What power meter would you choose?

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Rick
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by Rick

Although they all seem to work reasonably well, I don't like the current crop of pedal based PMs because I don't like LOOK style pedals, and they all reduce cornering clearance.

If money were no object, I would probably try the Pioneer/Shimano system.
as a practical matter, I might go for Quarq or P2M

I have been very happy with my Powertap SL+ hub setup too, but I would like a crank-based so I can use any rear wheel I want.
Last edited by Rick on Tue Nov 10, 2015 1:09 am, edited 1 time in total.

laspariahs
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by laspariahs

Rick wrote:Although they all seem to work reasonably well, I don't like the current crop of pedal based PMs because I don't like LOOK style pedals, and they all reduce cornering clearance.

If money were no object, I would probably try the Panasonic/Shimano system.
as a practical matter, I might go for Quarq or P2M

I have been very happy with my Powertap SL+ hub setup too, but I would like a crank-based so I can use any rear wheel I want.



Do you mean Pioneer?

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Rick
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by Rick

Oops! Yes, I meant Pioneer.

jeffy
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by jeffy

If money were no object, I would probably try the Samsung/Shimano system.

AZR3
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by AZR3

I've only used Power2Max but it worked well enough for me to add another for my TT bike. Rock solid out side but the signal does get lost on the trainer when my girlfriend uses the microwave (about 15ft away) lol

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havana
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by havana

Why the hell would you choose a Pioneer over a P2Max of a Stages? Pioneer is very, very overpriced IMHO.
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FIJIGabe
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by FIJIGabe

If money is no object, I'm going with SRM. Now, money being the object, and this being WW and all, I'm going to go with Stages or maybe 4iiii, once those are out on the market. DC Rainmaker makes a good point on the issue of left/right balance, when he points out that each one of those PM's carry with them, an inherent margin of error, which, unless you have a large discrepancy in your power balance, a dual-sided PM won't give perfectly accurate results. My only issue with the Stages or 4iiii meters is clearance around the BB mounted brake on my Madone, however, I hope to resolve that soon.

savechief
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by savechief

There are several reasons to choose Pioneer over P2Max or Stages:

You want to use Shimano cranks -> P2Max not an option
You don't want total power to be single-leg power x 2 -> Stages not an option
You want individual leg power -> Neither P2Max nor Stages is an option

Pioneer is very compelling if you want dual-sided power and already have a Shimano crankset, at which point the Pioneer system is $1,000. Yes, more expensive than some of the P2Max offerings, but it does have some advantages.
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fogman
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by fogman

I am looking at Power Meter options for my Super Record cranks. Are Stages and P2Max my only options presently?
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Rick
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by Rick

If I am thinking about this correctly: Pioneer would be the only true individual leg measurement, since it places sensors on each crank arm. The Quarq is the "net" power of the two legs, assigned to left or right by crank position. (I am not familiar at all with SRM, so maybe it does this too, I don't know.)

So for example, if you tend to 'drag' your left leg up on the back side inefficiently, the Pioneer could show that. The quarq would show less power being produced by the right leg, but you wouldn't be shown whether it is because the right leg is pushing down less forcefully, or if it is because of the left leg being inefficiently lifted.

How essential or useful this more detailed information would be is a separate subject.

Is this thinking correct ?

I am sort of surprised that Stages is declining to do a 2-sided version of theirs, since it seems like it would be such a logical extension of their technology, and obviously a lot of people don't fully trust a single-leg measurement.

EvilEuro
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by EvilEuro

Rick wrote:If I am thinking about this correctly: Pioneer would be the only true individual leg measurement, since it places sensors on each crank arm. The Quarq is the "net" power of the two legs, assigned to left or right by crank position. (I am not familiar at all with SRM, so maybe it does this too, I don't know.)


Verve Infocrank also has individual leg measurement with sensors on each arm. However, I think that it's a bit cost prohibitive at present since it costs $1750 USD and requires a magnet for cadence rather than using an accelerometer.

As for left-right power from other PM's, DC Rainmaker brought this up in his last power meter buying guide:

Estimated Left/Right Power: This became all the rage just prior to true left/right units coming out...

That platform works by essentially splitting your crank in half and assuming that any power recorded while pulling up is actually coming from the left side, whereas pushing down is from the right side. Thus, an estimation. It’s good, but not perfect.

The PowerTap C1, Power2Max units, and all SRAM/Quarq models currently on the market use this method.


Also, any of the dual pedal PM's will provide true left-right balance.

knukkeltje
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by knukkeltje

Rick wrote:Although they all seem to work reasonably well, I don't like the current crop of pedal based PMs because I don't like LOOK style pedals, and they all reduce cornering clearance.

If money were no object, I would probably try the Pioneer/Shimano system.
as a practical matter, I might go for Quarq or P2M

I have been very happy with my Powertap SL+ hub setup too, but I would like a crank-based so I can use any rear wheel I want.


Are you sure about the cornering clearance?
I happen to ride with the Garmin Vector-S (because I use 3 different bikes and can change the pedal literally in a minute), but as far as I can tell there's no difference in cornering between regular Look pedals and the Vectors.

istigatrice
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by istigatrice

Just thought I'd chime in on the Rotor powermeters - I've got a Power LT unit for review (which is coming soon) and it's held up really well over the past year. Ridden with it through all 4 seasons now and haven't had any issues with battery life draining, and calibration is easy.
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junchen
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by junchen

Just received my stages power meter (left sided measurement only). 5 min installation and ready to go. Just make sure u calibrate (zero offset) it using your Garmin prior to each ride (leave crank at 6 o clock position and don't step on pedal) and it's good to go. Costs me 860 sgd (exchange rate 1 usd to 1 sgd) from my local distributor.

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Rick
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by Rick

knukkeltje wrote:Are you sure about the cornering clearance?
I happen to ride with the Garmin Vector-S (because I use 3 different bikes and can change the pedal literally in a minute), but as far as I can tell there's no difference in cornering between regular Look pedals and the Vectors.

Looks like I am wrong on the cornering clearance. It is a very small effect.

I might have to reconsider the pedal based! :thumbup:

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