A few months of Zwift, and I cannot imagine riding my bike without having access to my power data. And the calendar, and the lengthening days, tells me it won’t be long before I’m doing at least some of my riding on the actual roads of SW England, as opposed to the virtual ones of Watopia.
I don’t presently have a power meter. I do have a pretty good Wahoo Element head unit. I’m really looking for advice for what the best options for adding power metering to my bike are. My budget isn’t unlimited, but I’m willing to spend more to get decent quality/performance. What to look out for. What to avoid.
I’ve been looking at the Assioma Duo pedals. My thinking being that they’re easy to fit, reported to be reliable, interchangeable between bikes, able to be converted to SPD-compatible pedals.
This is exactly the sort of issue I wanted to know about.
I’m presently running a Shimano SPD-SL pedal/cleat set-up. Which is apparently incompatible with the Look-KEO set-up on the Assioma. Getting new cleats for my shoes isn’t a game-changer. But it would be annoying to have ordered all the stuff, and then been forced to wait around for the right cleats to come in.
I’m a little on the fence about a couple of issues. The first of which is the necessity of a two-pedal/two-crank set-up versus a single-sided set-up. I doubt there is a great deal of difference between my left and right leg’s power delivery. And I’m unlikely to spend much time worrying about it. I realise it’s theoretically an issue. But the truth is I’m just not that high a level of cyclist that its going to be important. I just want basic power metering so I can manage my climbs, sprints, and tempo rides without burning too many candles all at once.
The second issue is crank versus pedal power meter. Pedals are probably easier to change, and are probably slightly more accurate. But that’s just a guess.
Thanks for raising the issue of pedal cleat compatibility. Not something I’d previously given much thought to. But a hassle if you get it wrong.
I’m going to continue dreaming! Unfortunately, too expensive for me, but, hey, I guess I can’t have it all, and riding outside most of the year, snow and all, I’m not complaining! dream on kiddo! dream on!. I am glad there are those out there who can afford things like this, and can make really good use from them.
Single sided Stages user here and i love the simplicity. Put the crank on, torque up just like a normal crank, pair and go.
You will get the purist saying you need dual sided but do what is best for you.
Crank meter pro’s - simple, zero maintenance (only a battery change) and almost impossible to break.
Crank meter con’s - restricted to the crank arm length purchased so be sure your fit is spot on. No easy swapping between bikes. New bike… new meter (group set matching).
Pedal pro’s - Interchange between bikes, Universal fit
Pedal Con’s - maintenance (pedal shells wear like a normal pedal), easy to damage in crashes and/or moving bike around.
I’m sure there will be more comments with some other pro’s and con’s but those are the ones i thought of before buying a few years ago.