power2max type s or quarq elsa?

[grouk]

i confirm quarq is more generous about 20w

[hilts]

I have been abusing my P2M Type-S through Norwegian summers and winters for almost two years now. Ranging from snow to heavy rain, hail or sunshine. No problems whatsoever.
Changed batteries once, but I hardly consider that a problem. It takes longer to fix a flat..

[AZR3]

I have two P2M classics and no issues with either. Granted these are the first power meters I've had so I can't compare them with anything but I'd buy another without hesitation.

[UncleJamsArmy]

I had a Stages power meter for about 10 months and I've had a Pioneer power meter for about 3 months. I cracked the chainstay of the bike with the Pioneer power meter, so I've been using my backup bike that has a brand new Power2Max Type S power meter. The damn thing consistently reads anywhere from 40-50 watts less than the Pioneer power meter or the Stages I had before that. I confirmed this by riding side by side with a friend who has the Rotor power meter in the same gear and the same speed. The difference in readings was 40-50 watts lower for the Power2Max meter.

When I contacted Power2Max Canada about the problem, the customer service rep (Michael Wegner) told me that the difference was probably because my frame with the Power2Max power meter was more aero, or something else, leading to the lower power numbers. In reality, the bike with the cracked chainstay and the Pioneer power meter was the aero frame (Cervelo S3). Unbelievable amount of sarcasm. When I called him on his sarcasm, Michael became really defensive and insisted that in his four years of working at Power2Max, he'd never seen a miscalibrated unit and that it was probably something else other than anything to do with the unit.

So, no, I can't recommend Power2Max, and certainly not their customer service. And Michael Wegner, if you're reading this, please respond to my last two emails asking to whose attention I should send the power meter back to for testing and evaluation. Yours, Robert Oliver

[grouk]

you cant compare power metter side by side, diferent bikes diferent rider diferent cadence diferent tyres diferent tyres pressure, diferent everyting side by side totaly dont work

[trex021]

Well, for what it's worth I've got a Stages and a P2M and they're not noticeably different in their readings. The P2M has been more reliable. I've had to replace my Stages once (great service though). I think it would drive me crazy too if I believed I was being robbed of 40-50 watts even though it really doesn't make a difference on how you train. I have had great luck with Michael Wegner at P2M but, then again, everything has worked perfectly.

[Tinea Pedis]

Yes, it's worth it.

I have a P2M (S type) and it's been flawless. Wife has a Cinqo and it's been flawless as well. She never gets it wet, so I can't speak to it's weather resistance.

Truthfully, pretty much all of the PMs are great nowadays. Your choice is really based on crank choices, aesthetic and price.

dcrainmaker.com is a great source for PM info too.

have you gotten p2m through wet conditions? if so how bad?

There are plenty of threads on here (quick search will reveal them) with plenty of satisfied P2M users. I'm another. And ridden mine through all conditions - training and racing in both Australia and Belgium. One Gran Fondo was especially satisfying - temp was 6 on the start line at nearly 1600m and hit 30 towards the end of the ride. But by the end I had complete faith my data was clean and no temp drift due to the unit's auto offset. Pretty impressive.


UncleJamsArmy the P2M Canada reply sounds odd. Not the customer service I would expect (and have experienced) from P2M. Was your first email aggressive? Your method of comparison is certainly not very rigorous. Why not offer to ship the spider back for them to check? P2M Canada's take on the matter would be interesting to hear.

[AndreLM]

Out of interest has anyone tried the rotor crank pm?

Yes. Put on a new bike, updated firmware as per instructions, and kaput... Suddenly I was with a very expensive Rotor 3D+ crankset on my bike.

Returned it, and got a P2M-S instead. Working flawlessly for almost 1 year.

[UncleJamsArmy]

Yes, it's worth it.

I have a P2M (S type) and it's been flawless. Wife has a Cinqo and it's been flawless as well. She never gets it wet, so I can't speak to it's weather resistance.

Truthfully, pretty much all of the PMs are great nowadays. Your choice is really based on crank choices, aesthetic and price.

dcrainmaker.com is a great source for PM info too.

have you gotten p2m through wet conditions? if so how bad?

There are plenty of threads on here (quick search will reveal them) with plenty of satisfied P2M users. I'm another. And ridden mine through all conditions - training and racing in both Australia and Belgium. One Gran Fondo was especially satisfying - temp was 6 on the start line at nearly 1600m and hit 30 towards the end of the ride. But by the end I had complete faith my data was clean and no temp drift due to the unit's auto offset. Pretty impressive.


