Cost of power meters: just a rant

any issue pairing it with TR? thinking of getting one for indoor use.

IQ2 is one cheapish option. The problem is that the deliveries start the earliest in March. So far it has not been reviewed by DCrainmaker, GPLama or others.

4iiii are great for me and one of the more affordable. Also v easy to move between my road and TT bike.

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I’ve been looking at the 4iiii left crank PM and the Stages one. I am not aware of any other PMs fitting the Shimano XT M8000 Hollowtech II standard. Pedal-based PMs for MTBing are not ideal. But the pricing of the 4iiii unit for XTM8000 is $499. Some web based retailers seem to offer it around $450 but the retailers don’t inspire confidence. I never heard of Bikeinn.com

I went the IQ2 way. I am not into it for hardcore training so if they don’t pan out in not out a lot of money. Absolute accuracy isn’t a huge concern

Never mind. It was an ill-considered old guy gripe.

Power balance can vary depending on power output and fatigue level. I wouldn’t buy single sided unless I knew my balance didn’t change. (Which would require buying a dual sided power meter :thinking::slightly_frowning_face:)

There is always a risk buying used but power tap wheels can often be found at a very small premium over the non power tap version. I bought a used HED jet 6 power tap wheel set for $800 a few years ago.

Quark Power meters are just the spider, use whatever rings you want.

I have done the exact same thing, for the exact same reason. I’m looking forward to reviews, hopefully :slight_smile:

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Piling on for stages. Got a brand new Gen 3 SRAM GXP Carbon left side meter for $349 on their site. It’s been great. Look for single sided meters getting cheaper since everyone’s decided they can’t live without dual…

I can’t give advice on the 4iii unit.
The Stages gen 3 is well made, and if I was on my last bike it would’ve been XT. I can only assume the quality is the same across the gen 3 range.

All I can do is take a pic. Several hundred Kms.


The data you get back over a mtb ride is still very useful, even though people rag on about it being one sided. My last long outdoor ride had me using average power to reel myself in and see if I could carry on the next day without feeling sore. The Stages performed admirably.

Send 4iiii your existing XTM80000 NDS arm, they’ll install a Precision or Podium meter for $399.

https://4iiii-innovations.myshopify.com/collections/power-meters/products/podiiiium-non-drive-side-br-factory-install?variant=21198057078863

I know you’re just venting out loud, but the price of power meters have really come down a bunch in the last couple years, making them accessible to nearly any semi-serious cyclist. Especially for road, there are all kinds of choices in the $350-600 range. Pedals, spyders, crank arms, chain rings, hubs, complete cranksets; there are all kinds of affordable options. If you deal-hunt, you can sometimes find name-brand (4iiii, Stages, Pioneer) single-side options as low as $299. As a consequence, the value of used power meters has dropped similarly. I bough a pre-owned Powertap/DT-Swiss wheelset for $200.

Work some overtime, sell some old stuff, or find a temporary side-hustle. If you want a power meter bad enough, you can find a way to get one.

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Man given the topic I hate to say this but Im also a generally budget strapped cyclist (4 kids…) and I got my stages FSA EVO for 199. I bought two and two cranks online so both bikes I ride on the reg have a power meter, and the third can be swapped in about 5 minutes (It already had a 386 EVO crank). I’ve got a total investment in cranks and PMs of less than 600 bones for all my bikes.

You can get a 4iii 105 crank from pro bike kit for £199. It will fit on an XT crank if you don’t mind the look

I like the idea of sending my crank to 4iii to install a PM. For $399 and a warranty that’s starting to make some sense.

Any views on the 4iiii Podiiiium Pro vs Precision Pro?

I have Shimano 105 R7000 (7020?) cranks on a Trek Checkpoint and an older Ultegra 6800 Stages. The only 32T chainring for the Shimano 4 bolt pattern I’ve found is the absolute black oval and I’m not a fan of oval chainrings. I also don’t see any other options for less then $1k when you include chainrings.

I use a wrist worn garmin and am pretty sure I have a gen 2 stages. Works better with the garmin than the TR app.

It’s mostly about whether you prefer replaceable (~100 hours life) or rechargeable (~60 hours life) batteries. To me, the charging port cover on the Podiiiium looks more durable than the battery cover on the Precision. No actual experience, though.

I wouldn’t do that. If you’ll be on multiple bikes I’d stick to a pedal system so your power data/peaks/zones stay consistent across bikes. I have a Quarq I move between my indoor/outdoor bike at the start/end of each indoor/outdoor season to keep things consistent and just use cheaper chainrings indoor to not wear out my good ones.

Maybe with road vs mtb the data would be easier to keep separate but if you’re doing multiple bikes of same discipline where your power peaks and fitness can translate, I’d really recommend sticking with a pm that can be moved from bike to bike.

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