stages or power tap?

ianbar

i have a bit of money burning a hole in my pocket..well in a couple of months and its burning already! i don't really need any clothes etc, i did think a helmet but nothing making me want to spend any money. so i have started to think about power meters. now stages strike me first as cheapest plus obviously not limited to fixing to a wheel etc. what do people feel are pro/cos of stages to power tap?

maddog 2

do you need a power meter?

meanredspider

Powertap is obviously measuring power at the wheel (where it matters) but might not be ideal if you use different wheels and has a small weight penalty.

Stages is very flexible - mine can go on any of my bikes including my MTB. Someone will be along soon to say that it only measures your left leg - that's true but I still have heard a reason to say that it's a big deal for us amateur riders.

For me, with one disc-braked road bike and one rim-braked road bike (not to mention the MTB), the Powertap was never an option.

ianbar

Of course I don't need power metre, I don't need the £2500 bike I have either or a garmin edge 810. I doubt any of us NEED most of the things we use for cycling.

Stages can't be too bad otherwise sky wouldn't use then...even if they have been paid too! I like numbers and charts what can I say!

dork_knight

After posting on this forum I opted for a Powertap, it was the best option for me as it changes between a couple of bikes with Shimano and Campagnolo groupsets.

If my bikes all had Shimano or SRAM then I would have opted for the Stages.

At the end of the day it's going to be best for you to opt for the one that's most interchangeable for your needs... Unless it's just for the one bike.

mulletmaster

Moved from a powertap as I couldn't race on the brick training wheel it was built in to. Don't regret it.

stueys

If you've got multiple bikes it's hard to find something more flexible than vector

ianbar

oh vector is well out of my price range. looks like stages would be my choice at the moment

meanredspider

Stueys wrote:

If you've got multiple bikes it's hard to find something more flexible than vector

Again, it depends a bit. I looked at Vector but (at the time) it wouldn't have fitted on my FSA cranks. I know that they now have another version that will fit (though I don't know if that means it then won't work on the other cranks). Adding the cost of new cranks and BB adaptor pushed the price up too high. And they still wouldn't have really been MTB compatible.

You really just need to weigh up (sorry if that's a pun given what follows) what suits you best. Stages certainly wins the weight prize - I measured a 13g difference.

gaz047

It's crank based, but power2max may be worth a look?