Buying a Power Meter often represents the step from taking your hobby into something more serious. However, knowing which one is best for you is important especially when it's one of the bigger purchasing decisions we as cyclists make. We run you though the different types available, such as crank based, pedal based and even hub based and all their pros and cons which will allow you to decide which will be best for you.
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00:00 If you're thinking about buying a power meter,
00:01 but you're not sure what to look for or what to go for,
00:04 then this video is for you.
00:06 I'm gonna run you through what a power meter is,
00:08 the different types available,
00:09 and which ones might be perfect for you.
00:12 A power meter is the best way of objectively telling you
00:14 how hard you're pushing the pedals on your bike.
00:17 This is done by measuring your torque,
00:19 how hard you're pushing on the pedals,
00:20 multiplied by your cadence,
00:22 how fast you're turning the pedals.
00:24 This will appear as a number in watts,
00:26 which will appear on your cycling computer
00:27 while you're riding.
00:28 But what do you do with those watts?
00:30 Well, we need an entirely separate video
00:32 to really go into the details,
00:33 so I've dropped a few links below to some of our guides.
00:36 Now you know what a power meter is,
00:38 I'm gonna run you through the different types
00:40 that are available.
00:41 I'll run you through their pros, their cons,
00:43 and anything else worth mentioning.
00:44 First up, we've got crank base,
00:50 which as you can imagine,
00:51 are located in and around the cranks.
00:53 Now, they can be positioned
00:54 in multiple different positions.
00:55 First up, they can be on the crank arm, like so.
00:58 Then, you can also have them in the chain rings itself,
01:02 or potentially on the spindle.
01:03 Now that's just completely dependent
01:05 on which brand you buy from.
01:06 The pros for crank base systems are that traditionally,
01:08 they've always been some of the most accurate,
01:10 so you can be really confident with the data.
01:12 They can also include pretty cool tech,
01:14 like being able to measure wattage from each leg,
01:17 so you can see if you've got a power imbalance.
01:19 The cons tend to be that they've been
01:20 on the slightly pricier end of the market,
01:22 but those prices have been coming down.
01:24 The other thing which isn't so great with them
01:26 is that they aren't as easy to switch
01:28 between bikes.
01:30 Power meter brands like Stages and 4i
01:31 do also offer single sided only options,
01:34 which helps keep that price a little bit lower.
01:36 However, what it does to get your power reading
01:39 is that it takes the reading from one leg
01:40 and then doubles it.
01:41 So, it's not quite as accurate,
01:43 but that being said,
01:44 if you do wanna dip your toe into the power meter market
01:47 and you don't wanna spend a fortune,
01:48 then a single sided power meter might be the way to go.
01:51 (upbeat music)
01:53 Next up, we've got pedal based power meters,
01:58 which as you'd expect,
01:59 locate all the cool tech within the pedal.
02:02 So, the pros for pedal based power meters
02:03 are that they are also accurate and reliable.
02:06 So, similar to the cranks,
02:07 you can be confident with your data.
02:09 Also with pedals,
02:10 they're much easier to switch between bikes.
02:12 So, if you've got multiple bikes
02:13 you'd want to use pedals on,
02:14 that's something that's a lot more easily done.
02:16 The cons though,
02:17 pedal based power meters can be expensive.
02:20 They're also prone to crash damage
02:21 due to being in a much more exposed area
02:23 compared to their crank counterparts.
02:25 Depending on which brand you buy,
02:27 you might find yourself locked
02:28 into a specific pedal platform.
02:29 So, if you're particular about the pedals that you use,
02:32 you might find that those cleats aren't compatible
02:34 with any pedal based power meter.
02:36 Finally, if you're sensitive to things like Q-Factor
02:38 or stack, you might find that these values increase
02:41 when you go to a pedal based power meter.
02:43 So, these things can be altered with a bike fit.
02:46 So, what I would recommend is
02:47 if you do go for a pedal based power meter,
02:49 go see your local bike fitter
02:50 to make adjustments for those changes.
02:53 (upbeat music)
02:56 (upbeat music)
02:58 Before we get onto what might be right for you,
03:00 a quick word about hub based power meters.
03:02 Now, you don't see too many of them,
03:03 but the way that they worked was again,
03:05 by measuring your power through the hub.
03:08 Powertap was a well-known hub based brand,
03:10 but they were discontinued in 2021
03:12 by their parent company, SRAM.
03:13 Now, there may still be a few for sale out on the market,
03:17 but I would probably steer clear of them
03:18 purely because you won't be able to get parts
03:20 or the support should they go wrong.
03:22 However, SRAM might bring them back in the future.
03:25 So, that's something we'll just have to wait and see for.
03:27 (upbeat music)
03:29 So, which power meter is gonna be right for you?
03:35 Well, I think for those of you that are on a budget
03:37 and maybe just want to dip your toe
03:38 into the power meter market,
03:40 then a single sided crank based system could be really good.
03:43 They might not be as accurate,
03:44 but with a discrepancy of a few percent here or there,
03:48 I think that's gonna be good for most of us.
03:50 If you have more to spend and potentially more bikes
03:52 that you want to switch a power meter between,
03:54 then I think this is where a pedal based system
03:56 comes in superior.
03:57 Just remember, you might be limited
03:59 on the different pedal systems that you can use.
04:01 If you only have one bike
04:03 and don't mind a little bit of mechanical faff
04:05 and want to spend more,
04:06 then I think a dual sided crank based system
04:08 is gonna be a really good option.
04:10 Crank based systems are used by the vast majority of pros.
04:13 And as the old saying goes,
04:15 if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for us.
04:17 Hopefully now you're all clued in
04:19 with the ins and outs of power meters
04:20 and you've got a good idea on which one you'd like to buy.
04:23 If you do have any questions though,
04:25 drop them down in the comments.
04:26 If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like,
04:27 subscribe to the channel for more content
04:29 and I'll see you again very soon.
04:31 (motor revving)
04:34 [BLANK_AUDIO]