Powertap G3 review
Training using power was
something I’d read a lot about but hadn’t taken the opportunity to try until I
bought the Tacx Neo with its built in power metre function. What a revelation! No
more going too hard on the easy days and too easy on the hard days. Power is
one of those metrics that’s always in your face telling you exactly what to do
and how hard to do (or not do) it.
As someone new to the Power metre
market I was after something relatively cheap and user friendly. Initially my
thoughts were with the P1 pedals as I liked the idea of seeing the left / right
leg bias data. The Garmin Vectors look fantastic but sadly were out of my price
range and I didn’t like the idea of the calibration pods too much.
The Powertap hub seems like the
grandfather of the power metre market and I’d initially dismissed it over the
newer more glitzy pedal and crank versions, but the more I looked at it, the
more I liked the look and idea of a hub based unit. I didn’t really need the
left / right bias and my version of the Garmin Edge head unit wouldn’t display
foot inclination and powerstroke like the newer units can, but a firmware
update meant I could enter my FTP, So I’d have a reasonably accurate number to
aim at.
The eG3 hub is a pretty sleek
unit compared to the older Powertap Hubs and I like the look of it. Not too
bulky and quite stealth like. You couldn’t mistake it for an ordinary hub, but
it doesn’t shout ‘power!’ in your face like the old models did. The matt black
finish with grey and orange detailing really help in the aesthetics department.
Weight was a concern initially, but the G3 comes in at 325g, that’s 11g lighter
than a Shimano Ultegra 6800 hub which weighs in at 336g. I laced the hub onto a
Stans Alpha 340 (great rims – can’t wait to try the Grails…) using black DT
Swiss Aerocomp spokes in a 2 cross lace pattern. Not the lightest of builds
using 14mm nipples, but I wanted a robust wheel that looked good and could be
swapped onto the winter bike.
My niggle is that I have two rim
brake bikes and two disc brake bikes. I’d have to get a disc version of the hub
for the disc bikes obviously. I guess this is where a single crank unit like
the Stages would win – as long as you are running the same crankset of course.
So far it's survived a dousing in
some pretty horrible conditions which have tested the G3’s waterproofing and
the freehub has a satisfying click, not to loud, not to quiet. The Battery
seems easy to replace (with the correct tool) and is an easily found CR2032
watch type which you can easily get hold of. The Ant+ capability will give you speed
and cadence, although the algorithm for cadence isn't supposed to be as good as
a crank based sensor so I've stuck with my Garmin cadence sensor just in case.
A ‘Bluetooth smart’ version of the hub is available and you can swap the hub
caps out for either Ant+ or Bluetooth smart but you’d be bummed if you ordered
the wrong unit and had to buy another hub cap. It won't give you left and right
bias obviously but comparing it to my friends Rotor cranks the power readings
pretty bob on.
I've got mine paired to my Garmin
Edge 500 (zero hassle pairing) The only thing the Garmin gets a little confused
with is when I swap between the Tacx Neos in built power metre and the G3, but
even then it's just a question of searching it out - a 10 second job. If you
want more data analysis you can pair it to Powertaps 'Joule' head unit that
gives almost SRM levels of detail.
Overall a worthwhile purchase and
a relatively low cost way into the power metre market.
