prioritizing on a budget
 

In what order would you buy the following items if you were on a budget, I already have an iPhone and use my wife's Apple Watch during my rides

- speed and cadence sensor
- power meter
-clipless pedals and shoes

If I were “on a budget” I would not be borrowing a loved one’s Apple Watch for fear of breaking it, and really not wanting to be nastying it up with sweat. It’s hers. If you can’t afford one, you don’t get one.

I wouldn’t be thinking of anything beyond a cheap speedometer/clock type computer, SPD shoes & pedals, and tires & tubes.

The first two are a total waste of money. No need for that data. Ride as hard and as long as you can and time permits.

Shoes, there is nothing more expensive (or painful) than cheap shoes. Don't skimp on shoes since they are the most important thing in so many ways. Buy SIDI if SIDI fit, period.

Pedals, Shimano, and this is from a life-long Campagnolo guy. Look, Time and Speedplay pedals aren't as good.

I almost cannot believe that you are considering a power meter, even though you apparently don't even have clipless pedals and shoes.

A power meter may be unnecessary for this poster, but claiming it is a "total waste of money" is a hoot. You don't even need to be into racing to understand the clear usefulness of a power meter for training.

And of course, Sidi makes good shoes, but so do plenty of other companies.

Why the bossiness and dogmatism?

If you're on a budget, get the speed and cadence sensors -- they're (by far) the cheapest things on the list.

I'm assuming there has already been a proper bike fitting?

Bike fit would be my top if one hasn't been done. Then I would look at pedals and shoes. The other stuff I wouldn't really worry about too much. I wouldn't say they are worthless at all but I don't think they are super important especially a power meter unless you are racing or training for something big.

What are your goals?

Ride for fun? Fitness? Mental Health?

Are you going to race? Time Trial? Cross...Gravel?

What kind of bike do you have?

Where do you usually ride?

It really depends on what your own goals are as to which order I prioritize those.

How far do you ride? How far do you want to ride?

Do you ride solo or in a group?

Are you going to ride/train over the winter? Zwift or whatever?

The iPhone and whatever app you're tracking your rides with will be sufficient for getting your speed (assuming you're using that with GPS or maybe the watch?).
Cadence? Don't bother you'll get that if you ever get a power meter.
Power meter would be good if you're interested in training specific power levels, getting faster with data (can also be done without the PM), or just want another toy.

Assuming you ride a road bike I'd go with whatever choice of clipless pedals and nice shoes you can afford first off I guess.

We need WAY more information about you and your riding to make even a half-assed guess (and half assed is all they will be).

Lastly, and most importantly, what is your budget?

Cool I had similar one

My bike: Trek FX 3
Reason for riding: mental relaxation, fitness and just joy of exploring things by bike instead of car

no I have not had a bike fit

i want to ride 10-20 miles usually do 10-12

i judge how hard I ride through heart rate monitor on a watch , currently

right now I can spare 200usd

Absurd. So beyond reasonable that it isnt worth discussing further without knowing if you are serious or if this is a bad troll job.

Trek FX3 is a good bike, that'll serve you well.

Are you doing these 10-20 miles on a commute?

Since you have the HR monitor you can train to improve with that for now (put the power meter on the back shelf). So I'd skip the power meter for now, maybe in a year or more if you go for a road bike with drop bars you could revisit. I'd also skip the cadence as well. That leaves some sort of pedal system and shoes. For that short of rides I'm not sure you need to get a $300 pair of road shoes. Some spd pedals (or egg beaters or time or look or whatever) and comfy mtb type shoes would probably suit you well and not be too expensive. You could go with spd-sl and road shoes since you won't have to stop and walk around (I assume) on your rides.

1. Pedal Shoe System of your choice (check out the for sale groups on Facebook...tri and sell is a huge one the road bike one is massive...I've found good bargains on there-and given people good bargains as well)
2. Skip speed and cadence
3. Skip the power meter

Ride as much as you can and enjoy the green exercise.

Good luck!

1. Clipless pedals and shoes. They make a huge difference in riding, IMHO. Suck it up and get a good pair of shoes and a good set of pedals.

