Long Term powermeter reviews.

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ergott
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by ergott

This is a good forum to collect first hand reviews on PMs.

I will be purchasing a crank based PM soon and I'd like to hear people's long term experience with them (long being 3+ years). There are a lot of good options out there and SRM has long been the gold standard for longevity. Is that still the case? I don't want to spend all that money only to have issues (no manufacturer is 100%).

my biggest concerns are:
1) extreme temps (down to single digit F).
2) wet weather (will go between road bike and fender/commute bike)
3) reliability (fewest dropped data)
4) 24mm axle (I run BSA)
5) ease of swap and left arm durability moving from bike to bike

Hub based is out of the question as one bike is disc and the others are rim.

The local coach here insists that the only PM he doesn't have constant issues with is SRM. I'm willing to pay the extra money if it is indeed the best. However, if I hear that Quarq and/or Power2max are holding up after years of tough conditions I'd be happy to save that money. Might even get a second PM in that case!

Thanks guys :thumbup:

sungod
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by sungod

can only speak for srm, for over five years mine has been bulletproof in all weather conditions...

from dry sub-zero celsius where water bottles froze in about 20 minutes, to damp around zero where spray/mist was freezing onto the frame and drivetrain, to monsoon-like, to high 40s celsius

only dropouts i get are from some traffic radars, the pc7 seems sensitive to these

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bici1977
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by bici1977

DC Rainmaker has a very good blog and in-depth reviews of pretty much every powermeter that is currently available on the market.....

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews --> http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews/power-meters

zirxo
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by zirxo

I've had my Power2Max Type-S for a bit over 1.5 years and it has been bombproof so far.
I've used it in rain and in temps down to -13 degrees Celsius without any problem.

rbrtwyn
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by rbrtwyn

I've been using my SRM since 2008. Other than sending it back every few years for a battery change (which doesn't bother me) I haven't had a single issue. I often ride in sub freezing temps with no issues. It simply works.

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jekyll man
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by jekyll man

The question is what does an SRM do for 2.5x (or more) the price of anything else??

Maybe 5 years ago they were the gold standard but like LW, they've been left behind.
User serviceability (yes i'm aware of people that change their own battery, but i suspect none do it on something less than 3 years old) is an issue.
Heard a few complaints of water ingress over a long time killing their internals. Expensive to replace/repair.

A lot of people say the current Riken's are bang on for the money. No hassle and reliable (and accurate).

Personally, i'd go Power2Max. Run a classic for a couple of years now, on 1 battery change. Piece of cake to change between bikes, and sticking with a 24mm axle will pretty much futureproof it (unlike 30mm versions and certain frames).
Get 1 for a Rotor 3D24; cranks are plentiful if you decide you want to experiment with changing length.

If only choices like these were available when i bought my powercrap...
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BdaGhisallo
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by BdaGhisallo

I have been an SRM user since 1998, using five different generations of powermeter, and every powercontrol since the PC4.

I have never had a moment when I wished I had bought another product. They have been so reliable and durable and simple to use, and the service out of the Co Springs service center, that I wouldn't hesitate to go with an SRM. They are a bit more expensive but the extra is well worth it, imo.

RyanH
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by RyanH

I'll repost this here from another thread:

Considering I have to send my SRM back right now after 3 months of use due to a most likely premature battery failure (or electronics), here's my two cents at the moment (coming from a Quarq for 2.5 years):

  1. I have a few climbs that I routinely do intervals on (100+ times up). Quarq and SRM read nearly identical (+/- 1% of each other).
  2. SRM + Garmin kind of sucks: it auto calibrates whenever coasting for 5s (can't turn that feature off) which can *potentially* lead to reading wrong. OTOH, every time I thought it was reading off, after stopping to calibrate I found the slope was nearly identical to the saved value so it might not be a real concern other than knowing that eats away at you when you're mashing up a climb full bore and your power numbers are reading what you think is low.
  3. SRM spider is heavier
  4. Quarq responded to my service email right away. 1.5 business days has elapsed so far and no word from SRM yet. Called twice no answer.
  5. My Quarq died after two years of service due to water getting into the strain guages.
  6. Quarq replaced my water damaged, out of warranty PM for $500 with a full warranty on the new spider. Two weeks door to door.
  7. Quarq has an accelerometer built in as well as auto temp sensing. SRM does not. In CA where you can start your ride at 60+* at the base of a mountain and end up at 32*, it can affect your readings not having the auto adjust.
  8. Did I mention that you can change the battery yourself without spending $100 and two weeks without your crank?
  9. Quarq blinks when its on. SRM doesn't.

