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"Affordable" Laser Spoke power metre "kick start" project

Has anyone seen this new project? http://www.indiegogo.com/laser-spoke?c=home

The main benefit is that this is totally portable between bikes and wheels - if it works.

I was followed by them on Twitter today and took a look at the video. Seems an interesting idea but they are looking for £85k.

Also they say "affordable" but at a target price of £500 for the UK that still seems too much for a run of the mill cyclist like myself that would like to have power meter data but doesn't really need it that much. I can live with post ride data like Strava / Android for that sort of cost.

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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7 comments

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Leviathan | 10 years ago
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ur yeah, that's huge, no chance.

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Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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Sorry, I should say, only if you are pushing to be a pro will you really need the wattage data to consistently show your improvement.

Of course it is a useful tool for anyone training, but it requires knowledge to get the best out of it, and unless you are training large amounts, and really working on the margins, your heart rate monitor will probably help you maximise the training gains you need. A tool is only as good as person trained to use it.

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nickobec replied to Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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Colin Peyresourde wrote:

Sorry, I should say, only if you are pushing to be a pro will you really need the wattage data to consistently show your improvement.

Of course it is a useful tool for anyone training, but it requires knowledge to get the best out of it, and unless you are training large amounts, and really working on the margins, your heart rate monitor will probably help you maximise the training gains you need. A tool is only as good as person trained to use it.

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Colin Peyresourde | 10 years ago
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I think if someone can put a reliable power meter into the £200-300 mark then I think they'll have a winner. But power tap, which is deemed second to the crank meters, is already at £500. Heart rate training will effectively do 90-95% of what you need to improve your training.

The only deficiency is that the heart is also a muscle and so can get bigger and stronger, and as you age cannot reach the same limits over time, so a power meter shows you if your end product is getting better. But if you are working hard (and marking your effort on a scale from 1-10 is a good indication) you know that you have worked hard, and a training effect (improvement) will happen. Heart rate helps you understand how long you can sustain the various efforts, and wattage helps you refine all of that.....so only if you are pushing to be pro (or training like one) will it improve your ride.

I like having the data, but the cost at the moment just doesn't make it seem worthwhile.

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notfastenough | 11 years ago
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+1

Judging from the other offerings in this space and the recent news about a product launch being delayed, this looks like it's probably more difficult than it sounds.

The 'comments' tab is quite funny!

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Gkam84 | 11 years ago
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Interesting idea, to expensive for me, but if they can attract the right kind of team onto that project i'd be interested in the future with a smaller device and more compatibility  26

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ragtag replied to Gkam84 | 11 years ago
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Agree, cost is way too much to be considered affordable. Think the device will be smaller than the one in the picture, just the development version I believe.

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