 |
|
|||||
|
Coach's Column with Lynda Wallenfels
Posted by: Shannon Boffeli
|October 11, 2011 1:02 AM
 Question: From a coach's perspective, compare and contrast your favorite mountain bike specific power meters. Answer: There are currently two power meters on the market that will work with mountain bikes; SRM and Power Tap. The SRM is a crank based power meter and the PowerTap is a rear wheel based power meter. Moving a Power Tap wheel between multiple bikes is easy providing wheel size is the same. Moving an SRM between bikes is a much more involved process requiring tools. For racers who train on multiple mountain bikes, a Power Tap is a more flexible option than an SRM. You can use a Power Tap on both a geared and single speed mountain bike. My 29-inch Power Tap wheel floats between my 2 x 10 geared hard tail and my single speed mountain bike. An SRM has other advantages. It is lighter weight and so a superior choice for the racer who plans to both race and train with power. The mountain bike specific SRM reports an accuracy of ±2% and retails for $3,149. The mountain bike specific Power Tap reports an accuracy of ±1.5% and retails for $1,499.99. Both power meters are ANT+Sport compatible and can synch up with ANT+Sport GPS units and smart phones to provide additional data from a ride. Lynda Wallenfels is Cat 1 USA Cycling coach and owner of LWCoaching.com Visit her site for mountain bike training plans, coaching and consulting.
|
          |
