Training with power has long been the preserve of riders with deep pockets – but CycleOps have looked to redress the balance by unveiling an alloy PowerTap wheelset and budget power meter.
Starting with the alloy wheel, they’re available individually or as a pair, with V-shaped alloy rims, DT Swiss Aerolite spokes and brass nipples.
The rear wheel is available with CycleOps’ G3 hub, which now weighs 325g, for £1125 – just £150 more than buying the hub on its own. Otherwise you can opt for the new Pro hub (446g), available individually for £675 or built in to the wheelset for £865. Both hubs are ANT+ compatible, so they’ll link up with your Garmin as well as CycleOps’ own units.
While PowerTap is a sure-fire way to make the most of your time training, riders often steer clear when it comes to race-day. CycleOps have looked to make PowerTap a familiar sight in the bunch with the introduction of carbon wheels.
The Enve rims are available in depths of either 45mm or 65mm, in clincher and tubular versions. So how much do they weigh? 1250g for the 45mm tubular wheelset and 1600g for the 65mm clincher wheelset – that’ll keep the weight weenies happy. Price is £2,400, regardless of what option you go for.
As well as weighing less, the updated G3 hub is a whole lot easier to maintain. If something goes wrong, you just remove the end of the hub (where it says G3 on the picture above) with a tool provided and send that, rather than the whole wheel, off for repair.
One particularly interesting development is the launch of PowerCal; a heart rate monitor that converts your heart rate to power.
How does that work? Well, you need to do a fitness test, and that will require a power meter. UK distributors Paligap have only received stock of PowerCal and are yet to confirm the finer details of how riders will determine their power levels.
As for the technology itself, that also raises a number of questions, not least that heart rate varies according to a number of factors, for instance, how hard you trained the day before, how much sleep you got, illness and weather conditions. CycleOps say it’s accurate to five per cent, although we’ll need a closer look to judge for ourselves.
One thing is for certain though, at £175 for the PowerCal strap, calibration stick and a speed sensor, it’s a lot cheaper than jumping in at the deep end with PowerTap. That’s the unique selling point, offering riders the opportunity to dip their toe in the power water.
Discuss this article in this forum thread.
