Good pedal power meter for Zwift?
11-08-21, 12:58 PM
#1
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Good pedal power meter for Zwift?
This winter I am going to try Zwift for the first time to decrease boredom during indoor training. But, I use rollers and not a smart trainer, so I was thinking about getting a pedal power meter to link with Zwift. Which one would you recommend for Zwift? I am looking for something that is reliable but not necessarily the most high-end. There are many that are compatible (according to the Zwift website), but I am not experience with any of them. Thank you!
11-08-21, 01:25 PM
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My Assioma Duos are great.
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11-08-21, 01:41 PM
#3
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second assioma duos, i used these with a kinetic road machine before i got my saris h3. the best part is you can have one set of pedals and use them as your powermeter on all of your bikes.
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11-08-21, 02:56 PM
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Another cool thing about Favero is that you can swap $90 SPD pedal bodies onto the axles in about 10 minutes, which is great if you need that kind of versatility. I swap seasonally between road and MTB shoes.
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11-08-21, 03:25 PM
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For Zwift, you'll want whatever model most consistently over-reports your wattage
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11-08-21, 03:35 PM
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Yes it's been said, but just for extra confirmation: Assioma Duos!
You mean, like using 170mm cranks but setting the crank length in the powermeter app to 200mm? I mean, who would do such a thing... 
(not me, but yeah, that skews power upwards)
(not me, but yeah, that skews power upwards)
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11-09-21, 01:41 AM
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You could pick up some Powertap pedals used off of flea-bay. There is a refurbished set in functional condition for $225, $300 buy it now. & a way better looking set of P1 for $499.
Used, of course. But, cheaper than the above mentioned Assioma.
You will be losing the option of Zwift interactivity with your set up. If you are considering going the power pedal Assioma route, Wahoo Kicker Core isn't a huge price jump. There are also other smart trainers in the same $750 price range of various capabilities.
The draw of Zwift is the interactivity & responsivness of variable/changing terrain & various training plans. I've used a powermeter & "dumb" trainer like you are planning with Zwift before. Honestly, the magic just isn't there.
A smart trainer is where it's at, if you're willing to give it a go.
Used, of course. But, cheaper than the above mentioned Assioma.
You will be losing the option of Zwift interactivity with your set up. If you are considering going the power pedal Assioma route, Wahoo Kicker Core isn't a huge price jump. There are also other smart trainers in the same $750 price range of various capabilities.
The draw of Zwift is the interactivity & responsivness of variable/changing terrain & various training plans. I've used a powermeter & "dumb" trainer like you are planning with Zwift before. Honestly, the magic just isn't there.
A smart trainer is where it's at, if you're willing to give it a go.
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11-09-21, 03:11 AM
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I would second getting a Smart trainer instead of power pedals for Zwift. But if you prefer to use rollers for their ride feel then just get the single-sided Assioma UNO pedals or the axle to fit in your existing pedals. You don't really need double-sided power for Zwift.
11-09-21, 05:37 AM
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Since OP wants rollers, maybe could look at the Elite Nero rollers. Can 'only' simulate up to about 800 watts and 7% grades though you still need to buy the powermeter pedals.
11-09-21, 08:13 AM
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On the matter of rollers, Wahoo was just showing their upcoming Rollr system, so as rollers are the OP’s thing, I’d hold off on any trainer purchase until we see what Rollr is about.
Of course, Rollr— which appears to have a controllable resistance unit like the Kickr— is going to cost more than Faveros, so maybe price takes that off the table anyway.
While it does depend on the user’s goals, I do agree with base2 that a smart trainer is where it’s at for Zwift. However, if you want power numbers out on the road, a smart trainer does no good for that, so it’s rather the case that one wants both a bike PM and a smart trainer. If you can’t get both right away, as I could not, I chose to get a bike power meter first, and I used that and a dumb trainer to get on Zwift back when it was in beta. If one is disciplined and knows how to execute a training program, Zwift can be a nice layer of engagement to a dumb trainer setup. Getting a smart trainer does make it so much easier to Zwift though, and opens up a world of training options with ERG control, so it’s definitely “next level” stuff compared to a dumb trainer. Certainly the future of training and training equipment is smart, so I think it makes sense to invest and get in now if cycling is your sport.
Power on the road is cool, but if you’re stationary training, you don’t really need those numbers on the bike to make your fitness goals. Road power is great for managing your efforts, but if you’ve got the fitness from stationary training, you have other, albeit less accurate, ways of managing effort, so you can get by just fine without road power in that case, IMO.
EDIT: here’s a GCN vid from the Rouleur bike show with the Wahoo Rollr, which is discussed at 32secs mark:
Of course, Rollr— which appears to have a controllable resistance unit like the Kickr— is going to cost more than Faveros, so maybe price takes that off the table anyway.