2. Speed and cadence sensor -- something like the Cateye Strada Cadence, if you can find it, $50 or so.

3. Power meter -- hold off on this until you can afford it (easily).

Personally, I would spend it on whatever makes you more comfortable on the bike. Might be upgraded contact points or a nice winter jersey and gloves (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere).

Thanks for the additional info. A basic wired or wireless bike computer might give you some fun info: avg speed, distance, time. I don't know why you would need cadence. Your shop can sell you an inexpensive computer.

You may or may not want the clipless pedals and shoes. Look into that if you find your feet slipping off the pedals or just get curious. Certainly no need to buy high-end shoes like Sidis. Specialized (and other companies) make perfectly good shoes that cost much less and are fine for casual use.

Power meters are great for serious training - for people who race. And they are expensive. Seems you could skip that.


This sort of thing seems to be Mulberry20 's specialty.

Speed and cadence sensors first. Many find knowing how fast they are riding to be a benefit and part of why they enjoy riding. It helps motivate and keeps them engaged. These are relatively inexpensive(good set is $50-60) and buy wireless as its much more simple and clean.

SPD shoes second. They are hardly necessary, but are admittedly nice to have for those that like em(obvious comment there). These will not make you faster, but they will help reduce thinking about something and that can be nice. It gives you a long distance comfortable foot position for strong cycling each and every time.

Power meter last. First, they cost more than you have to spend. Second, data is neat but the amount of data they give you is sorta useless without a plan for improvement. Third, rides of up to 20mi really may not be the ideal use since it's basically an hour to an hour and a half of riding and max effort could be given the whole time. Of course if you want to know what that effort number is, a power meter is key.

I was leaning towards clipless shoes and pedals as higher priority and specifically the mountain bike style Bc you can walk with them...

1. Do clipless pedals only work with certain shoes..I.e can I not get any clip shoe or it has to be for that pedal?

2. also what is the benefit of double sided pedal ? Is there such a pedal that is one side flat for regular shoes and one clip and double clip?

3.why float should I choose on the shoe?

4. is a bike fit smart investment to get in a fitness bike? I thought they are more for road bikes

5. lastly what is a spd (2 clip) pedal and shoe combo you can recommend for under 200 dollars?

Shoes typically come in 3-bolt (mostly road) or 2-bolt (mostly mtb/gravel). (I think some might do both, I have a vague recollection of some Sidis I used to own that could do both). If you go with mtb shoes, they'll have two bolt holes, which will fit SPD cleats, which will fit SPD pedals.

I like two-sided pedals, because you can put your foot down and click in without looking. Shimano M-520 or M-540 are excellent bang for the buck. No recommendation on shoes, they're pretty personal.

(I also have some ISSI pedals that are platform on one side, spd on the other. I put these on my commuter bike so I can just wear normal shoes when all I'm doing is riding to the office and don't want to bother with changing my shoes).

I may be in the minority here, but I do not recommend the multi-release cleats. I want my foot to come out only if I make a specific heel rotating movement.

No opinion on the bike fit unless you're super uncomfortable, then it might be worth it.

All three are a waste of money if you aren’t racing, or a wannabe local club legend that dreams of slaying KOMs.

Even if I won a lottery I wouldn't buy any of the items you listed.

be sure to buy the items as a bundle to potentially save yourself some expense, beit now or later.

surprised no current company sell a proprietary kit that includes all those items under on click of a purchase.

If I had a nickel for every time I read on BF "________ isn't worth it if you aren't racing". . . . I could afford a new power meter.

This the answer you asked for.

Here is the order I would use to buy the items you mentioned.
1. Clipless pedals and shoes
2. Speed and cadence meter.
3. Power meter

In regards to speed and distance, I have an iphone also and use the free version of Runkeeper to track my speed and distance. It has a cycling mode and gives you continual readout on the screen of you speed and distance. Also tracks your ride on a map. I stores each ride and you can go back and look at the data and maps to review your progress. Kinda cool, and did I mention it is free ? :)