WatTeam PowerBeat G3 - Gen 3 - Review or Hands On to follow the5krunner • tri

The WatTeam PowerBeat G3 review will follow but today we have the formal announcement today ahead of general availability in August. Product Variants & Pricing This chart nicely sums it all up with all the options ranging from a single sided DIY crank-based power-meter though to an installed dual sided, dual-bike option. These prices are consistent to the Gen 2. You can get 10% off at PowerMeterCity, below. At the upper end of the options on offer from WatTeam, the prices sit uncomfortably next to that a single-sided Favero ASSIOMA (review ed here) pedal-based solution. Features & Benefits WatTeam highlight the key features of their product in this list below. But I reckon they've missed one. You can still use your Shimano cleats with the PowerBeat. Should you go for one of the pedal-based power solutions from SRM, Garmin, Favero or PowerTap then you are pretty much tied to LOOK/KEO. That's the route I've gone down but I can never quickly clip in with the LOOK for some reason given the choice I would switch to Shimano's cleat in a heart beat Dual side direct measurements Rechargeable battery Bluetooth Smart / ANT+ Total power Cadence L/R Balance Torque efficiency Pedal smoothness Firmware over the air updates Weather resistant (IP67) Robust and sturdy material Sleek and smooth design Light Weight Also missing from the feature list is that this solution doe not require the pedals to be removed. So transferring the COMP unit to another bike is really quick. I'm talking a minute from start to finish. Changing a pedal-based PM might take up to 5 minutes in reality. Even the Velocomp PowerPod might take a bit longer than the WatTeam PowerBeat to change to a new bike. What's New In Gen 3? New looks and Easy slide Off - the previous Gen 2 was NOT easy-off. The plug/socket was fiddly to undo and to re-insert but, more than that, it was always a mini-PITA to re-torque the pedal. As the pedal was torqued, the entire comp unit could turn as well, either away from or towards the crank depending on the side of the bike you are working on. On the right side I was concerned that one day I might torque the COMP unit into the crank and break it...not any more! So now you have Gen 3 as shown below Compared to gen 2 shown below..you see? You HAVE to take the whole thing off when changing to a new bike. Multi-bike support has always been talked about by WatTeam. Now you have it.*BUT* each crank must have its own strain gauge PERMANENTLY glued on. So you couldn't just stick your PowerBeat on a friend's bike. There's a sweetly upgraded new app. the WatTeam app was always fairly slick but now it is slick with some new stuff in it. In my opinion the best new addition is the SCALING FACTOR. the cynics amongst you would see me scaling up my power by 150% ;-) but the reality is that the PowerBeat can now be better fine tuned to show the CORRECT power levels. I found mine were always reading a bit too high, even with a properly calibrated, factory-installed option. WatTeam's new app can also transform your smartphone into a head unit. At first sight I thought this was an unusual thing to do. I mean, I've got about 10 head units in my gadget drawer, why on earth would I want to use a smartphone? A: of course I wouldn't. BUT luckily LOTS of you are NOT ME and you have your own setups and needs. So if you were buying a PM for the first time and your watch doesn't support cycling power then you get WatTeam's app that can properly record it without the need to spend a couple of hundred dollars more with a new Garmin/Wahoo head unit. Then again, why wouldn't you use the STRAVA app? Or one of many others. So I'm not really convinced why WatTeam made the app but 'it can't hurt', i suppose. The installation method has been modified, my recommendation with the previous Gen 2 would have been to get a service centre to do it for you. BLE and ANT+ transmission can work together, rather than one or the other...cool for Zwift! The app will work on the previous Gen 2 product, including the power scaling feature. There is now a dummy unit included which helps with travelling, washing and charging New App Functionality - Preview The app extends notably away from the original app which just provided hardware admin/installation tasks. The new Android/iOS app covers many aspects from live data through to coaching and activity histories. As you can see, below, the rider is presented with FTP; training zones; and other efficiency metrics. Total calories consumed, and the distribution between the energy systems are also used to recommend nutritional consumption rates. G3 Installation The installation process is very similar to the G2. Here's a video overview https://youtu.be/S89pbA5h0kY Alternatives - WatTeam PowerBeat G3 Review https://the5krunner.com/2017/11/16/best-power-meter/ Summary Evolution not revolution. Welcomed improvements to what was a previously revolutionary product. The WatTeam PowerBeat has definitely been improved with the 2x2 bike support. The easy-off mechanism LOOKS great and the app-based scaling factor is a sensible bonus. I don't buy into the need for an in-ride cycling app to go with this, plenty exist. The price points, for the lower models, are attractive the trade-off is the installation time. [caption id="attachment_19248" align="aligncenter" width="2097"] WatTeam PowerBeat[/caption] [caption id="attachment_25677" align="aligncenter" width="789"] Best REI/Wiggle/PMC price is linked to. $259/£/Eu and is unlikely to fall in 2018.[/caption] WatTeam code for 10% discount - "the5krunner10"