Soldato
Yeah the Explore has a few features missing and I think someone after a cut-down 820 would be better off with a 520.
From DC Rainmaker:
From DC Rainmaker:
Road Cycling
- Thread starter FrenchTart
- Start date
Meh. Figured out I got around 40 hours use out of the first battery in my PWM. They're listed as '200 hours' but in reality not many people see more than 100 hours use, lots of users reporting less than 50 hours as a 'problem' and have had replacement units... I'm in 2 minds about following it up as I know I've not been able to update the firmware which I know has power optimisations (as that can only be done from an Apple device running the latest iOS). 
Although that ~40 hours was from the start of February until now. Will continue to monitor it as I've put a cheapy one in.
Although that ~40 hours was from the start of February until now. Will continue to monitor it as I've put a cheapy one in.
You may find that as the temperatures increase the battery life does too. Some of my rechargeable lights give nearly double the run time on a 20'C night vs a sub zero one.Meh. Figured out I got around 40 hours use out of the first battery in my PWM. They're listed as '200 hours' but in reality not many people see more than 100 hours use, lots of users reporting less than 50 hours as a 'problem' and have had replacement units... I'm in 2 minds about following it up as I know I've not been able to update the firmware which I know has power optimisations (as that can only be done from an Apple device running the latest iOS).
Although that ~40 hours was from the start of February until now. Will continue to monitor it as I've put a cheapy one in.
Probably, especially the temperature variations this time of year with 2-3 degrees in the morning and 15+ degrees in the afternoon. Until I counted up the hours of use I wasn't concerned - I'd counted the mileage as ~900 miles, which seemed ok to me as it's around 10 weeks of riding. I don't mind changing a battery every couple of months as they're not exactly expensive!
Hopefully at some point I'll find a friend with an iphone who'll let me borrow it to update the firmware so I can rule that out (or Powertap eventually release a PC/Android app!).
Hopefully at some point I'll find a friend with an iphone who'll let me borrow it to update the firmware so I can rule that out (or Powertap eventually release a PC/Android app!).
My Vectors are always complaining about low battery, on one side. Seems to just be incorrectly reporting, as they last for months on low before they finally give out. Sure your's isn't a similar problem? As somebody else said, tempretures also have an effect.
GCN hack is to use a trimmer cable tie around the seat stay to create a guide. Not ideal if building from scratch. My uncles doing some mechanics courses & qualifications and said wheel building really is an art. (Read total headache!)
Quite big variances in using Alkaline & Lithium batteries in P1's, not sure if this is the same for your rings but battery quality makes a massive difference. Not to mention can avoid any potential damage or warranty issues.
Planet X's jobsworth truing stand is a knock-off of the park one, about £60, can't see why you'd need any more at home. I have a considerably less good one (TACX Exact) and i can turn out round, true wheels consistently.
EDIT: they appear to have stopped selling the model i was referring to. The x-tools Pro stand looks similar but costs more than planet x were charging
I wouldnt really say it's an art, you just have to work methodically, and understand that changes in one place have impact in other places too.
EDIT: they appear to have stopped selling the model i was referring to. The x-tools Pro stand looks similar but costs more than planet x were charging
I wouldnt really say it's an art, you just have to work methodically, and understand that changes in one place have impact in other places too.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
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All this talk of power and the local Strava man banging on about Vectors makes me want to get some sort of meter.
I don't think I'd use it well though, maybe for doing a TT at a sustained effort but if I'm in a bunch and need to hold a wheel I'll be giving it as much as I can.
Looking down going 'oh I'm over my FTP here I'll crack soon' isn't what I need at that time.
Nobody in the group last night had one on but the guys that did in the chasing group did and one averaged 340w, the other two about 240w as they are smaller riders. I must be somewhere in the middle for the slightly longer than an hour effort. We didn't get caught and we put time into one guy doing the 240w.
I don't think I'd use it well though, maybe for doing a TT at a sustained effort but if I'm in a bunch and need to hold a wheel I'll be giving it as much as I can.
Looking down going 'oh I'm over my FTP here I'll crack soon' isn't what I need at that time.
Nobody in the group last night had one on but the guys that did in the chasing group did and one averaged 340w, the other two about 240w as they are smaller riders. I must be somewhere in the middle for the slightly longer than an hour effort. We didn't get caught and we put time into one guy doing the 240w.
Soldato
I agree. It's not a tool to help you race faster, it's a tool to help you train better.
In a bunch race, you either stay with the bunch or you get dropped - riding to power or HR is pointless.
Last longer ride before this weekend's etape Loch ness
https://www.strava.com/activities/948840148
Nice day for it - social pace with a coffee stop. Can't beat a social ride with 6 of your mates out on bikes.....fantastic way to spend a morning.
https://www.strava.com/activities/948840148
Nice day for it - social pace with a coffee stop. Can't beat a social ride with 6 of your mates out on bikes.....fantastic way to spend a morning.
Man of Honour
Say I have a bike that has a crankset on it that costs about £750-£1000 depending on where you bought it from. (Cannondale Si SL2) and I wanted a power meter... what would my best option be?
Am I stuck with Vector 2s? I don't really want a single sided stages thing.
Or do I just replace it with something else crank based and go for the weight "penalty" because I'm a fat mess, anyway?
*I don't need a PM, I would just like one.
Am I stuck with Vector 2s? I don't really want a single sided stages thing.
