I'd been looking at getting a PowerTap for a while, but just wasn't pulling the trigger. It's a lot of money, and I wasn't sure I would use it enough to justify it.
Then again, I'd need to build a rear wheel anyway for my new Salsa Mamasita, so why not? Well, about 7 weeks ago or so I pulled the trigger. Built into a Stans ZTR 355 29er rim with DT Swiss Revolution spokes and green nipples, I now I have a rear wheel.
In case you are wondering, that's a Stans "The Crow" tire. I've been running them front and rear ever since Ted let me borrow his wheels for Torn Shirt. The tires are surprisingly grippy (I run them between 19psi and 26 psi depending on the course) even with such a small tread. Add to that their VERY light weight, and they have worked very well for me this year.
There was something I was very nervous about: reliability. I had heard a number of issues with signal dropout and water getting into the hub of road wheels, how would this do off-road?
The answer seems very clear to me: it works great! I haven't had a single drop or problem with the hub in the whole time I've had it. Now, I do have one complaint with it: weight. This thing is heavy. It easily adds a half-pound to my bike. But, I have decided the training value more than off-sets this minor weight gain (and let's be honest, I've got a lot more than a half-pound to lose on my body to make up for the hub weight!).
So far I've logged about 300 miles off-road on the hub in the 6 weeks I've had it built and on my bike. I am very impressed with the data tracking and I love playing with the files and analyzing rides. I've also been able to really set solid goals for training, especially in interval sessions, which has been interesting and made me work much harder.
I've noticed an increase in power, but haven't done direct comparisons yet to see exactly how much....that data will follow. I have been logging data from the PT head unit as well as my Garmin, and distance seems to be right on between the two, usually within 1-2%.
I'll follow-up with what I find, but for now this seems like a great training tool! It's utility WHILE riding is limited when on the trail. But it works well for training on fire roads and really anywhere other than single track. The data is most useful from this hub after the ride. Next up may be one for a road/TT/cross application....
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