Saris PowerTap SL+ Review

Reviewer: Stu Bowers

27-Sep-2010 | 0 Reviews

Rating:

£1,245.00 (at time of review)

Pros

User friendly
Good hub quality

Cons

Could still lose weight

See verdict and spec

Hub-based power meter, offering user-friendly metering, £1,250

In cycling terms, PowerTap is a household name. It's quite an achievement, which goes to show just how we've all embraced the technology and its importance for structured training.

For this year the whole PowerTap range was revamped with the top two models (the SLC+ and the SL+) gaining a larger diameter 15mm axle and ANT+ connectivity as standard.

In the past the PowerTap bearings have proven to be a little hit-and-miss regarding their longevity; some have lasted well while others have broken down in a matter of months.

Along with bringing additional stiffness, this is the reason for the oversized axle. Hub stiffness is never something we are going to moan about and despite pounding the miles through the winter and spring, we've not had as much as a grumble from the SL+, which we'll count as a major success.

Verdict

We'd still like to see the size of the hub shrink, maybe also taking the weight under the 400g barrier, but the upgrade is very worthwhile and the PowerTap is still our number one choice for user-friendly power measurement.