are usually the guys who get 5s on the field, look down, and before they know it, are dragging the field around for half a lap because they forgot what they were there to do, which is...

wait for it...

race a bicycle.

merlinextraligh

^ I've used it when I was off the front solo. One race I found myself off the front with a bit of a gap. I knew I could not stay away by myself. I decided to ride at my FTP. If someone bridged up before I was caught, perhaps with some help a winning break could develop, and if the pack caught me intact, no matches burned (which is what happened.)

Admittedly, if I was comitted to the move, I would have jsut buried myself, and forgot about the power meter, until after the race.

waterrockets 

I glanced down during a 3-lap solo attack I hit in a crit. Scared the hell out of me, but I kept at it (and didn't look any more). Eventually a bridge caught me and the pack freaked out.

Duke of Kent

Exactly.

What you're capable of in training and capable of when the adrenaline surge hits you are not going to be the same.

So, I don't even bother looking at my computer during a race. I have better things to do, like suffer, and hurt other people as well.

jcpups608

First, thanks for the info all.

The Quarq system seems very interesting, the only problem that would arise for me is that I like my DA crank and don't feel like buying a different one. Plus it looks like I'd have to buy a garmin computer(or one of the other compatible comps) and that's another $400ish. I don't need gps.


I'm still wondering if I should just rebuild my existing rear wheel w/ pt or if the pia factor is to great, and it would be easier to get a whole new wheel already built w/ pt(at a nominal price increase).

If quarq worked w/ shimano cranks I'd be all over it. I like its seeming simplicity.

jcpups608

And, If I end up w/ pt it'll be going on my training wheelset. It'll get more use that way.

Psimet2001 

Haven't had my powertap long (a couple of months) and have only used it in indoor TT's ....so I use it there, but it's more because I am still trying to figure out what the numbers mean to me.

I normally don't like using anything during a race. During the road season this year I would intermittantly use my Garmin (it has some nice autolap features which allowed me to see a little bit into my mistakes after the fact). Cross ....yeah right....

I would love to look at race files after the fact to help figure out what I am doing wrong or right and help set good training based off of that so i plan on using it when possible...just as a ride along data logger (read tape over the screen).

As for race wheels....this is my philsophy:

I built my PT into a kinlin niobum 30 rim that I have used on other builds. It's a 30mm deep clincher rim. For me this season my wheelset is not going to make any difference in my performance. I will race with this set whenever I feel like it. It is also pretty solid for training as well.

In general I guess I am asking why don't you think you can use the same set of wheels for training and racing?

...and FWIW - I have never had a wheel in the pit so if I flat I'm SOL...unless it's one of our races with SRAM support in which case I will be riding on wheels worth more than what I paid for my PT anyway so who cares.

For TT's this year I think I have decided to use the same wheel with a wheel cover on it. I was told that USAC will be "cracking down on wheel covers" this year - news to me because I though USAC allowed them - UCI did not. ABR doesn't give a rat's ass.

....and I have a Zipp 404 front tubular and an extra 404 rim and a few new hubs sitting around so I could easily have a 404 set for TT's ...yet I think the PT would be more useful.

jcpups608

Well, I know that I could use the same set for both racing and training. I guess I've been won over by the folks who swear by their carbon/aero wheels and figured since I like the wheels I have now why not use them for training and use a lighter faster wheelset for races. That leads me to the reason why I'm reluctant to buy a full wheel w/ pt hub when I have a perfectly good wheel already.(But I still don't know if it's worth it to take apart a wheel and re build it w/ pt.)

waterrockets 

Note that I had a successful racing season on 32h aluminum clinchers... the wheels don't make much of a difference.

SushiJoe

Have your cake and eat it too:

PT Pro+ wheelset - $1399
https://williamscycling.com/powertap/powertap.html

Psimet2001 

I don't think anyone answered your question about rebuilding. Usually pulling a wheel apart and using it's component parts is not really worth it. The spokes will not be able to be re-used - you will likely need new lengths and most wheelbuilders - myself included - would not recommend re-using spokes even if they were the right size ....which they won't be becaus the PT flange is so large.

The rim....is only worth saving if it is a nice solid rim with lots of material left in the brake track. It's kind of like putting re-treads on a sports car though if it's seen some serious use. Unless you have a special rim you want to put the PT into you will find that the combo of the PT with rim and spokes pre-built is usually a better buy than building one up yourself.

mloywhite

That's exactly what I have, and I have ridden them a lot, never any problems at all.

SushiJoe

See? mloywhite likes it. Go for it!