PowerTap H1
Awards
Interbike 1998 – Best New Product of the Year
Patents
6,418,797
The PowerTap story started in 1998 after Gerhard Pawelka, co-founder of Cooper Perkins, left IDEO to found Tune. He read a book by elite cyclist coach Joe Friel, who made a convincing case for training with power (instead of heart rate or other metrics). While developing the product, Gerhard interviewed dozens of cyclists asking if they would buy his product, as he described it, for $700. No one (yes, no one) wanted it.
Gerhard asked them to read Coach Friel’s research on the benefits of training with power and asked the cyclists again. Every one (yes, every single one) wanted it. Customers wanted what Joe was selling, not the hardware Gerhard was hoping to sell. But to get Coach Friel’s promise fulfilled, they needed to get the PowerTap. That early learning was absolutely key to what the PowerTap became. The developers listened, thought about what they heard, then built the product.
Cooper Perkins has continued to develop products and technology for Saris after Tune’s acquisition, including the conceptual design for the next version of the PowerTap hub and future power meters.