Power Meters - Which, Pro's and Con's?

[robsims]

I have Garmin Vector 2 Power pedals which I use on my indoor spinning bike  for HIIT, and I watch HIIT videos for motivation and structure during the training.

I have a Garmin 520 which it intergrades with faultlessly .

 

I have also used them on my Road bike but I find they are much more useful in the stationary environment.

 

They are easy to swap between bikes, and don't need any changes to drive chain etc.  They provide the power from each leg as well feedback on  foot position etc.

 

They are a bit expensive

Thank you for your time and input into the decision making process.

[Andrew_Smith]

I invested in a 4iiii Precision and was worth every cent to me personally.

 

I wanted to take my training to the next level with more structured training, as well as with power for guidance. 

 

My training graph is also a lot more accurate and I still ride my HRM.

 

I spend a lot of time on my bike weekly - so the premium will not be wasted.

 

4iiii is priced very well, depending on your groupset. Service was top notch and the power meter itself is very accurate.

 

Just my Bitcoin on the topic.

 

Good luck!

['Dale]

Thank you for your reply. Yes - I am new to this and have not posted nearly as much as yourself. I don't spend a large amount of time on Bikehub but I do think it is a fantastic and helpful site.

 

Your reply however lives very much up to your site name - Frosty. Rather unecessary. Replies further on in the forum considerably more polite and helpful.

Frosty gave you links to various discussions which took a bit of effort in his behalf.

And his post was matter of fact, clear and helpful.

 

If you knew him, you'd know he's a stand up contributor here.

 

Check those links. ????????

[madbradd]

There are so many on the market. First decide which types you want / don't want.

 

Hub based is not a good option if you want to change wheel sets for different conditions, but you can use it on different bikes.

 

Crank based is great if you only want to use it on one bike. However they are expensive if you want double sided power.

 

Pedal based allows you to swap wheels and bikes pretty easily. Single and double sided options available as well.

 

I've got a hub based one - it works great but if I need to swap wheels for whatever reason I lose a valuable metric. A pedal based meter gives you the most flexibility, but they come with their own issues.

 

Definitely read the DCRainmaker reviews, they will help alot in narrowing your options technically. From there look at price, support, and reported issues.

[robsims]

I invested in a 4iiii Precision and was worth every cent to me personally.

 

I wanted to take my training to the next level with more structured training, as well as with power for guidance. 

 

My training graph is also a lot more accurate and I still ride my HRM.

 

I spend a lot of time on my bike weekly - so the premium will not be wasted.

 

4iiii is priced very well, depending on your groupset. Service was top notch and the power meter itself is very accurate.

 

Just my Bitcoin on the topic.

 

Good luck!

 

Thanks Andrew.  What region cost wise are the 4iiii Precision units go for? and are they dual or one side?

[robsims]

Frosty gave you links to various discussions which took a bit of effort in his behalf.

And his post was matter of fact, clear and helpful.

 

If you knew him, you'd know he's a stand up contributor here.

 

Check those links.

 

Thanks - I stand corrected and happy to to be so. Apologies to Frosty if I mistook his reply.

[robsims]

There are so many on the market. First decide which types you want / don't want.

 

Hub based is not a good option if you want to change wheel sets for different conditions, but you can use it on different bikes.

 

Crank based is great if you only want to use it on one bike. However they are expensive if you want double sided power.

 

Pedal based allows you to swap wheels and bikes pretty easily. Single and double sided options available as well.

 

I've got a hub based one - it works great but if I need to swap wheels for whatever reason I lose a valuable metric. A pedal based meter gives you the most flexibility, but they come with their own issues.

 

Definitely read the DCRainmaker reviews, they will help alot in narrowing your options technically. From there look at price, support, and reported issues.

 

Many thanks

[shaper]

Thanks Andrew.  What region cost wise are the 4iiii Precision units go for? and are they dual or one side?

a quick google of 4iii will give you the price, else click on bikehub classifieds and power meters and there is an advert from 4iii

 

Not to sound rude, but you are considering making an investment in a power meter and you cannot be bothered to do a search yourself of the power meters recommended to get an idea of price and maybe narrow down options based on your budget???

[Pieterkaggel]

Didn't follow the thread in detail so sorry if I repeat something that has already been said... I've had a SRM pricey but very good.... Now I have a Powertap Hub only for training.... Much cheaper and battery replacement is easy.... Just as reliable.... Can't fault it... One thing to remember.... Getting a power meter won't do anything for your riding unless you use it properly and train according to a plan..... Good luck...

[Frosty]

Thanks - I stand corrected and happy to to be so. Apologies to Frosty if I mistook his reply.

No harm done.

[Andrew_Smith]

Thanks Andrew.  What region cost wise are the 4iiii Precision units go for? and are they dual or one side?

https://4iiii.co.za/precision-single-sided.html

 

https://4iiii.co.za/precision-pro.html

[DieselnDust]

No must be a coincidence, am bit of a hacker really. Which rob sims do you refer to?

 

Anyhow - Getting along in age but with 3 kids almost all out of the house and possibly little bit of time on hand, I want to up my training to be more effective and scientific than just getting out 2 - 3 times a week and going balls to the wall. Killing myself in the odd race.

 

Am riding a Bianchi road bike. Currently seldom on the mountain.

OK thanks for that.

There's a rob Sims who does quite well at mtb.

Anyhow back to power meters....

If you have a Campagnolo groupset with carbon cranks you are limited to

Stages carbon for campagnolo

SRM

Garmin vector 3 pedals

Look /SRM xact pedal based

Favero Assioma pedal based left or dual sided

 

If shimano then 4iiii precision

Watt Team powerbeat gen 3 in addition to the above

 

All the popular power meter brands produce units that work, are reliable but cost may vary. Cost isn't really indicative of quality or accuracy.

 

Left arm crank based power meters are quite movable from bike to bike as long as the bottom bracket allows.

 

Key point is it doesn't matter which brand of unit you buy but rather what training plan you use in combination with the power meter. This is where the gains are. The brand is just coffee stop bragging rights.

 

I personally have used a few brands with stages and quarq being my favourites due to the superb local support for either.

 

So decide what you want to spend.

Let us know what drivetrain you have and then we have battle it out for who gets your ear.

 

Oh and don't be too bothered about left side vs dual side. That's neither here nor there in terms of accuracy at our level of riding. What you will be most interested in is improvement in normalised power and granularity in 3s power when executing workouts

All the units are good for that.