# Single Sided or Dual Sided? **URL:** \ **Category:** Equipment\ **Created:** [December 26, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558 "2018-12-26T17:17:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tcass](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/tcass/32/35508_2.png) [@tcass](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/tcass)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 5:17pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/1 "2018-12-26T17:17:34Z")
My bike was stolen and even though I had insured it I had stupidly failed to update that insurance to reflect the PowerTap P1 pedals I had on there. So my question is: given that I know my power is well balanced at 50:50 at and above sweetspot BUT is weighted up to 60:40 to the left at low power, how important is that dual power? Should I be worried about that imbalance at low power? Or can I just get the cheaper single sided P1S and save £200? ---
**Author:** ![larry](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/larry/32/12653_2.png) [@larry](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/larry)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 5:31pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/2 "2018-12-26T17:31:03Z")
If it were me, I’d probably stick with the single-sided option. A little imbalance is normal, and since you already know you have perfect balance at all zones above sweet spot (where it matters most) you should be just fine with the cheaper P1 pedals. ---
**Author:** ![McBoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@McBoen](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/McBoen)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2018, 7:19pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/3 "2018-12-26T19:19:27Z")
My XC bike has a quarq double sided and roadbike has 4iii single sided. If you know you’re at about 50:50 it does not matter. ---
**Author:** ![robertbb](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/robertbb/32/1707_2.png) [@robertbb](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/robertbb)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:22am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/4 "2018-12-27T01:22:57Z")
I’d get Favero Assioma’s in dual side. ---
**Author:** ![buh\_buh](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/buh_buh/32/114743_2.png) [@buh\_buh](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/buh_buh)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:44am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/5 "2018-12-27T01:44:46Z")
After owning and currently using dual sided (Vector 2), I’d be ok with going with single sided next time around. In one of the Velonews podcasts, they interview Pat Warner from Stages, and they talk about a single sided power meter being accurate up to something like 99% of a dual sided. If single sided is good enough for pro tour teams, they’re good enough for me. ---
**Author:** ![julianoliver](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/julianoliver/32/229_2.png) [@julianoliver](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/julianoliver)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:00am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/6 "2018-12-27T03:00:09Z")
If you’re talking about Sky, I’m pretty sure they’ve been running dual-sided for a while now. Either single or double sided is fine in all instances, even when they is imbalance as long as you are only interested in tracking trends over time. If you’re looking for accuracy and consistency, duals-sided is always going to be better since it measures both sides rather than doubling just one side. ---
**Author:** ![Adub](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Adub](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Adub)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:04am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/7 "2018-12-27T03:04:58Z")
Dual sided is doubling your odds of something going haywire. Essentially 2 separate units that communicate with each other. Just sayin’ from experience… ---
**Author:** ![Etienne\_Beney](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/etienne_beney/32/84069_2.png) [@Etienne\_Beney](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Etienne_Beney)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 4:57am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/8 "2018-12-27T04:57:41Z")
I am struggling why dual sided is better? Just imagine you are 60/40, then what? Will you try to push more on the 40 side? Will you go to the gym and focus and getting single leg workout on the weak leg? I use single sided power meter…plenty of info already. ---
**Author:** ![Alen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/alen/32/4820_2.png) [@Alen](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Alen)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 5:47am UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/9 "2018-12-27T05:47:57Z")
I have a P1 on my TT bike. Needed another one for my road bike since I can’t use G3 once I got the Kickr Core. Bought a P1s. No difference. ---
**Author:** ![julianoliver](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/julianoliver/32/229_2.png) [@julianoliver](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/julianoliver)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 1:00pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/10 "2018-12-27T13:00:47Z")
Well, if you’re 60/40 (unlikely) and you have single sided, most likely you won’t know you’re 60/40 and your power meter will always be reading either 120 or 80. Whether or not that’s a problem for you is up to you. ---
**Author:** ![piesoup](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/piesoup/32/713_2.png) [@piesoup](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/piesoup)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 2:36pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/11 "2018-12-27T14:36:46Z")
For me, I’d get dual sided. I have a single Watteam Powerbeat, and since using that over Virtual Power with TR, my left leg is now bigger then the right. I think it is due to subconsciously knowing that that is the leg that matters and I push harder with it to keep power on target, to ramp up at the start if an interval etc. Pushing harder with the right actually makes the power reading reduce, which compounds the issue! Outdoors, I don’t think it matters as I am just riding to enjoy myself. ---
**Author:** ![Macy](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/macy/32/6458_2.png) [@Macy](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Macy)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/12 "2018-12-27T15:11:35Z")
They kinda dismissed single sided power meters on the pre-christmas velonews training gift guide, but I remain to be convinced tbh - in my non expert view! The only time I’d really see the need for that accuracy if you were often just using power to pace events and total power being off really mattered. And even then the likes of Tom Dumolin say they don’t pace TT’s by power as they see it as potentially limiting their performance. Consistency is the most important thing surely, even if that’s consistency on a single side? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Hallas](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/john_hallas/32/1213_2.png) [@John\_Hallas](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/John_Hallas)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:21pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/13 "2018-12-27T15:21:53Z")
I have P1 pedals and my numbers are always very consistent and don’t show much difference between the two sides. Knowing that, I would go for single-sided next time or try the Assiomo (sp?) ones with dual-sided pedals ---
**Author:** ![SeeEl](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/seeel/32/15191_2.png) [@SeeEl](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/SeeEl)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 3:31pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/14 "2018-12-27T15:31:19Z")
Re: Tom Dumoulin not TT’ing to power. I would take that with a huge pinch of salt. IIRC After Froome’s Giro winning break. Sunweb said on the next mountain stage they had km by km power targets up the last climb. They also said that they managed to misplace all Tom’s world champ tt suits a day prior to the TDF tt. I wonder how many world champion tt champions misplace their stripes. ---
**Author:** ![WTriathlete](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/wtriathlete/32/16462_2.png) [@WTriathlete](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/WTriathlete)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 4:26pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/15 "2018-12-27T16:26:12Z")
Surely the beauty of power pedals is so you only need one set for all bikes? ---
**Author:** ![Alen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/trainerroad/forum/user_avatar/www.trainerroad.com/alen/32/4820_2.png) [@Alen](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/u/Alen)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2018, 6:26pm UTC](https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/single-sided-or-dual-sided/8558/16 "2018-12-27T18:26:11Z")
In theory yes. 1. I find it a PIA to move the pedals over constantly. 2. my TT bike has 145 cranks and my road has 165 cranks and I don’t want to keep adjusting back and forth 3. sometimes my kids Zwift next to me while I do TR workouts. 4. The P1s is pretty cheap now at $350. So it’s worth it to accommodate all the above.