UncleJamsArmy the P2M Canada reply sounds odd. Not the customer service I would expect (and have experienced) from P2M. Was your first email aggressive? Your method of comparison is certainly not very rigorous. Why not offer to ship the spider back for them to check? P2M Canada's take on the matter would be interesting to hear.

My first email was certainly not aggressive. A simple, "hi, I have a problem, can you help me out." When that email went unanswered, the second one was "I would appreciate a response to my email." I certainly ramped up my aggressiveness when I got Michael's sarcastic reply. What really gets me, though, is his complete unwillingness to entertain the possibility that there might be something wrong with the unit.

Though my method of comparison regarding riding side by side is certainly not rigorous, there are other data points to look at; my readings using my prior PMs (Stages and Pioneer). To give you an example, my 30-minute power in late March using my Stages power meter was 241 watts (I know, pretty weak). When my S3 went down and we had to use the Power2Max, we knew the power meter was reading low so we had to do a new power test to get a new baseline in late May. My 20-minute power was 202. We had to re-set all the power zones for my workouts based on the lower reading.

I'm getting the S3 back next week after having the chainstay repaired and we will have to do a new power test to get a new baseline again. I will still be able to ride my backup bike to do recovery rides or endurance pace rides, but if the S3 is unavailable for whatever reason, it is really disappointing to know I can't use the backup bike to fill in on a training ride with targeted power zones.

I couldn't send the spider bike for testing while the S3 was being repaired because it is the only power meter I can use right now. But I contacted Michael earlier this week telling him I would like to send the unit back now that the S3 is coming back next week. Michael has not yet responded to my initial or follow-up email.

Contrast this experience with Stages. I broke the battery door to the power meter and Stages sent me several free replacement battery doors and seals for free right away, no questions asked.

[Tinea Pedis]

Sending a battery door versus a (apparently) faulty unit isn't a fair comparison. If you work in a job with emails you'll know stuff gets missed. So an aggressive follow up isn't how I would have played it. Not excusing his reply either, but maybe he just wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine. Minus the part where he bemoans rude customers on an internet forum...

And if reading such low power was of such a concern then I would have also asked to have the unit accepted for a return and testing. Any Australian who has owned a SRM (like me) can attest to how much it sucks being without the units while it's off in New Zealand every time the battery required replacement. Is all part of the sweet and the sour of owning a power meter. That 'time without unit' trumps 'collecting possibly false data' notwithstanding.

At least that is how I see it.

[dunbar42]

I have a P2M Type-S and it reads maybe 5-10w higher than my Powertap G3 although I've never used them both at the same time. The Powertap reads more instantly whereas the P2M is more steady. It seems like you're seeing 2-3 second old data with the P2M where the Powertap spikes up right away on the Garmin when you romp on the pedals. The first battery on my P2M lasted around 300 hours which is decent but not the 400 hours they advertise.

[petromyzon]

Both established products with decent time in the marketplace. You can re-calibrate the Quarq yourself, which is important. I am happy with mine but you won't go wrong with either.

[tk2306]

I can't speak for P2M units but I have had 3 quarqs (different bb standards and multiple bikes) and have been very happy with all of them. I train around 25 hours a week and I have not had any issues. The benefit I see of a quarq over a P2M is the ability to change the slope/calibration if it matters to you. Nothing against P2M but I don't see what you are getting for $200 more.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Stueys]

I have a P2M Type-S and it reads maybe 5-10w higher than my Powertap G3 although I've never used them both at the same time. The Powertap reads more instantly whereas the P2M is more steady. It seems like you're seeing 2-3 second old data with the P2M where the Powertap spikes up right away on the Garmin when you romp on the pedals. The first battery on my P2M lasted around 300 hours which is decent but not the 400 hours they advertise.

It will do, the powertap is taking a reading post drive train losses so it will be lower than something crank or pedal based

[Stueys]

Out of interest has anyone tried the rotor crank pm?

Yes. Put on a new bike, updated firmware as per instructions, and kaput... Suddenly I was with a very expensive Rotor 3D+ crankset on my bike.

Returned it, and got a P2M-S instead. Working flawlessly for almost 1 year.

Hmm, thanks for the feedback, not encouraging. Rotor seem to have quietly dropped this looking at the stock levels and availability.