I am looking into getting a power meter for my bike. During the winter I use a computrainer and really like training with power, but other times of the year on the road, I have nothing to go by except heart rate. If I was independently rich, I would get the SRM for sure, but I am really saving for a C 50. From what I read, PT is in for repairs a lot, so that is out, plus, don’t really want to spend that much. Also from what I read, the Polar system has its drawbacks (looks like a Borg), but it gives a fairly accurate measuement of power. I would mostly use it for staying in my tempo power zone, and doing cruise intervals on the road. So I have kind of decided that the Polar system might be the best for my needs, however the question remains, 725x or the CS600? Does anyone have any input or comments on these in use with the power system? Any comments from users would be appreciated. I like the Garmin also, but no power there.

A good power meter and a coach will make you faster than a C50 vs a less expensive good bike. Do you want a fancy bike or do you want to be fast?

Check the wattage mailing list for reliability reports on the CS600. Last I looked they were going through batteries fast. PTs have issues but so do all PMs. At least Saris is known to be good about service.

I stopped using my Polar 710 PM after the wire broke. It does that to a lot of people. I'm still using my PT sl2.4.

An Ibike might do what you want and its cheap.

I lust over. Don't expect that to make me fast. It's the legs, not the bike. One only turns 50 once. That being said, what you said is exactly true. If I didn't go cheap (Polar) then I would probably go SRM. As far as the Saris service dept, I am sure there is some type of warranty on the hubs, so it shouldn't cost much to get them serviced. What does is cost to have them serviced outside the warranty?

What is the wattage mailing list? Haven't heard of this.

Thanks

I didn't realize that the C-40 and C-50 were numbered for the age you were supposed to be to get the bike.:)

Wattage is a mailing list on google groups.

I don't know about the cost to service a PT hub, I haven't had to get mine serviced yet.

One advantage to the PT over the Ergomo, SRM and Polar is the ease of switching it between bikes. Just swap wheels.

I had been using the 725x for a year (but, without the power option,) when the CS600 came out. I was intrigued by the prospect of adding a relatively low-cost wattage meter, but had some reservations based on some negative reviews on Polar that I had read. Here's a link to an article that helped win me over:

http://biketechreview.com/archive/pm_review.htm

It's a comparison of the various systems that are available, and while Polar has recieved some bad press in the past, careful reading will show that the readings from the Polar system are not significantly off from the other meters.

One of the wrenches at my lbs had installed the power option on his 725x and had nothing but trouble with it, eventually returning it for refund. I read the pre-release info on the CS600 carefully and was glad to note that it was fully re-designed wireless system. I oredered one and had the lbs install it. Part of the install/setup procedure that I didn't feel properly equipped to handle involves carefully measuring and weighing the chain. I didn't have a gram scale, but the shop did. The other serious issue involves attaching part of the power meter to the rear derailleur lower pulley wheel mounting screw. My service tech stripped the screw on my Sram Force rear der, bungled drilling it out, and had to replace the pulley cage. I was happy to let him take full responsibilty for this.

I've now ridden several thousand miles with this setup and I'm completely satisfied with it. I have not had to replace any batteries yet and it works perfectly. The one feature that I really like is the altimeter function. SRM and PowerTap still don't offer this for whatever reason. I can plot my altitude gain against heart rate, cadence, speed, and wattage. I ride mountains almost daily and I like to keep track of this data.

The only complaint is that Polar still does not write their software for Mac computers. I think this is a huge oversight. I have to download my workouts to my wife's crappy old PC. It will not work with emulation-based applications like Virual PC.

is also a concern of mine rcordray, as that is what I use also. I have read the article in Biketechreview, and that is what led me to my conclusion that it might work well for me. I was just looking for some real world people who used the product to tell me thier opinion.

I do have a PC that I use for my computrainer, that has USB ports I can use if I have to. I see that www.ismarttrain.com has polar software for the mac, and it will support the 725x, but not the newer CS600.

Thanks very much for the reply

Eric, I thought it was implied that the C40 was for the 40th birthday (missed that one), and the C50 was for the 50th. Specifically priced so that at the appropriate age, you would have the corresponding income to afford it!:)

Thanx for the link to ismarttrain, pjxndvm. I sent them an e-mail asking if they would be releasing software for the CS600 anytime soon. I'll post here if I get a response.

Some other observations:

The IR interface for the 725x has been a constant source of irritation. It frequently locks up during the downloading process, and the watch has no patience for it. The watch reverts to it's default screen, so you have to scroll through several screens to get back to the "connect" screen to start the process over.

The new IR/USB interface for the CS600 has addressed this. No issues there at all.

The CS600 has customizable displays for each function. It's a nice feature, although it still could use a bit more versatility. All levels of display option are not available for each function.