In all honesty, if it was not for THM only being compatible with the SRM spider, I have no reason to choose SRM over Quarq. Quarq's product works as well, if not better in some regards and is helluvalot cheaper.

topflightpro
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by topflightpro

I've been on SRM for the past 18 months, and I have been very happy with the reliability of the unit, so much so that I bought a second one used for my second bike. (I now have one Sram GXP and one Hollogram version.)

I came to SRM because of my issues with Quarq. I went through three of them in 18 months. The first one lasted 9 months before it stopped giving me power. Cadence still came through, but power didn't. I replaced batteries and did the reset as instructed by Quarq with no success. Quarq replaced the unit for me, but I was without that crank for about two weeks and incurred shipping costs there.

Three months later, the new Quarq started acting up, giving me constant power drift. This started after a dropped chain. Basically, the longer I rode, the higher my power went. I averaged 600 watts for an hour on one ride - I'm nowhere near that strong. Quarq again replaced it.

The third one lasted six months before it dropped power like the first. This time, it started after I rode on wet pavement - not during rain, but after a rain storm. Quarq replaced it, and I sold it on eBay.

My wife, on the other hand, has had two Quarqs, a Sram 975 and a Specialized one, without any problems. She kept the first one three years and then we sold it when she got a new bike, and we replaced it with the Specialized one which has been solid for the past three years.

My Quarqs were all 130 bcd, hers were 110. I have speculated that maybe the 110 ones are more reliable than the 130.

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ms6073
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by ms6073

jekyll man wrote:The question is what does an SRM do for 2.5x (or more) the price of anything else??

I asked that exact question when I called the US SRM service center not to long ago after encountering a problem changing batteries on a DA 9000 SRM. In my case, after I sent in the powermeter, in addition to replacing the batteries, they swapped to a newer version of the PCB and updated the firmware. As a result, when I am looking at the Powermeter page with my Garmin Edge 520, it now displays additional details, such as battery life and the version number of the firmware. While I still believe SRM are the gold standard, companies like Stages and Pioneer are chipping away at the dynasty, so unless SRM introduces some super innovative powermeter pretty quick, then I fear they will soon be nothing more than a footnote in the history of powermeters.
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pritchet74
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by pritchet74

I have been on a few SRM's over the last 11 years. I have ridden in temps (F) from 5 degrees to 120 degrees. No problems. Never a problem in the rain / snow. Super reliable. I used to run a square taper BB and swapped it between bikes regularly. I am on a Dura-Ace style now and it's REALLY easy and fast to swap it between bikes.
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aaric
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by aaric

My quarq had multiple issues with batteries and the pod that it attached to. A couple firmware bugs. It used to temperature drift on long climbs / trainer sessions as well - I think they've fixed needing to backpedal to rezero, but I'm not positive. Customer service was great, but I just got annoyed dealing with it. I got pissed off after the 3rd battery pod issue, and sold it.

My SRM has been set and forget for almost 3 years now. I sent it back once for a new battery after I replaced it myself and it started behaving erratically. Bought it used for significantly less than the quarq.

That being said, I just ordered a rotor power2max for my next project. Hard to beat the price if you are going to be purchasing a crankset as well, and haven't heard anything bad about power2max.

KWalker
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by KWalker

Here are my reviews based on past experiences in TL;DR form

1. P2M Classic- I never had an issue with a P2M Classic. The battery door was sort of ugly, but the thing gave consistent results.
2. P2M Type S- I had one that read slightly low compared to my Classics and subsequent Classic. Looks nicer, weighs less, never had a single drop out. I do notice that these seem to record lower peak and 5s power values relative to other PMs and even my Classic.
3. SRM- I've had 3 SRMs. The DA wired unit had a cracked spider, which was common. The other two units were wireless and par for the course with SRM in terms of having known temp/altitude drift. One had some issues maintaining calibration and was replaced. No serious problems or abnormalities.
4. Quarq- I had quite a few older Quarqs that all had significant temperature or moisture issues. Used a new one as well, which also had drift issues. I would never ride one again.

Details:
-I think the best PM for the money is the Rotor 3D+ P2M Type S. It can be used with almost any BB, its fairly light and pretty damn stiff. Ticks all the boxes and install is quick/easy.

-Quarqs still have issues for quite a few that I know.

-I would be very interested in using a Pioneer unit and have heard nothing but glowing reviews for them, however, they're Shimano only.
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Squint
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by Squint

Infocrank is coming out with a 24 mm version soon. They're built for accuracy and reliability to compete with SRM not to see who can make the cheapest powermeter.

jeffy
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by jeffy

having just gone through a similar (and prolonged) "which powermeter" debate with myself. If i had gone with crank based, i would of, without doubt, gone for a P2M.

As an aside how much weight does a SRM spider generally add?

It seems to me that most reliable PMs at the moment add somewhere in the region between 100g-200g which is quite a lot.

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