Or do I just replace it with something else crank based and go for the weight "penalty" because I'm a fat mess, anyway?
*I don't need a PM, I would just like one.
Possibly, although there is a huge amount of Powertap C1 owners who report battery issues and it's a problem Powertap have been aware of since release. I was aware of it before I purchased.
Yeah I do a similar 'hack' and tape a metal ruler to chainstays with the bike inverted in a stand.
Battery quality might enter into it, the one which came with the unit was Panasonic branded. I know I can get them cheap enough, just when I last bought a sheet of 10 of them on the bay (pre-PWM) they happened to be some other %noname% brand!
Yeah it dropped off their site around the same time the last Wiggle Lifeline one went. I spotted a single one in stock and was half waiting for a sale before buying it... Shouldn't have waited! Doh! The Wiggle replacement again is crazily expensive (£200) and far more than what I need!
X-Tools unit is £100. The others used to be £40!
Power doesn't really work like that, especially in a group!
Look at my power when in the chaingang at my limit surging and failing to recover last week: https://www.strava.com/activities/938081724/analysis/778/1397
The surges taxed me, I could do them but I was unable to recover well enough between them so I dropped, the average power shown is 234W, easily below tempo for me (FTP is 270W). The HR shows a different story to power, 178-190bpm average. The top of my threshold (184) and into Z5 (anaerobic) - Totally unsustainable! My ride back solo shows a very similar average power (235W) but with no surges my HR comfortably sat in tempo-low threshold (166-174bpm). Sustainable. Same power averages.
Soldato
Mine do this too.
Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
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Yeah I guess that's why I'm not sold on it. What you describe is why I need to get fitter to do to the guy doing it to me last night.
I'd glide through and give him shelter, then he'd surge passed at about 4mph faster up the road time and time again. Best tactic is let him do it, wait until he's heading to the back of the bunch and attack then. Should sort him out but I'm not there yet.
Just get involved with a Rotor inpower/twinpower on a BB30 system. Not as if the Rotor is that heavy
Soldato
You'd probably find that the faster groups are actually easier to ride with. The more experienced riders usually ride much smoother and with no surging everyone gets an easier ride - at a much higher avg speed too!
P1's, C1's? Pioneer? or a G3/hub based option. If you have several sets of wheels though it'll add up. Pedals offer convenience if your bikes don't all use the same cranks or BB's.
Very handy for TT's much less so in a Crit or RR unless you have long climbs to pace. As you say you'll either last or you won't
Battery quality might enter into it, the one which came with the unit was Panasonic branded. I know I can get them cheap enough, just when I last bought a sheet of 10 of them on the bay (pre-PWM) they happened to be some other %noname% brand!
Most certainly will make a difference. Used Panasonic AAA's in my P1's and barely saw 40 hours. Energiser Lithiums seem to still be going after 70+hrs and Lithium is what Powertap recommend. Not sure if CR2032 (is this what your C1's use?) come in Lithium form or not?
Have a good one, same to touch/Lethal and whoever else from here is riding it! Hope the weather is kind to you all!
Why no Stages or other single sided? The only basic 'extra' you get from a 'dual-sided' PWM is your pedalling balance. There's very little difference in accuracy as the way any PWM works has a margin of error (within the data) which would largely offset any minor difference between pedal strokes.
I actually went with my C1 due to price/situation. It handily measures power from both legs combined (not technically 'dual sided') and 'calculates' pedalling balance. I've never found my balance exactly 50%/50% and I doubt many people are without training/coaching. I wouldn't let it worry you, a Stages/SRM/Pioneer 'doubles' the data from a single side, but it should still be within ~5% accuracy of the real power figure you're outputting. The 'imbalance' should only account for something like +/- 5% of the total without some weird pedalling going on (which you would know about from knee injuries/odd cleat/shoe wear and comments from riding companions). Maybe as much as 10% maximum (thinking 45%/55% balance which I see on some of my rides).
As Ben mentions, a hub might be the best cost effective option/alternative to pedals. New wheels!
What you're describing isn't a good chaingang (as touch mentions) and it was exactly the same as what I experienced - everyone burying themselves to 'chain' which just means riders blow as they can't recover and the groups overall speed is lower. The group I was with started with 7 and finished with 3 (of the original riders)!
Yeah CR2032 (coin cell). I've not really seen different battery types mentioned in talks of the C1's but I am aware of them being available for people using them for lights? You can get rechargeable ones too (Ni-Cad)?
All CR2032 are lithium cell, the C meaning lithium, the R meaning 'round', 20 meaning 20mm diameter and the 32 meaning 3.2mm width. You can get other 'types' (Zinc, Silver, Alkaline) but they're less common in the 2032 format. Duracell use their own DR designation rather than CR for some reason (I've never bought them as thought them different), but they should still be 3V lithium cells.
My science lesson for this afternoon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Button_cell#Electrochemical_system
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Soldato
- Joined
- 23 Nov 2004
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To be fair it wasn't so much a chaingang. Same with the Bundy, pretty much treated like a race.
The guys I were with are pretty good, just so happened it was steven Lawley and dougie Watson in the chasing group meaning we wanted to keep the speed up.
The guy who was doing that was only just back from the tour of the north riding for pro vision, usual scratch group material.
Working in a decent small group that looks after each other is pretty impressive. One Bundy was quicker point to point than the time were it was fast with attacks everywhere.