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Light, Efficient, ReliableAs the Nation's premier cycling and multisport coaching organization, we have secured numerous State, National, and World Championship titles. We know first-hand how critical it is to train with power, and our coaching staff stands unflinchingly behind its effectiveness.
We’d been waiting a long time for the much talked-about and revolutionary new Ergomo Pro Power Meter. Once it hit American shores, Cadence was first in line to grab one, mount it, and thoroughly test it. The German-made product is the latest in a series of training power meters to compete with the likes of PowerTap, SRM, and Polar to deliver immediate Wattage and heart rate measurements along with other critical information like trip distance, speed, and time.
What’s so great about the Ergomo? For one thing the Ergomo is extremely lightweight. We recently built up a Cyfac Gothica with an Ergomo that came in under 16 pounds. The same bike with a PowerTap SL weighed in at 18.2 pounds. Essentially, the only weight for the Ergomo is the bottom bracket / sealed bearing unit which weighs about 300 grams; that's comparable to a Campagnolo Record BB.
Aside from its low weight, the Ergomo enables its user to ride any set of wheels he or she prefers. As the Ergomo measures Wattage (and cadence, KCals, and KJoules, incline percentage, current elevation and overall elevation gain) from the bottom bracket instead of from the rear wheel (like PowerTap), wheel choice is entirely open; you can even run a disk, an essential facet for a dedicated time trialist or triathlete.
By now we've put some serious mileage on our orignial test version of the Ergomo and we have nothing but glowing reviews. It’s light, efficient, reliable, and has all the cool factor one could possibly want, including an altimeter that tells you what your elevation is, how far you’ve climbed, and the percent of grade you’re currently climbing. Combine all this with instantaneous readout for your Intensity Factor (IF) and Training Stress Score (TSS), and you’ve got one very cool power meter and very powerful training tool.
The Ergomo Pro retails for $1,600, slightly higher than the PowerTap SL, the same price as the PowerTap 2.4 Wireless, and at least $2,000 less than the SRM. The Ergomo bottom bracket spindle is available in Square Taper (Campagnolo), ISIS, or Octalink versions only. Unfortunately, and possibly the only downside to the Ergomo, is that it is not compatible with two-piece crankset configurations. So new-generation Shimano and Campagnolo outboard bearing bottom brackets are excluded. For those running new Shimano and Campagnolo10-speed groups Cadence recommends swapping your crankset to the phenomenally light and durable Stronglight Pulsion carbon CT (which weighs in at a mere 420 grams).  |
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