dstokes said:

Google is not helping me answer a question about recording and viewing left/right power balance.

Power2Max and Vector pedals and I suppose SRM power meters all put out data for left and right power, which certain programs (Training Peaks and Golden Cheetah 3.0) are able to display. This seems like it would be useful for rehab from an injury, or maybe not. Anyway, my question is:

Which computers record this data, such that it can be passed on to the programs. I don't necessarily need to see it on the bike computer, I just need it to be in the file that is loaded onto my laptop computer. I'm pretty sure the Garmin devices do this. What about Joule GPS?

Stokes, 

Thanks for the information.

My googling tells me that GoldenCheetah 3.0, TrainingPeaks and PowerAgent all display left/right power balance.
So hopefully the data will transfer from my Joule GPS. I suppose cycleops wants their computer to be used by more than just the powertap, which seems wise. And if this field has become a standard part of ANT+, then they might be obliged to support it.
The Garmin Edge computers also appear to handle this data. If yours doesn't, you should probably update the firmware.

Sorry to raise the false alarm about SRM.
But Quarq also gives right/left power balance. Both Quarq and Power2Max fake it since they don't actually make a measurement from the left side. The pedals can actually make independent measurements.

Stokes, 

@mugwump: I haven't experienced any of this myself. But DCRAINMAKER says that PowerAgent displays this metric. See the "Support for Left/Right Power" section in the following:

http://">

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2012/11/cycleops-joule-gps-in-depth-review.html

Of course, these guys are constantly updating firmware and software . . .

I have that, just no balance.  As i wrote, I have a question in to Garmin.  As it displays L-R as  pedal, the issue shouldn't be the crank, and it would be strange if it were the head, but glitches happen.

mugwump said:

, but glitches happen.

Yes, they do!

Speaking of glitches; I did a couple of rides on my Quarq without the "pedal backwards to zero" manouver, and paid the pier.  Either Lisa is spiking my Raisin Bran with EPO or it's reading a tad bit high.

No EPO spike; I zeroed via backwards pedalling and I'm right where I though I was.  Oh well, Horner has nothing to fear from me yet...

FYI a Stages power meter adds less than 20 grams to your bike which is equal to 1 Kraft single (including the wrapper)

Anyone have issues with the manual upload feature on Garmin Connect? I'm relatively new to Garmin (well, very new to Garmin and GPS riding) and I'm getting an error message when I try to upload the gpx file for Battenkill. 

My O-riginal Sram Red ceramic bb is toast.  I put on the Rival cranks that arrived in the mail today and when I took the cranks our I could tell that my bearing were never more.  I installed the Rival crank several times and there is still a tiny bit of play...very small.  I hear this issue has to do with installation of the cranks and not the bb....however the BB is about 6 years old now.  My cranks came with a standard sram GXP bb....should I just use this until it craps out or pony up for a Chris King BB now?  thoughts, opinions and salutations welcome

I have a King BB which I use with my Quarq GXP cranks. It's the best and butteriest BB I've ever ridden. It was also ridiculously expensive, but worth it IMO (see sentence 2). After blowing out a ceramic SRAM BB after 2 weeks of racing at Floyd, I've decided to stick with stainless. That said, the SRAM stainless stuff is on my backup and has stood the test of time. It costs next to nothing too.

Well...I may as well put the brand new sram bb I have on the bike and give it my worst until it poops the bed.  Then Chris King and I will do business

[in response to Bertucco's post in cyclocross thread]

Brendan, yeah, this thru-axle thing is really throwing me for a loop. Surprise, surprise but none of the cycling mags have done a good enough job explaining what this is for this particular ludite. I just am having trouble visualizing/understanding. Other than "stiffer+quicker wheel changes=more better"

Here are some resources to aid your visualization.  Thru-axles is on the left, notice the threading.  It actually threads into the frame and doesn't rely on mere side-to-side pressure from the cam to keep it snug.  So there's less movement.  It's also larger diameter (the QR pictured is 9mm, but standard road bikes are 5mm).

Ahhh, good picture. Thanks. So quicker wheel changes is not a benefit...in fact, it's going to slow everything up. Still I would think that the stiffness benefit to be very appealing to many. Now this is going to be a dumb question...but it seems like we're going to need new wheels then?

And couldn't we get similar benefits from improved QR design and thicker skewer axles? Or is it truly superior to have one end of the "quick release" screw into the fork instead of clamping down?

Answering my own question, sort of, from an article about the new Mares:

"Compared to the current disc-compatible Mares CX, the new version is a more specific design with some trick new bits of its own: front and rear thru-axle dropouts with Focus-designed skewers that are actually quick to use. Unlike standard thru-axle skewers that need multiple rotations to thread in and out, Focus' Rapid Axle Technology (RAT) design uses an innovative T-pin interface that requires just a quarter-turn to engage and disengage, thus offering the security of competitors' systems but with the speed of old-school open dropouts."

So...it seems head units can be the culprit with erroneous power readings too...blurg...

http://www.cyclingnews.com/reviews/srm-powermeter-shimano-11-speed-9000-long-term-review

@Marc, the hubs are completely different, so new wheels will be necessary.  The other big reason these axles are filtering in to cross relates to the gradual maturing of disc brake tech.  Regular QR's squirm around in the dropouts a little because they are held in place solely by clamping pressure, which is usually fine with rim brakes, but causes rotor rub on discs because of narrower brake pad spacing and because the calipers are closer to the hub.  The thru axle creates a more solid connection with the frame, and the stiffer hub means that the disc rotor isn't going to squirm.  My guess is that the industry is trying to get ahead of the curve on this issue to provide extra motivation to people who might otherwise hold back on discs because they don't want to buy all new wheels.  The thru axles might be the push people need for all new kit.

Man, it's getting really hard to buy a cross bike with all this technology just over the horizon.  Maybe I'll wait to see what Cannondale does with its 2015 models. September?

@Brendan, if history is any guide, it will be more like mid-November.

I think I got one of the first 2014 Caad10 frames and it was mid December.
There will always be reasons to wait for the new version.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yQZuYXJI2HE

Dis-integration 6 years too long for a bb? Orange and grey chum poured out of it....

some grease is orange/brown ish, but it could also be rust.  you could try cleaning it out, re-packing it with grease, and seeing if it still feels gritty.

twoyacks said:

Dis-integration 6 years too long for a bb? Orange and grey chum poured out of it....

I see what look like deformations at 12:00 and 4:00 as well as a possible crack at 5:30.

If you have taken the trouble to remove it, then you might as well replace it.

Don Winston is an engineer who used to be a Kissena stalwart. He swore up and down that ceramic bearings were way overkill for our low rpm applications. That usually came up in discussing wheel bearings. With bb, the rpms are even lower. I'm not sure that 'buttery' is a recognized SI unit.

I slapped in the GPX bb that came with the Rival cranks I just bought. Made no sense to pay Stages an extra $200 for the entire crank option when I can get a new one off eBay for $120 that comes with a new bb. Save $80 and still have the extra non drive side crank.

clearly I'm "nesting" waiting for my Stages meter...

Sad day for the SRM indeed.  I got mine back from CO (wtf you've got to ship the thing out & back to get a battery changed) and I gleefully hoped on the trainer to give it a go; I got about an hour in and everything worked great.

Ok - so new powermeter is going to necessitate new cranks. Thoughts on SRAM S900 vs Cdale Hollowgram? Am I really just choosing based on cost and weight? Anything else to think about? This is for my C'dale with BB30.