While it does depend on the user’s goals, I do agree with base2 that a smart trainer is where it’s at for Zwift. However, if you want power numbers out on the road, a smart trainer does no good for that, so it’s rather the case that one wants both a bike PM and a smart trainer. If you can’t get both right away, as I could not, I chose to get a bike power meter first, and I used that and a dumb trainer to get on Zwift back when it was in beta. If one is disciplined and knows how to execute a training program, Zwift can be a nice layer of engagement to a dumb trainer setup. Getting a smart trainer does make it so much easier to Zwift though, and opens up a world of training options with ERG control, so it’s definitely “next level” stuff compared to a dumb trainer. Certainly the future of training and training equipment is smart, so I think it makes sense to invest and get in now if cycling is your sport.
Power on the road is cool, but if you’re stationary training, you don’t really need those numbers on the bike to make your fitness goals. Road power is great for managing your efforts, but if you’ve got the fitness from stationary training, you have other, albeit less accurate, ways of managing effort, so you can get by just fine without road power in that case, IMO.
EDIT: here’s a GCN vid from the Rouleur bike show with the Wahoo Rollr, which is discussed at 32secs mark:
Last edited by chaadster; 11-09-21 at 08:20 AM. Reason: Link added
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11-09-21, 09:51 AM
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Why would you need powermeter pedals with the Nero rollers? Being Smart rollers I presume they report power output directly.
11-09-21, 11:34 AM
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Bought the relatively new Garmin Rally RS100. Wanted 'no brainer' connectivity with my Garmin head unit, wanted 'no questions' on Shimano cleat compatibility. Single sided. Been flawless since they came outta the box early last summer, and it seems they've cleaned up all the legacy problems with the vectors. So far, anyway.
11-09-21, 04:19 PM
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Smart trainer if you can afford both.
No way to replicate steep hills on your rollers with power meter pedals.
No way to replicate steep hills on your rollers with power meter pedals.
11-09-21, 05:16 PM
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A lot of the comments here reflect why am interested in pedals over getting a smart trainer. And thanks for the video that looks like a pretty cool roller.
On the matter of rollers, Wahoo was just showing their upcoming Rollr system, so as rollers are the OP’s thing, I’d hold off on any trainer purchase until we see what Rollr is about.
Of course, Rollr— which appears to have a controllable resistance unit like the Kickr— is going to cost more than Faveros, so maybe price takes that off the table anyway.
While it does depend on the user’s goals, I do agree with base2 that a smart trainer is where it’s at for Zwift. However, if you want power numbers out on the road, a smart trainer does no good for that, so it’s rather the case that one wants both a bike PM and a smart trainer. If you can’t get both right away, as I could not, I chose to get a bike power meter first, and I used that and a dumb trainer to get on Zwift back when it was in beta. If one is disciplined and knows how to execute a training program, Zwift can be a nice layer of engagement to a dumb trainer setup. Getting a smart trainer does make it so much easier to Zwift though, and opens up a world of training options with ERG control, so it’s definitely “next level” stuff compared to a dumb trainer. Certainly the future of training and training equipment is smart, so I think it makes sense to invest and get in now if cycling is your sport.
Power on the road is cool, but if you’re stationary training, you don’t really need those numbers on the bike to make your fitness goals. Road power is great for managing your efforts, but if you’ve got the fitness from stationary training, you have other, albeit less accurate, ways of managing effort, so you can get by just fine without road power in that case, IMO.
EDIT: here’s a GCN vid from the Rouleur bike show with the Wahoo Rollr, which is discussed at 32secs mark:
Of course, Rollr— which appears to have a controllable resistance unit like the Kickr— is going to cost more than Faveros, so maybe price takes that off the table anyway.
While it does depend on the user’s goals, I do agree with base2 that a smart trainer is where it’s at for Zwift. However, if you want power numbers out on the road, a smart trainer does no good for that, so it’s rather the case that one wants both a bike PM and a smart trainer. If you can’t get both right away, as I could not, I chose to get a bike power meter first, and I used that and a dumb trainer to get on Zwift back when it was in beta. If one is disciplined and knows how to execute a training program, Zwift can be a nice layer of engagement to a dumb trainer setup. Getting a smart trainer does make it so much easier to Zwift though, and opens up a world of training options with ERG control, so it’s definitely “next level” stuff compared to a dumb trainer. Certainly the future of training and training equipment is smart, so I think it makes sense to invest and get in now if cycling is your sport.
Power on the road is cool, but if you’re stationary training, you don’t really need those numbers on the bike to make your fitness goals. Road power is great for managing your efforts, but if you’ve got the fitness from stationary training, you have other, albeit less accurate, ways of managing effort, so you can get by just fine without road power in that case, IMO.
EDIT: here’s a GCN vid from the Rouleur bike show with the Wahoo Rollr, which is discussed at 32secs mark:
11-09-21, 06:32 PM
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