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Power Meters Compared
A decade ago the choices of cycling power meters were limited and expensive, restricted to professionals and well-off amateurs. Nowadays though, we are completely spoilt for choice, and there are dozens of brands available at a variety of price points.
The important thing to remember is that accurate, reliable power measurement is quite difficult, and the more expensive manufacturers will typically have spent much longer than others on the research & development cycle. Therefore you will pay more for a meter that is tested more thoroughly over more of the power spectrum, so should expect it to last longer and be more consistent with readings. Newer, cheaper entries to the power meter market may or may not have come up with a product that will last as long or as well - so buyer beware!
Know which power meters are right for you? Have a look at the best deals we know!
In this table we compare all of the commercially available power meters.
SRM Powermeter
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The original and best! SRM are still regarded as the go-to company for top-end power measurement. |
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Stages Power
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£266 - £1,199 from 4 retailers |
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Zwatt Zpider
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A new player on the market, Team Zwatt has integrated the power meter very neatly into an FSA crankset. |
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LIMITS Power
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A crowdfunded power meter that is intended to be as interchangable and easy to install as possible, by sitting between the left pedal and left crank arm. It certainly is easy to swap around (as long as you have the couple of special tools to hand) but calibration is tricky - it's very sensitive to the crank position, and recorded power can start drifting mid-ride. |
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4iiii Precision Power Meter
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£200 - £899 from 3 retailers A cheaper equivalent of the Stages left-crank power meter, and it can also be attached to your existing crank arm! |
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SRM Exakt Power Pedals
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£675 - £1,350 from 4 retailers The first non-crankset power meter from SRM, this one sits inside a pedal spindle manufactured by Look. Careful design and integration mean that the pedal's profile is pretty much the same as that of a regular high-end pedal, and it is only slightly heavier too. Recharging is performed using a hex-shaped adapter that plugs into the crank end of the pedal spindle, allowing for simple USB charging. It's jus as well that recharing is easy, as each pedal apparently only lasts around 90 hours of use. |
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Powertap G3 hub
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£56 - £582 from 4 retailers This is a long-time favourite of power meter enthusiasts, as the measurement is done in the rear wheel - mostly out of harm's way, and with plenty of room to do the measuring. Powertap sells the hub only, allowing you to build your choice of wheel. The wheel is obviously transferable between bikes, which is good. The "true" combined power of both legs is captured, but you won't be seeing any left-right balance data. |
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IQ2
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This is an adaptor that sits between the pedals and the crank, so can be used on any bike. It is quite a slim unit, but still increases the "Q factor" by 16mm per pedal. Left and right versions will be available, and you can choose whether to have just one or to have both. |
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Avio Powersense
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£137 - £319 from 3 retailers Avio Sports has come up with an excellently-priced power meter add-on to your existing crankset. You can buy the kit and fit it yourself, send your crank in and let the experts do it, or buy a new crankset from them with the power meter pre-installed. |
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Verve InfoCrank
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£900 - £950 from 2 retailers |
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Powertap P1 Pedals
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£370 - £750 from 3 retailers With the option of left-only or both-leg measurement, these pedals are priced sensibly and with the convenience of easily swapping power measurement between road bikes. |
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Power2max Type S Power Meter
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Powermax only sells direct, and offers a range of spiders (including cranks if required) to suit various cranksets. |
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Powertap C1 chainrings
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£452 - £509 from 1 retailer An FSA chainset that has the Powertap dual-sided power meter attached. As long as you're confident in the bottom bracket area, installing this should be straightforward. |
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STYX Powermeter
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Power meter is embedded in each cleat (either Shimano SPD-SL or Look Keo), and will therefore work on any bike with the matching pedals fitted. This is a crowd-funding campaign, and there is a risk that the product may not be delivered as anticipated. |
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4iiii Precision crankset |
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This meter uses the company's tried and tested PRECISION 3-D strain gauge technology, and it is the first time that 4iii is offering a dual-sided option. |
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Garmin Vector 3 |
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£343 - £850 from 5 retailers Single and dual pedal options. Available from October 2017. |
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Favero Assioma |
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£349 - £579 from 1 retailer Available from Summer 2017 |
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Garmin Vector 2 |
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£437 - £800 from 3 retailers Single and dual pedal options. Available from October 2015. |
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FSA Powerbox |
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£65 - £950 from 4 retailers |
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Pioneer SGY-PM910VR |
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Pioneer SGY-PM910VL |
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Quarq Riken |
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£469 - £537 from 2 retailers |
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Quarq DZero |
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£230 - £6,800 from 4 retailers |
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