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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00:00A power meter is the best way of objectively telling you how hard you're pushing the pedals
00:04on your bike.
00:05This is done by measuring your torque, how hard you're pushing on the pedals, multiplied
00:09by your cadence, how fast you're turning the pedals.
00:12This will appear as a number in watts, which will appear on your cycling computer while
00:16you're riding.
00:17But what do you do with those watts?
00:18Well, we need an entirely separate video to really go into the details, so I've dropped
00:22a few links below to some of our guides.
00:25Now you know what a power meter is, I'm going to run you through the different types that
00:28are available.
00:29I'll run you through their pros, their cons, and anything else worth mentioning.
00:37First up, we've got crankbase, which, as you can imagine, are located in and around the
00:41cranks.
00:42Now, they can be positioned in multiple different positions.
00:44First up, they can be on the crank arm, like so.
00:46Then, you can also have them in the chainrings itself, or potentially on the spindle.
00:51Now that's just completely dependent on which brand you buy from.
00:54The pros for crankbase systems are that traditionally they've always been some of the most accurate,
00:59so you can be really confident with the data.
01:00They can also include pretty cool tech, like being able to measure wattage from each leg
01:05so you can see if you've got a power imbalance.
01:07The cons tend to be that they've been on the slightly pricier end of the market, but those
01:11prices have been coming down.
01:12The other thing which isn't so great with them is that they aren't as easy to switch between
01:16bikes.
01:18Power meter brands like Stages and 4i do also offer single-sided only options, which helps
01:23keep that price a little bit lower.
01:25However, what it does to get your power reading is that it takes the reading from one leg
01:28and then doubles it.
01:29So, it's not quite as accurate, but that being said, if you do want to dip your toe into
01:34the power meter market and you don't want to spend a fortune, then a single-sided power
01:37meter might be the way to go.
01:44Next up, we've got pedal-based power meters, which, as you'd expect, locate all the cool
01:48tech within the pedal.
01:50The pros for pedal-based power meters are that they are also accurate and reliable.
01:54So, similar to the cranks, you can be confident with your data.
01:57Also, with pedals, they're much easier to switch between bikes, so if you've got multiple
02:01bikes you'd want to use pedals on, that's something that's a lot more easily done.
02:05The cons though, pedal-based power meters can be expensive.
02:08They're also prone to crash damage due to being in a much more exposed area compared
02:12to their crank counterparts.
02:13Depending on which brand you buy, you might find yourself locked into a specific pedal
02:17platform.
02:18So, if you're particular about the pedals that you use, you might find that those cleats
02:21aren't compatible with any pedal-based power meter.
02:24Finally, if you're sensitive to things like Q-factor or stack, you might find that these
02:28values increase when you go to a pedal-based power meter.
02:32So, these things can be altered with a bike fit.
02:34So, what I would recommend is, if you do go for a pedal-based power meter, go see your
02:38local bike fitter to make adjustments for those changes.
02:46Before we get onto what might be right for you, a quick word about hub-based power meters.
02:50You don't see too many of them, but the way that they worked was, again, by measuring
02:54your power through the hub.
02:56Powertap was a well-known hub-based brand, but they were discontinued in 2021 by their
03:00parent company, SRAM.
03:01Now, there may still be a few for sale out on the market, but I would probably steer
03:06clear of them, purely because you won't be able to get parts or the support should they
03:09go wrong.
03:10However, SRAM might bring them back in the future, so that's something we'll just
03:13have to wait and see for.
03:18So, which power meter is going to be right for you?
03:23Well, I think for those of you that are on a budget and maybe just want to dip your toe
03:26into the power meter market, then a single-sided crank-based system could be really good.
03:31They might not be as accurate, but with a discrepancy of a few percent here or there,
03:36I think that's going to be good for most of us.
03:38If you have more to spend and potentially more bikes that you want to switch a power
03:41meter between, then I think this is where a pedal-based system comes in superior.
03:46Just remember, you might be limited on the different pedal systems that you can use.
03:50If you only have one bike and don't mind a little bit of mechanical faff and want to
03:53spend more, then I think a dual-sided crank-based system is going to be a really good option.
03:59Crank-based systems are used by the vast majority of pros, and as the old saying goes, if it's
04:03good enough for them, it's good enough for us.
04:05Hopefully now you're all clued in with the ins and outs of power meters and you've got
04:09a good idea on which one you'd like to buy.
04:11If you do have any questions though, drop them down in the comments.
04:14If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content,
04:17and I'll see you again very soon.