So I’ve been using my wahoo kickr core a while and am interested in getting power readings outdoors now I’m gradually taking things more seriously. The road bike is purely for training or commuting - mtb is my fun and what I want to get really fit for.
Recently rebuilt my caad 12 disc into a more back friendly frame + will take 30c tyres with bolt on mudguards (and a rack for commuting to work without a backpack on). It’s a Dolan GXC which is technically a gravel frame but I’ve built it with Mason X Hunt 4seasons road wheels / 30c Conti gp5000s / Ultegra di2 2x11 groupset / Hope RX4+ brake callipers. So it’s kind of like an endurance road bike with more practicality.
My plan was to sell the caad12 disc frame / cranks etc to fund a 4iii precision left sided power meter. However the clearance between frame and cranks doesn’t look big enough. Even the precision 3 (which is meant to be slimmer) won’t fit when I’ve tried their test with either an aaa battery / 8mm Allen key and paper template.
So I’m thinking my only real (sensibly priced) option might be the Favero Assioma uno pedal to give the same functionality without the clearance dramas.
Garmin pedals seem a chunk more expensive. Stages do a left sided crank but I can’t workout if these are slimmer line / as good as the 4iii ones. This bike will be out in all sorts of wet / cold / snowy weather in the UK so it needs to be waterproof and reliable.
Any thoughts? Max busget really is £400 but I’d prefer to be nearer to £200 ideally. I have brand new Ultegra r8000 cranks and rings (plus bb86 pressfit bb) so not really looking to change that whole lot out.
I use PowerPods (I actually have three of them, a V1, V3 and V4). They are pretty easy to set up, can be easily transferred between bikes and, if set up properly, give reliable power readings that appear to be consistent with what I feel on my Wattbike in the garage.
Merlin have the V5 for about £260.
There will be people out there that think a power meter can only be a strain gauge. However physics is physics; the PowerPod uses maths and basics Newtonian physics, and in my humble opinion, works very well. DC Rainmaker agreed when he tested the V1.
Mine are mounted directly under my Garmin on dual ‘GoPro’ / Garmin out front mounts. Very neat and out of the way. The V1 is a bit temperamental in torrential rain, but the V3 and V4 are stable.
I use the Favero Assioma Duos and switch them between my road bike and my trainer bike. They are rock solid and value for money when compared to the competition. If your budget won’t stretch to the Duos, I’d recommend the Uno for sure
Power Pods weren’t on my radar - interesting tech / idea. I’ll do a bit more reading up on them - although I’m not sure I like the look of it hanging down at the front of the bike.
I think the Assioma Uno probably is top of my list at the moment. I had a further read on the stages single sided power meter and it definitely won’t fit. The 4iii precision 3 may fit - but probably too tight for comfort.
Xpowerpod V1 user here, only reason I stopped using it was that I got a crank based power meter. Again I found the data it gave very good and more importantly, consistent between sessions, really made me look more into CDA and rolling resistance (as these variables are required for its calculations.)
As always these things come down to budget…
It says to slip an 8mm Allen key between the crank and the chainstay to test the clearance between 2 points - I can get part of the hex bit to just squeeze through……but it’s so tight.
It’s Ultegra ht2 pressfit so if I space out the non drive side I don’t think I’ll get full engagement of that arms on the splines of the axle so that’s a no-go as far as I’m aware.
The bottom bracket type doesn’t matter since the spacers just go on the spindle. You can comfortably use 1.5mm or 2mm worth of spacers on the spindle and then reattach the crank arm. There’s still plenty of room on the spindle to engage/secure the crank arm.
I’ve done this in the past on a Canyon Endurace that otherwise would have been a tight fit.
When I was still using my PowerPod (v3 IIRC) I had a feeling the data was inaccurate on downhills. I ended up measuring it and concluded it could be 100% off. Unfortunately the “maths and basics Newtonian physics” completely work against it in that situation.
In the end I really ended up regretting spending the money on it, and I would strongly recommended against it.
Conversely my 4iii gen 2 is accurate and problem free (and doesn’t require a few minutes of recalibrating after a charge because the position changed, can be used for powermatch, works with aerobars, etc…)
