Power meter comparison (powerpod?) - what is best/easiest without spending a fortune?
 

What do people like? I’d rather not replace a crank. One of the single leg cranks would be nice if I already had a matching one, but I don’t. Would love to find a power meter solution that isn’t ridiculously expensive. I don’t need it to be perfect data. 90% accuracy is probably fine.

has anyone tried the velocamp products? The powerpod 3 and Aeropod for example? Interesting concept but wonder how they work. Seem like mixed reviews.

With 4iiii "Factory Install" option, you have the option of sending in a crank arm to have the power meter attached. Perhaps something to consider over the winter or some other time when you might not be riding the bike.

I have a Powerpod V3 and have been happy with it so far. I’ve never used another power meter so I can’t compare its accuracy to anything else. I am more concerned with it’s consistency and so far it has returned very consistent results over the course of many rides.

You can probably find a used Powertap G3 for $300 bucks or so. I've had one for six years. Has worked very well 100% of the time.

Aeropods aren't power meters, so definitely wouldn't spend money on that if you're looking for a power meter and have a choice.

I use the PowerPod V3 on one of my bikes. It works as I expected and the Isaac software provides data other power meters don't like wind. My only con is Isaac only runs on Windows or Macs which requires me to take the PowerPod from the bike to the computer. This means the tilt setting changes each time and the PowerPod must adjust at the beginning of the ride after removal. There is an app which allows you to setup profiles but not extract data. 4 profiles are available and the PP switches profiles based on the wireless sensor ID's if you have more than one bike with different sensors.
On my main bike I use a Favero - Assioma UNO which did not cost much more when I purchased directly from Favero.

I genuinely don't understand how powerpod can make these claims.



No, it doesn't measure the force of both legs. It doesn't measure anything about your legs at all. It even says that:



100% contradictory.

I have Favero - Assioma duo and Road Powerbox Alloy Crankset power meters on two separate bikes, I used to also have a powertap G3. They're both nice, can't really say one is terribly better than the other, except that crankset is heavy and I once had a battery issue. The powertap G3 was always a pain to replace the battery and one time I sheered off part of it in a crash, it was fixed free of charge by Saris though, but Saris has been bought since so not sure how warranty/repairs are at this point.

If I had to recommend something it would be Favero - Assioma duo, as they are one the best priced +-1% accuracy duo power meters you'll really going to find. I found that I typically have a power balance of 54% R and 46% L, sometimes it's even a wider range, so I'm quite glad I decided against a left sided only option. Currently, the shimano dual-sided power meters, e.g. stages, 4iiii, etc. may not have the best accuracy according to GP Lama's tests, so if that's a concern, perhaps stay away.

2+ year user of the Favero Assioma UNO with zero issues. Sounds like for what you want, the single sided would be just fine, no need for the extra cost of dual sided.

I can't imagine any use case where a heart rate monitor (or even a speed sensor) wouldn't work just as well as a power meter with 10% error.

Yeah. You can often find used G3 models pretty cheap--in January, a guy I know bought a used G3 hub mounted in a 28-spoke rim (okay but not great, and needed a little truing) with a still usable tire for $225. It was local so we were able to check it out to verify that it was working.

We use power meters to answer questions that we can't answer with just a speed sensor or a wristwatch. It's for addressing hard or subtle questions, not for easy obvious ones. A power meter with that much error raises more questions than it answers.

A PowerPod seems like it might be a fun accessory to a direct force power meter, but I wouldn't buy one in lieu of a direct force power meter.

Good ol Stages left only power meter recently had its price slashed substatially. Thats one option.

eBay: Cycling Power Meters

Smart shopping and patience. Picked up a Rotor 3D+ InPower for $275 a bit over a month ago, it's in perfect condition. Pretty good, considering a non-power 3D+ crankset goes for about $200.

Listings are currently messy with Stages, many under $200.

I had Saris's pedals at one point -- the PowerTap with sensors on both sides. I thought it would be interesting to see power balance, right vs left, and all the other metrics. It was for the first three rides. But it turns out it's 50/50, and I would suspect that's the case for almost all or most riders. When you see someone running, I never notice one leg launching them farther ahead with each stride than the other. The human body is a thing of balance.

So, you might look into their pedal with one power sensor. I think it works better anyway. My main beef with the PowerTap pedals is that (this was maybe 3-4 years ago, so it might have changed) one pedal sent its info over to the other, and then that one relayed it to the head unit. It was a little glitchy. One pedal and one signal probably would clean that up.

I went back to a Stages powermeter, which has been super reliable, not expensive, and very nice all around. You said that's not an option; if it were, I'd recommend it.

I use Vectors. My L/R balance changes dynamically with effort, fatigue, and moon phase.

Quarqs are a great value right now - $600 for crank and powermeter (no chainrings).

Yeah, I know OP said he'd rather not replace a crank... but the price on Quarqs and my great experience with them makes it hard to suggest otherwise. Accuracy, reliability, super-easy battery swaps, install one onto each bike you care about and be done with it. "Make do" with a lower-tier groupset and that basically covers the cost.

+1 for the PowerTap G3 Hub. I've got about 15,000 miles on mine (bought a complete wheelset at wheelbuilder.com since I needed a spare wheelset at the time anyway), has always worked flawlessly, is used in all types of wet and dusty conditions, and gets about 1,200 miles per coin cell battery. If SPD pedals were an option (and they aren't yet as far as I know), I would get those to replace the hub if it ever permanently fails, just for the ability to easily move the power meter pedals between the road, gravel, commuter, and mtb.

I had the Power pod on my bike for a couple of years. for a long time it gave data that made sense. where it fell short was when trying to do structured intervals on windy days. the power would bounce all over the place. If all you want is an "idea" of your power, the Power pod is a cheap alternative. the wind stuff is interesting too. If you are seriously training with structure, then wheel, pedal or crank based direct measure power meters are needed. IMHO

As a racing sailor, I've used various multi-thousand dollar systems that compute performance parameters based on relative wind direction/velocity, GPS position, paddle speedo, and flux gate compass, and they don't always work very well. I'm kind of fascinated, but would be somewhat surprised if a $200, bar-mounted, gizmo could yield very reliable data. On a boat, at least, there are various alternative measurements and reality checks.

Can these be installed on any wheel? How easy is it to install?

Exactly. I have 5 Quarqs, one on each bike, and i really cant see myself using anything else.

I have the Vector 3, got them factory refurbished through western bike and only paid something like $500 for a dual sided set. Same warranty as new and they have worked great so far.

Not any wheel, and not easy if you don't know how to re-lace a wheel. You would need to replace your existing hub and spokes, making sure the spoke count of the hub you buy matches your rim. Best left to the wheel building experts. It's even easier to just buy a completely built up rear wheel.

Your suspicion is wrong. Most cases I've seen show a variable imbalance which changes with power. In a fair number of cases even the dominant leg will change (though this mean that at some point there is a 50/50 distribution).