Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I bought my CycleOps Power Beam Pro in January of 2009 and I have put hundreds of miles on it since. Getting all the sensors (heart rate, cadence, speed, power) calibrated takes some time, so don't expect to simply hop on and ride. Once you've set it up, you can control your workout right from the display panel on the handlebars -- no getting off to adjust resistance.
The computer will keep you working at a constant power output regardless of your speed or cadence -- this means very high torque at low speeds and the rear wheel can "chatter" as is slips against the resistance wheel. Just pick up the pace a few miles an hour and it will go away.
You can program in detailed workouts with the software at hand, but I haven't done so. The software also downloads your workout history and provides statistics. It has bugs however; my heart rate data drops out leaving huge gaps. My heart rate displays accurately and reliably on the unit, but the data fails to transfer over to the software on my laptop. I wrote Saris about this but got no reply. It would also be nice if the data format would allow you to export to other formats such as [...], or Garmin without going through a .csv file first.
I can't complain about customer service however. My resistance-adjustment bolt broke while I was shipping it. I wrote and asked for a new one (explaining it was no fault of theirs). They promptly shipped me a free replacement.
HITS:
Adjustable resistance on the fly, real time data on speed, power, heart rate, cadence, distance and time, data analysis capability via software, portability and customer service.
MISSES:
Pricey, Complex -- set up is not for the faint of heart, data drop-out in the software, proprietary data format (clunky exporting). The display unit, while functional, looks like it came from the '80s -- it lacks the slickness of say a Garmin ForeRunner unit. No back-lighting means it can be tough to read the display in a dark garage or basement.
Bottom line, I love the quality of the workout, and being able to dial a slope or power level. If you want to analyze your workouts, this is the trainer for you. Glad I bought it.
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The PowerBeam features built-in PowerTap hardware, and offers real-time feedback on your power output. The PowerBeam will even self-adjust the resistance to maintain the desired target power setting. The resistance can be manually adjusted via a wireless handlebar console, and custom programs can also be uploaded via CycleOps' Power Agent 7 software. The PowerBeam resistance unit offers sustained resistance of over 1300W making this unit suitable for all but the most elite athletes.Please note that this model, the 9460, does NOT include the Joule 3.0 computer.
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