Kali - heh...you are kind, thank you. I'm sure my numbers are anemic, but we all have to start somewhere along the path of improvement

han-grrl - hmmm, i thought about the iBike unit, it definitely has a high coolness factor. I decided against it because I think its usefulness is limited....except for say steady climbs where I think it would probably be a good ballpark tool. Then again, I can use analyticcycling.com

Velogirl - thank you for sharing your experiences. I can comment on this now...i actually already ordered the 'training with power' book you mentioned. Highly recommended I've seen, so I'll digesting it soon as amazon delivers. I totally agree with what you said about power being a tool. I absolutely don't think in of itself, I'll go faster...but as you alluded to it, it will give me the most value for my training and a real route to getting better and better. I've pondered maybe entering a race in the future, it all depends. I'd really enjoy chatting with you about this topic more if you'd be open to it

For those of you wondering....I ended up getting a new wheel built with the powertap pro installed. It is supposed to get to me in about 2 weeks or so. I'm anxious to say the least!

If you are even a bit curious, here it is:

http://www.all3sports.com/product_in...velocity-deepv