Which power meter - least likely to use the warranty

hmar

Hello all,

I’m in the market for a power meter and have read DC Rainmaker power meter guide several times over as well as all of the comments and many many forums...

I am hoping for an accurate and consistent power meter and perhaps more importantly, one whose warranty I won’t have to use. My issue is that I work and live full time in North Africa and so getting the logistics in place to send out a faulty power meter and getting it back is not easy.

The power meter will be going on a coupled (S&S) bike that I travel with occasionally. My budget is about $1000 (so no SRM).

As such, any opinions and experiences with respect to reliability would be greatly appreciated.

Here is what I am looking at and some thoughts:

Powertap hub - seems to be one of the most solid options with very few complaints. However, those who have complained seemed to have had problems with bearings and apparently bearing replacements need to be handled by the service center. Sending out a wheel seems like a big PITA.

Quarq vs Power2max: seems to be a mixed bag here with respect or reviews. In both cases it seems like some people have had a bad run with a particular brand, having to warranty several units. Meanwhile, it seems like some people have run a given unit for years without any problems. I am also wondering if there should be any concern for crank based power for a travel bike... is there any need for concern for a crank based power meter that will be packed in a bike box?

Powertap P1 (other pedals): Seems super convenient and the DC Rainmaker review is quite good. However, many in the comments section complained of signal and/or bearing issues...

Stages and 4iiii: reviews for the Stages seem mixed but it isn’t always easy to tell when critiques are referring to gen 1 vs gen 2. Honestly I would accept the weaknesses of left-only if it means having a considerably lower possibility of needing to use the warranty.

So... any thoughts on which power meter is the most reliable????

Thanks in advance for any help!

cougie

I like my powertap wheel but all my power training is done on a turbo. So a turbo measuring power or even virtual power would work for me. What racing are you doing ?

redvision

My powertap p1s were brilliant when they worked but incredibly unreliable and i ended up (after going through several sets in a matter of months) getting a refund.

Now have two 4iiii pm's. The 105 one stopped working two months ago and has only just been replaced. The Dura Ace one seems ok though - although hasn't had the use the 105 had.

FWIW i talked to my lbs about power meters for quite a while and they told me that the highest failure rate of any cycling product at the moment is power meters and actually advised me to go for the SRM (which they didn't stock) if i wanted reliability. I had tried one of these previously but cannot justify spending £2k on a pm.

It's great that power meters have come down in price so much but it does appear that build quality/durability has possibly been sacrificed to achieve this.

Beatmaker

It's great that power meters have come down in price so much but it does appear that build quality/durability has possibly been sacrificed to achieve this.

I have to agree unfortunately. I have a crank based power meter which has stopped working all together and needs to go back under warranty, as I don't have a spare crank lying around, it means time off the road bike whilst its sorted.

I won't say which brand yet as I have not contacted them about the fault.

frisbee

My Quarq has been very reliable. The battery it came with died pretty quickly, which was confusing as it was at 86% IIRC (but apparently the battery percentage is meaningless). Quarq are owned by SRAM so I assume they are better backed and more reliable than the smaller companies.

Its hard to judge reliability by searching on the internet, people who don't have problems don't post.

kingstongraham

I installed my P2M 15 months ago, and the only thing I've had to do to it is replace the battery 2 months ago. It's been flown to Italy and back in a bike bag.

sloppyschleckonds

No issues whatsoever from PT Hub & Quarq

Proven, consistently accurate, reliable products.

pippi_langsamer-2

The P2M units seem to fare better than some of the others in terms of reliability.

The ng eco seems to get a very favorable review from DCR...

Favero Assioma (DUO), is also tempting me...

wongataa

I have had no problems with my P2M unit.

joe2008

I had no issues with Favero Bepros - 18 months of daily use.

I would buy Assioma's if I were looking for a reliable, and cheap, power meter.

buckmulligan

In your situation I'd say the worst offenders to avoid are Stages (according to numerous sources, the retail return rate is something like 10-15%) and the Powertap P1 pedals, which seem to get a really bad rep as well.

And do yourself a favour, don't go left-only...

paul_onabike

3x P2M's owned for more than 3 years, no problems at all.

Before that I had 2 older powertap hubs - one of them always seemed to be away being fixed under warranty - for weeks at a time.

stealth_rider1

Verve Infocrank!

DavidJB

Power2Max all the way...I sold my 4 year old unit to someone 2 years ago and it's still going strong. P1's are an absolute joke (went through 5 sets in a year) My garmin vectors seem ok so far!

StillGoing

My P2M Type S has been flawless. Nearly 3 years old and still not had to change the battery yet. The only issues with P2M that I'm aware of were with the very early models when they were trying to establish themselves. Since then, they've grown into a typically competent and efficient German company.

tigersnapper

I've got a 3 yr old P2M and it has worked without any problems. Haven't even had to change the battery yet, although it is on my winter bike now so only really gets used when on the Turbo. I've also got a Stages G2 on by main bike. No real problems although it is occasionally a bit flaky on a ride and the batteries need changing every 6-8 weeks. Oh, and the O ring on the battery door broke but Stages were really quick to send a free replacement.

hmar

Hello. Thank you all so much. With your input I am very close to pulling the trigger on a Powertap G3 or a P2M (I am in the market for upgrading cranks and wheels, so either is a valid candidate). Your experiences and opinions have been very helpful!

cgfw201

+1 for Quarq, zero issues on 800+ rides. Battery lasts forever. Doesn't need calibrating, just works.

foggymike

Another P2M type S user - zero hassle or issues so I'm a happy boy

skeetam

Had a Verve Infocrank for over a year and it's been rock solid.