Sy Reene

Considering a Stages Left (non DS) arm for campagnolo bike, for a couple main reasons.. Cost, campagnolo compatibility, and can keep my Speedplays.

Couple of questions for anyone in the know:
1) Accuracy of these being only 1 sided?

2) Is there any reason (aesthetics aside), I couldn't opt to get the 12S Record crankarm (link below) and use on my 2015 Chorus 11S drivetrain? Yes, I realize that the crankarms wouldn't match, but i'd look at this a future-proofing move, and it's only $100 more than a similar Chorus 11s Stages arm. Link below does have a little red tagline to effect of "*This power meter is only compatible with Record 12 Speed.", but the compatibility section seems to indicate otherwise.

https://store.stagescycling.com/GEN-...ECORD?length=5

Campag4life

Sy,
One arm versus two arm PM accuracy has been discussed in some length here and maybe you can dig out a thread or two on the subject to forge your opinion. Opinions vary on the efficacy of one versus two arm. Me personally, I think one arm is ok and if a price break in particular maybe worth it for an amateur racer or training cyclist...but others disagree.

Very high probability new 12s Record crank arm will be compatible with other 4 spoke Campy UltraTorque cranks including Chorus. Reason is BB dimensions dicate the geometry and Campy UT is pretty much universal 25mm dia with standard hirth joint.

But don't want to lead you astray in spite of being a Campy owner because I don't know for sure.

I believe for best advice, send a PM to Graeme who is the Campy expert on this forum and who works in the industry in Europe. He is a wonderful guy and encyclopedic about cross commonality.

His user is: gfk_velo

A last note. I own Campy cranks and among them I believe UtraTorque is the only Campy crank to own. But, my preference is Shimano cranks from DA to 105. For my money, if running Stages, it would be an Ultegra 8000 crank. To me Shimano cranks are the best in the industry. I even mix and match Shimano and Campy on different bikes. I prefer Shimano brakes as well. But love Campy shifter ergos.

I would say many won't mix their groupsets. To me this is merely false adherence to fashion and not function. My opinion.

Good luck in what you decide and Happy New Year.

Johnny Rad

Sy Reene

Thanks.. perhaps @gfk_velo might chime in. Good thought.
OTOH.. I can't see swapping in a whole Shimano crankset for my needs as making a lot of sense. I have a feeling Graeme would certainly (:-)) speak to less than optimal performance of a Shimano crank with Campy chains/shifters, etc.

For my amateur needs, even if there is an intermittent dropout, I can live with that... has to be better than Strava guestimates, right? Next closest in cost is a Power2Max for about 50% more, or an SRM thing at a whopping $2500.. no way SRM Campagnolo

FeltF2Tarmac

Campag4life

Sy,
Here is a single arm Stages gen III compared to L&R pedal power meters.


To me, single arm is all that is necessary for the non pro cyclist. To me the heavy cost penalty say for example of a dual arm Stages PM with Ultegra or DA crank isn't worth the money but others will pay the premium.

If you watch the video to the end...and its pretty comical in fact, dropping signal on Gen3 is pretty much a non issue.

Sounds like you are pretty disposed to a Campy crank. Doesn't really matter what Graeme says about cross commonality. His focus is pretty much staying within the Campy family anyway. I own a Shimano 11s 105 crank with Campy 11s groupset. It shifts better than a Campy UT crank...I know because I had one on the same bike.

This may not fit your sense of aesthetic however. Many feel that way. Not me. I ride what I believe is best and for my money Shimano cranks are better than Campy cranks. I own Campy UT cranksets as well. Shimano cranks are stiffer and shift better. Further, I appreciate the design more as they are more versatile mounting on different bikes. Campy UT cranks are very good however.

Graeme and I and the forum has also had long conversations about mixing Campy groupsets….Ultrashift shifters with Powershift rear derailleurs. Graeme believes Powershift rear derailleurs don't shift as precisely with Ultrashift because the springrate is lower on PS RD's. I don't find that to be the case in the least. My Ultrashift shifters with Powershift rear mech's...I own two such combinations...they slam into gear down the cassette...both of them. Flawless shifting.

So, as in life, one must draw their own conclusions. Good luck. Believe you will like the single arm Campy crank option..whichever you choose as long as its UltraTorque.

Sy Reene

Thanks for the video and input. I found a good deal on regular 11s Record stages L at Excel so went that route (with sale price it's less than the Chorus would have cost, so no-brainer I think). I'm pretty darn certain there should be no compatibility issue with Chorus 11s.

tony2v

Before I bought a Stages Gen 3 Campy Record arm for my 2013 Campy Record crankset.
I checked with my buddy at Campagnolo NA for compatibility and he confirmed it wouldn't be an issue.
I bought it during Black Friday from Excel Sports for 25% off with free shipping and no taxes.

Sy Reene

Good to hear. How has it been working for you?

Seems that Excel still offers the Record version at 25% ($200) off which is a bit curious as it continues to be a better price than eg. the chorus version which is only sold at full price.

tony2v

The Black Friday sale had all the Stages power meters for 25%. Excel Sports had the best deal with free shipping and no taxes.
The Campy Record Stages power meter reads ~20 watts lower than my Powertap G3 hubs (on two bikes) and the Campy Record power2max NGeco. The Powertap G3 and power2max have almost identical output readings.

Sy Reene

hmmm.. the 20 watt differential sounds really high (eg. compared to the above youtoob review that was linked). I'll have to compare to my trainer's PM after I install to see how I fare. I guess if it is consistently off by X watts, you can work around it.

redlude97

Most people are not consistently off by x watts, usually a percentage of shift to one leg that is dependent on power output and fatigue, that is exacerbated by doubling the error.

tony2v

Yup, I just add 20 watts as an offset setting and continue on.