Power meter - spider or canks

djbsmith59
djbsmith59 Posts: 14
in Road buying advice
1. My 105 chainrings need replaced 2. The rest of group set could do with being replaced but works okay for now 3. I want dual sided power meter

Quark spider and full group set £750? Or 4iiii cranks and replace cranks only £550?

Interested in
- ease of use
- ease of transfer between bikes (once or twice a year)
- accuracy
- compatibility if I upgrade to ultegra

Cheers!

Comments

  • dannbodge
    dannbodge Posts: 1,152
    Option A but Pedals not spider.

    Ease of use - They're pedals, so exactly the same
    Transfer - Much much much easier for swapping over bike compared to toner systems, Just need a couple of hard sprints/efforts to get them bedded in
    Accuracy - My Assioma Duos are within 3w of my Tacx Neo @300w
    Compatibility - They're pedals and shard the exact same axle as every other pedal on the market.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    Option C get the powermeter option on your turbo and use that. Outdoor power training is a lot more messy with traffic and hazards getting in the way.
  • jaxf
    jaxf Posts: 109
    I have 3 power meters, because if I knew then what I know now .....

    Go for pedal based, rechargeable off of electricity rather than batteries and make sure that the pedals are not built up at all, so you can corner confidently no matter how technical the descent.

    I am happy with my Assioma Faveros. They were a good price, and have none of the disadvantages of the crank based or built up pedals things before. They have been reliable and not cost me a fortune in batteries or bike techs.

  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    If you want a pm to go on a shimano crankset, forget a dual sided crank arm pm. Due to how shimano make the crankset the power readings on dual sided crank arm pm's is inaccurate.

    Shane Miller did a big investigation into it: https://gplama.com/2019/06/29/shimano-crankset-power-meters/

    Personally I would go for the assioma duo as it is brilliant and just works.

  • StillGoing
    StillGoing Posts: 5,211
    Spider based. P2M or Quarq. Switching spider based power meters between bikes is hardly a chore if the same BB. The battery life of the P2M lasts for ages. I've changed mine once in 4 years of ownership. It's easily within satisfactory range of the inbuilt power of my Neo too.
    I ride a bike. Doesn't make me green or a tree hugger. I drive a car too.
  • pippi_langsamer-2
    pippi_langsamer-2 Posts: 1,470
    Unless you're racing/ training to a plan, don't waste your money for a "must have", tool. As per the above comments, they're not easy to get to grips with on the road if you plan on using it properly, and you'll soon get bored of it. At the most, just buy single-sided. It'll make swapping it between bikes easier too rathenthan having to faff about with drive side swapping. I only use power on turbo now- had a dual sided Infocrank while racing. Got rid and don't miss it...
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    pippi_langsamer-2 said:

    Unless you're racing/ training to a plan, don't waste your money for a "must have", tool. As per the above comments, they're not easy to get to grips with on the road if you plan on using it properly, and you'll soon get bored of it. At the most, just buy single-sided. It'll make swapping it between bikes easier too rathenthan having to faff about with drive side swapping. I only use power on turbo now- had a dual sided Infocrank while racing. Got rid and don't miss it...

    You can argue the same with any sensor or accessory though.

    Power meters are very useful training tools and provide the most efficient means - by this I mean the power shown is the power you are putting out. Other methods, eg training to heart rate, can be effective but are not as efficient or reliable as power simply because to many variables can affect them- for example, a caffeine drink/gel will cause a hr rise and is not a result of training harder.

    However, no point in getting a power meter unless you plan to use the data and structure your training with power in mind.
  • pippi_langsamer-2
    pippi_langsamer-2 Posts: 1,470
    redvision said:

    pippi_langsamer-2 said:

    Unless you're racing/ training to a plan, don't waste your money for a "must have", tool. As per the above comments, they're not easy to get to grips with on the road if you plan on using it properly, and you'll soon get bored of it. At the most, just buy single-sided. It'll make swapping it between bikes easier too rathenthan having to faff about with drive side swapping. I only use power on turbo now- had a dual sided Infocrank while racing. Got rid and don't miss it...

    You can argue the same with any sensor or accessory though.

    Power meters are very useful training tools and provide the most efficient means - by this I mean the power shown is the power you are putting out. Other methods, eg training to heart rate, can be effective but are not as efficient or reliable as power simply because to many variables can affect them- for example, a caffeine drink/gel will cause a hr rise and is not a result of training harder.

    However, no point in getting a power meter unless you plan to use the data and structure your training with power in mind.
    I'm not saying PMs are bad. They're brilliant....if used properly and the data understood. My point is so many leisure riders are buying into them almost because they don't feel complete without one!
  • redvision
    redvision Posts: 2,958
    Fair enough mate.

Categories