Both units require a lot of scrolling to reach a particular screen you're interested in, which involves one hand off the bars and eyes looking down at the computer. Not good for pack riding or trafficky situations. There is an auto-scroll function on the CS600 that somewhat addresses the hands off the bar issue, but I wish the speed of the scroll were customizable. I'm always looking away when the particular info I want is scrolling by and I have to wait until it gets around again (which is more eyes off the road time.) I used the auto-scroll function a lot when I first got it, but found I was spending too much time looking down instead of ahead. I now keep it on one screen and scroll fore or aft depending on which function I care to monitor.

The CS600 has a stem mount which is nice. The 725x, being more of a watch, has to be mounted off-center on the handlebar. It's much easier to detach the CS600 to take it inside for downloading.

The CS600 records in 1-second intervals, holding a workout of about 2:40, or 5-second intervals, holding over 14 hours of memory. It would be nice if they would offer something in-between, like a 2 or 3 second interval time. The 1-second option, while giving incredibly detailed data, isn't really enough for a long training ride.

The 725x does not have an auto-start/stop function. it continues to record at every stop light, seriously affecting the averages of overall data. The CS600 addresses this, thankfully.

Once again, overall I'm very satisfied with the CS600. So far, there have been no problems. The look of the battery pack zip-tied to the rear seatstay is a little clunky, but other than that, it's a clean-looking wireless install. The 725x power option would have to be hard-wired from the rear chainstay all the way up to the handlebars. Not an acceptable look in my opinion.

I called a couple months ago to get some information about servicing the PowerTap hub and I think they said it was $80. Also I have nothing but good things to say about the customer service. Recently they gave me a new wiring harness, CPU, and heart rate strap. They wiring harness had a bad connection, and when I called to try and exchange it I was asked if I was having any other problems. I mentioned that the heart rate dropped the signal sometimes and they offered to send the new coded CPU and HR strap.

I just recieved a reply from Stuart at ismarttrain.com stating that new Mac software for the CS600 would be available soon. Hes said he'd e-mail me direct when it's out. I'll post here with any news.

I've been using a 725 w/power for about two years now. The only problems I have had were with the HR strap. Other than that, it's worked just fine. YMMV:thumbsup:

I also looked at Cycling Peaks software, which is also Mac compatible....with a catch... all the details are here:

http://www.cyclingpeakssoftware.com/wko/faq.asp#compatible

1. It is not CS600 compatible.... maybe it will be....
2. The program is not Mac OSX native, and has to be run thru Boot Camp or some emulation software.

Sounds like the best choice for Mac folks is to wait for iSmartTrain to add the CS600 to the list of units it can get data from.

Pete

I have never understood why Polar gets such a bad rap. I highly recomend both, but for power I recomend the CS600.

I have used the Polar 625X (same as 725 but with running option) for over two years with NO issues. I used it about 5-6 days a week for both running and cycling and done so in some lousy weather.

In April I bought the CS600 with Power option. I have had one minor issue related to the display of pace vs mph that was easily solved with a firmware upgrade. The unit has worked flawlessly and performs well.

I have been running the same set of batteries since the day I installed it and have put thousands of miles on it. Im not sure where the battery remarks come from. The Polar software has a cool feature that reads the battery levels on all parts so you know when it gets low. It must collect the data onto the head unit and make it available when you do downloads. I did the install myself in about an hour or so. If you do buy the CS600 I would highly recomend going to the power thread on cyclingforums and do a search on the install. There is a good explination about the critical spacing of the chain to the sensor.

While the Polar Pro Trainer Software is excellent, Cycling Peaks WKO offers better information on Power. I usually download to Pro Trainer and then transfer the files to WKO.

In April I bought the CS600 with Power option. I have had one minor issue related to the display of pace vs mph that was easily solved with a firmware upgrade. The unit has worked flawlessly and performs well.

How did the head unit receive the firmware upgrade?

When I installed the Polar Pro software, the PC that I (begrudgingly) have to use, accepted and installed an online upgrade. Would that have contained and transferred head-unit firmware?

Thanx in advance.

and it sounds like the CS600 is a solid way to go. Not exactly thrilled about the lack of Mac OSX native software with Polar, but there is way to work it out, and with the note by rcordray about the coming ability to import data from the CS600 with iSmartTrain, it is a good option.

To date I have only used the Polar S150, and pretty much only extract my average HR for the ride from it. Getting more data will be good.

How did the head unit receive the firmware upgrade?

When I installed the Polar Pro software, the PC that I (begrudgingly) have to use, accepted and installed an online upgrade. Would that have contained and transferred head-unit firmware?

Thanx in advance.

I upgraded to Pro Trainer 5.10.124 via the auto updater. The next time I synched the CS600 it solved the issue. It likley didn't upgrade firmware in the unit, but rather forced the unit to accept a configuration change. I evidently had an unusuall and isolated bug and that build of Pro Trainer solved it. If you don't have the display problem on your CS600 I wouldn't worry about it. If you do just click the Help tab and go to check for updates to initiate downloading and installing the latest version.