Currently using a Stages Gen2 trouble free for the last 10,000mi or so, seems to give me consistent readings, decent battery life, no issues that I have encountered with it like readings being out of wack, typically tracks close to my Hammer trainer, and outdoors if I compare strava segment efforts, I can see slight increases in power track alongside slight reductions in segment times. I have no real concerns with this meter. I paid $300 for it over 2 years ago used
However, now there seem to be other affordable options out there that may be more accurate or consistent or just overall better. I like the idea of the Assioma DUO pedals because I could sell my pedals and PM to recover some of the cost but hear the XPEDO cleats are a bit of a PITA. I also looked at the Stages Gen3 but canāt determine what the real differences are. The 4iiii seems to get good press too but is basically exactly what I have. I run Ultegra 8050 and hear the crank based power meters for Shimano are mostly junk aside from SRM which wonāt work with my Wahoo headunit.
Anyway, suggestions on if there are any worthwhile upgrades, or should I just stick to my tried and true Stages Gen 2?
A new PM wonāt change your life in any way whatsoever. You wouldnāt upgrade a speedometer or cadence sensor or GPS sensor. Everything more than a good power number, makes a 1% difference in your life and is mostly pure entertainment. A Shimano stages is as good as pedals for traveling as long as youāre renting a road bike. The only case to move would be you no longer want to use a Shimano crank or you need something for a MTB.
Wow, I donāt think Iāve ever heard anyone call Stages ātried and trueā before. Neat.
For what itās worth, I had tons of issues with my Gen 2, and Stages eventually swapped it out and sent me a brand new Gen 3. Itās been fine if not a little erratic, so I plan on picking up a Power2Max NGeco to replace it. Every suggestion Iāve come across names it as the best bang for your buck PM out there, and a huge upgrade from any Stages.
Iām not sure why stages gets such a bad reputation, I know about half a dozen people using it and none have issues. And granted, Sky used dual sided Stages, but it was good enough for them.
Bought a Stages gen2 back in October 2016, then upgraded to gen3 a year ago. Been really happy with them. I review all my power files, and have only spotted a one second blip (about 300W too high) on two rides. The power2max looks very interesting and after the upgrade last year realized it was a bit cheaper. Would definitely put NGeco on my short list if shopping right now.
Never confuse commercial sponsorships with choice.
OP: The Gen 3 Stages has much better ārangeā. No dropouts if youāre using an out-front mount. I have no issues with the LEFT (or most LEFT only) Shimano based crank power meters for what they do.
I meant that more in the sense that if it was as bad as everyone says, they likely would have dropped Stages. That being said, you do quite a bit of testing, how has your Stages experience been?
They didā¦ theyāre back on Shimano (from bad toā¦ wellā¦ anyway).
Stages step smack-bang into the turd that is the Shimano right side crank design. Thereās nothing wrong with their tech (radios, gauges, etc). But you canāt put a hat on a turd and call it done.
I canāt rely on ANY L/R Shimano based power meter to use as a baseline to compare anything else to. Left only units give me better results.
So if Iām in my situation where I have Ultegra 8050 with a Left side only Stages Gen2, am I missing out on much? I was considering something like the Pioneer but my buddy told me that those āshimano based dual sided metersā are worse than garbage, and suggested if anything I go for dual pedals, which is where the Assioma DUO came in, but not sure what I really have to gain aside from dual sided accuracy.
I guess if we compare a Stages Gen2 L only to a Assioma UNO, to make it more apples to apples, whatās the difference in accuracy, consistency, etc. As I said, my Stages L tracks very close to my H2/H3 when I use it in ERG mode in the 36x17 where the flywheel speed issues arenāt prevalent.
Iām kind of a noob to all of this tech stuff anyway
Maybe Iāll look into the Assioma DUO, they seem to get good reviews from everyone, even though I never heard of the company until recently but that doesnāt mean much.
This isnāt their first rodeo, round #1 was the BePro pedals. The company doesnāt advertise a lot (or at all?). They dropped the Assioma pedals on the market and boom. They just worked. And worked well. And thatās backed up by 1000s of comments saying the same thing.
Then they dropped their priceā¦ and kept the firmware updates coming.
This is a great example of a smaller company making something that works, works well, and customers singing their praises.
Good to know, of all the meters out there these seem to check the boxes for me for being dual sided, reliable, accurate, and easy to maintain.
Just gotta see what prices look like after the holidays, if Clover still has them for $649 I may pull the trigger before I jump into build phase so I can have a ramp test with their numbers and move forward appropriately
One concern I did have is about shoes rubbing on the pods, I ideally wouldnāt want to have to adjust my cleats to move the shoes out but I do run them pretty close. I should find someone with a set and try them
Iām still really considering the Duo setup simply because it will give me true power and Iām 100% sure we will eventually see an MTB adaptation/upgrade which would be super awesome.
DUO are $649, could sell my Stages for 250ish, and my almost new Ultegra pedals for 80ish, so would essentially cut my cost in half, which isnāt bad. With more of a focus on training I donāt think Iād miss the money in my wallet but would probably be super happy to not have to wonder whether my L arm is off or not. Mine has been good, but could fail I suppose
Also looks like the Assiomas are cheaper if bought directly from the Favero site, mine are coming in at ā¬569,67, which they say is $632, no tax, free shipping. Iām sure shipping will take longer from europe. Has anyone ordered direct from them, and are there any extra fees associated with it?
