Power meters

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Milzy

Guru
I don't need one to know on a long ride I'll plop out about 150 watts average & then marvel at the power of the pro's.
 
Can anyone recommend a good power meter, Did not want to use the rear hub ones. What do you use and how do you rate them.
You have a choice of pedal or crank based strain gauges. I borrowed some Stages crank based strain gauges, and used a Garmin to do the voodoo. They did work very well, but the battery drain was epic.
 

S-Express

Guest
That doesn't really help unfortunately. On that basis, it would be just as easy to browse DC Rainmaker's site and see what the various systems offer in the hope of identifying some of the features you might require.
 
OP
OP
derrick

derrick

The Glue that binds us together.
That doesn't really help unfortunately. On that basis, it would be just as easy to browse DC Rainmaker's site and see what the various systems offer in the hope of identifying some of the features you might require.
You cannot trust reviews, i would rather here from someone on here who has used one, and hear what they thought of them.
 

uclown2002

Guru
Location
Harrogate
Stages:-

Pro:-
Very easy to install
Very easy to swap on to another bike
One of the 'cheaper' power meters
Seems accurate as readings very close to Tacx Neo

Cons:-
Only reads power on the left crank and doubles it.
 
I have used Limits, and presently use a Stages on the MTB and a Powermeter C1 chainring on the road bike.
The limits powermeter is a adaptor that goes between the pedal and crank therefore moving the pedal out a cm or so. I found it un-reliable and gave silly readings a lot. I gave up on it.
The Stages is a single crank arm, as @Racing roadkill says it eats batterries but this is due to a known common Stages fault, the bluetooth/wireless stays on . This common fault has been around since 2014 you would think they would fix it and have elimanated by now. I should send it back for repair but I could not be bothered and I just remove the battery after each ride instead. Readings are consistent and rarely needs calibrating. Fairly bombproof, I have smacked it on rocks, deluged it in water and it still runs.

The Powertap Chainring is chainrings with a powermeter attached, you get left right power etc. I find its excellent apart from one thing, The chainrings are made of cheese, the big ring is starting to show signs of wear and I am fairly small at 69 kilos( teeth starting to "lean" forwards) after 1,000 miles approx. They cost 200 quid to replace, not impressed.
However all are bloody useless unless you know what to do with them, I dont so I hired someone who did. ( I tried reading books on the subject but gave up) Since starting with them nearly 3 months ago my FTP is up 20 odd watts and a race I did last year, I did this year nearly a minute a lap faster ( avg 15 mins last year, 14 this)
I can track my improvement and quite importantly my fatigue as I am getting older and need to train smart not just hard. Overall I would recommned them if you want to race but if you dont know how to write your own training plan and interperet the data they are useless. I find the combination of a coach and powermeters invaluable.
 
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OP
OP
derrick

derrick

The Glue that binds us together.
I have used Limits, and presently use a Stages on the MTB and a Powermeter C1 chainring on the road bike.
The limits powermeter is a adaptor that goes between the pedal and crank therefore moving the pedal out a cm or so. I found it un-reliable and gave silly readings a lot. I gave up on it.
The Stages is a single crank arm, as @Racing roadkill says it eats batterries but this is due to a known common Stages fault, the bluetooth/wireless stays on . This common fault has been around since 2014 you would think they would fix it and have elimanated by now. I should send it back for repair but I could not be bothered and I just remove the battery after each ride instead. Readings are consistent and rarely needs calibrating. Fairly bombproof, I have smacked it on rocks, deluged it in water and it still runs.

The Powertap Chainring is chainrings with a powermeter attached, you get left right power etc. I find its excellent apart from one thing, The chainrings are made of cheese, the big ring is starting to show signs of wear and I am fairly small at 69 kilos( teeth starting to "lean" forwards) after 1,000 miles approx. They cost 200 quid to replace, not impressed.
However all are bloody useless unless you know what to do with them, I dont so I hired someone who did. ( I tried reading books on the subject but gave up) Since starting with them nearly 3 months ago my FTP is up 20 odd watts and a race I did last year, I did this year nearly a minute a lap faster ( avg 15 mins last year, 14 this)
I can track my improvement and quite importantly my fatigue as I am getting older and need to train smart not just hard. Overall I would recommned them if you want to race but if you dont know how to write your own training plan and interperet the data they are useless. I find the combination of a coach and powermeters invaluable.
Thanks for that, i am only asking as a friend i ride with wants them, she does not race, She just has to have all the gear,
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
I've had Be pro S for just under a year. They have worked fine. Initial calibration is a little fiddly and you need to check the pedal is correctly tightened or your readings can be a bit skewed, not a problem if you follow the instructions though. For the price nothing to grumble about and you can upgrade to dual sided at a later date if you want. Battery lasts well, easy to recharge, uses standard Look Keo cleats, lightweight, transferable and most importantly they give consistent readings for repeatable training.
 
I forgot to mention my daughter had the Vector pedals. She had the first ones ( V1) Trouble with pedals is they have bearings and wear out and the V1's had shite bearings, when they wore out in a year we paid for a conversion to V2. She also bent the "pods" on them and had to buy a relacement on one that cracked. Apart from that she found them reliable as long as they were tightened to the correct torque like @Hacienda71 ''s Be pro S pedals.
 

S-Express

Guest
Thanks for that, i am only asking as a friend i ride with wants them, she does not race, She just has to have all the gear,

Now we're getting somewhere. In which case, just buy the cheapest - or the one she likes the look of. Doesn't sound like accuracy/reliability is much of a priority. Or better still, just tell her to guess the numbers and save her money.
 
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