Jumpski

I recently had to replace my Quarq duel sided power meter. I went with the stages right sided and couldn’t be happier. I have compared my numbers vs duel sided and was impressed. The purchase was less than shipping, and trouble shooting the Quarq, so I am a happy camper. Take care and have fun.

philbob57

Responding to a post way back ... if you're a data junky, it might be better to delay buying an 'affordable' PM because you may lowball yourself now and find that what you buy now doesn't give you all the data you want. There's always ebay or craigslist or marketplace if you do that, of course....

Seattle Forrest

Get the 955 over the 255. Touch screen alone is worth it, dramatically improves the usability of the watch. You long press two buttons to turn it on and off, so it won't get confused by sweat etc.

Most people will prefer the value of the non solar one. It adds $100 to the cost but has limited light gathering ability and will only slow the rate of drain.

jackyharuhiko

that’s why I recommend the Assioma. Best bang for the buck.

msu2001la

I bought a refurbished Stages single sided crank arm power meter in early 2020 from Pro's Closet for $130 out the door. It is an FSA Energy arm that replaced my stock FSA Gossamer (yes, I run the Energy PM arm on the left side and the Gossamer arm on the right).

It's been rock solid, zero complaints. I'd prefer dual sided, but... $130. I would highly recommend. I've been looking for a Cannondale Hollowgram version of this same PM for my other bike, but they're more like $400, which is still pretty cheap I suppose.

IcySwan1 

Just ordered the SS Garmin pedals at the same time I ordered a new bike. I have been using a HRM and look forward to using a PM.

Mike

merlinextraligh

it’s not difficult to pace yourself to avoid blowing up with a HRM. You simply learn your lactate threshold hr, and don’t go over it. ( or realize you’re burning matches when you do.) With some experience, and correlating with perceived effort, it is more than a recreational cyclist needs.

A power meter becomes useful when you use the data as part of a structured trading program or to pace precisely a competitive tt effort. Otherwise it’s just a fun gadget.


P.S., it is never a good idea to argue with R Chung about power meters, unless perhaps your last name is Allen or Coggan.

waters60

A “ fun gadget “ that effectively mimics HR and perceived effort, albeit in real time and without the guesswork. I used a HRM for many years. I guess before HR I was using perceived effort. Indoor training without power was vastly less beneficial. Outdoors I use it less frequently, the aforementioned long hills being the prime example. I am curious what metric pros are looking at climbing the Tourmalet. Mostly trying to hang on but we don’t hear too much about what their HR was, more likely watts.

Seattle Forrest

Power is most useful when you're not doing structured training. You can do that without power. If you want to get the most training benefit from your riding without actually doing structured intervals, power allows this in a way heart rate doesn't because of the way power is instantaneous and objective meaning not influenced by other factors.

RChung

Pros use the data differently in training and in racing. Most pros show watts and HR on their displays but they don't race by HR or power, they race by RPE and tactical situation. They collect the data so that their team can analyze the data afterward. Early in the season and in training they pay more attention to HR and power but when you're in a race (except, typically, for TTs) you do what you need to do, watts be damned.

Guys I've talked to say that during a race a thing they really look at is distance because the team has often taped a little reminder about feed zones, sprint points, important choke points, and so on, and they want to know how far until them.

DangerousDanR

Has anyone here used the Magene P325CS Crank set? It looks like a Rotor knockoff. The customer reviews are mostly very positive. A couple complain of poor quality control. They were not the most recent reviews. One complained about the chain ring and spider being one piece.

At around $US 400 it is a very low cost option in what seems to be a high cost product. Note that the price is about what a Hope crank set costs. For some CNC machined aluminum, a (maybe) $5 strain gauge, and maybe $10 worth of electronics to read the strain gauge it seems believable.

At 700 grams it is a bit heavier than a Campagnolo Record crank set, but not too much.

Rocket-Sauce 

Magene makes a dual sided crank based meter for under $400. And an Ultegra crankset for under $800.

They get solid reviews too.