Power Meters / Powermeters (SRM, Powertap, Quarq, Ergomo, Vector, Stages, power2max, P2M, 4iii, InPower, Cinch)

Nah, not worrying about it at all. Wonky L-R readings could be a result of not having both pedals evenly torqued, however I think it's unlikely because 90% of the ride seems very consistent. Even so, I'll get everything properly tightened as soon as the wrench and adaptor arrive.

In the meantime the numbers are purely for interest. I don't plan to display any power metrics on my head unit for at least a couple of weeks until I've got used to the sorts of data I expect to see. Also none of the metrics are likely to have any useful meaning until I do a proper threshold test.

With my athletes I'm really not that bothered about their L/R balance unless they have some kind of injury and we have a look to see if there's a deficit from normal.

Did a ramp test on one guy the other day with L/R showing from a Power2Max - it's not perfect but does give a fairly good idea of balance - really changes depending on the power outputs and cadences. I've had a Power2Max for quite a while now and have never looked at my own L/R balance.

Xav

Hour long webinar intro to training with power meters by Hunter Allen sponsored by Powertap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNZVDgTajRg

New, cheaper, Pioneer units based on DA 9000 and Ultegra 6800
http://velonews.competitor.com/2014/02/bikes-and-tech/pioneer-electronics-launches-new-improved-power-meter_317502

That's quite interesting, thanks for posting it.

(Says the man with some 6800 cranks).

Still not convinced by measuring crank flex as a proxy for usable torque, but at least the Pioneer ones are in stereo :-)

I keep umming and aahing about the Stages.

I'm just not sure what it brings to the table that my PowerCal doesn't, apart from the opportunity to spend a lot of money.

Powertap>Stages

Since I've had my replacement my Stages has been faultless and is easily swapped between 4 bikes that have GXP cranksets so for a relatively modest sum I have what appears to be repeatable power across a wide range of my bikes. OK, Xav thinks it Mickey Mouse data and I'm sure compared to SRM it is, but to be perfectly honest it's more than good enough for me as an enthusiastic amateur to base some basic training on/make the turbo more specific and bearable/measure approx gains in performance. And I can use it on my fixed gear bike which has a Omnium, so GXP system. I'm well pleased with mine for £599 despite the naysayers.

I appreciate all of your points. Still debating this.

Biggest issue is I don't want to have to relace my rear wheel, I like having hubs that match the group.

I understand that this is a first world problem.

I used a powertap when I was last racing a few years ago. It was built into a 32h training wheel which was fine on the one bike I used it on, but didn't allow the flexibility to easily switch between bikes (different cassette spacings on different bikes, plus I wasn't going to use the PT wheel for racing as performance was more important than data collection). For me the crank based system of Stages just wins out over flexibility vs the PT, even given that it has the possibility to give errors in the absolute values due to any pedal balance differences.

What do you use power for Dammit? Is it purely for your own interest, or do you use it in training?

Both really, but if I'm honest more out of interest.

I've got a Rotor 3D+ SRM (waiting to go on) the Time Machine, and I'm waiting for a Type-S SiSl Power2Max to go on the SSP.

However, I'm doing all my cycling at the moment on the Serotta, which has nothing, so I've been using my PowerCal to feed TSS data into Training Peaks.

Pioneer looks an interesting option if it does come in at under £1k. Proper left/right measurement and a decent chainset. I think the Power2max Type-S is still a better option there though as A) nobody seems to have a clue what to do with left/right balance and pedal stroke data, and B) the last versions were a bit dodgy and with it being such a random department of a big company I do worry they might shut up shop and disappear again...

Still, nice to see another competitor. Hopefully forces prices down a bit.

Original P2M on Rotor 3D+ is difficult to resist now that paying for one isn't crazy awkward.

I used a powertap when I was last racing a few years ago. It was built into a 32h training wheel which was fine on the one bike I used it on, but didn't allow the flexibility to easily switch between bikes (different cassette spacings on different bikes, plus I wasn't going to use the PT wheel for racing as performance was more important than data collection). For me the crank based system of Stages just wins out over flexibility vs the PT, even given that it has the possibility to give errors in the absolute values due to any pedal balance differences.

All my Powertaps were bought used - I can run one on the training wheels and one on the race wheels for the same cost as an inferior Stages unit.

What do you use power for Dammit? Is it purely for your own interest, or do you use it in training?

It's his backup metric in case one of his scales has broken down.

Pioneer looks an interesting option if it does come in at under £1k. Proper left/right measurement and a decent chainset. I think the Power2max Type-S is still a better option there though as A) nobody seems to have a clue what to do with left/right balance and pedal stroke data, and B) the last versions were a bit dodgy and with it being such a random department of a big company I do worry they might shut up shop and disappear again...

Under 1k is unlikely if it's retailing at $1800 though I would've thought?

P2Max is proven so sensible people after crank power would opt for that.

Sorry I was referring to the Ultegra model at $1550.

You're right though, the power2max seems a great option so far.

With all this innovation recently though it makes me wonder what the hell SRM have been doing for the last 20 years? They had a huge advantage in this market and seem to have failed to use. Surely having a cheaper version on the back burner or filing loads of patents would have been a sensible approach? They've certainly maintained their rep as a high precision/accuracy product but clearly there's a huge market here that they could have diversified into.

$1,550 will translate to £1,550 plus VAT, so final "price to you sir" will be, I predict, £1,900

ah. Less of a bargain.

Good thing I've got a power2max type-s on order! Hopefully it turns up soon too...

They've certainly maintained their rep as a high precision/accuracy product but clearly there's a huge market here that they could have diversified into.

They're happy to leave the toy market to others

Shimano filed a powermeter patent. Maybe that was posted already. If it happens it'll be GOOD.

The Stages left x2 power measurement got me thinking about how accurate it would be for me - I've got some nerve issues with my left leg. My PM has been recording the left/right balance for a while but I've never actually analysed the data so I trawled through it all to see.

It was a bit of an eye opener, if I had started out with a Stages unit I'd have burned all my bikes by now! Turns out that generally my balance is 43/57 but the longer the ride the worse the balance, after 3+ hours it can get worse than 40/60. I'm aware that I have an issue so it's not all that surprising for the longer rides but 2*20 intervals when I don't perceive any problems, it's still generally about 46/54.

My maths are probably wrong but for me that's the difference between devices calculating my FTP at 295w and 270w in the best case scenarios. Thought this might be useful info for those in the market for a PM.

With all this innovation recently though it makes me wonder what the hell SRM have been doing for the last 20 years? They had a huge advantage in this market and seem to have failed to use. Surely having a cheaper version on the back burner or filing loads of patents would have been a sensible approach? They've certainly maintained their rep as a high precision/accuracy product but clearly there's a huge market here that they could have diversified into.

SRM, say hello to Nokia. Guys, say hello to Blackberry..