If you want to assess your cycling performance in greater detail, get the most out of your training and most importantly improve your performance, then you should consider using a power meter.

It ultimately comes down to what your goals are, what you will use the power meter for and how often you will use it. A power meter is a specialized training tool for riders who want to increase their power output, strength and endurance. If you race or want to improve your fitness levels, then using power zones and power output data in a structured training plan can help significantly. It will also allow you to accurately measure and track improvements over time, as power meters are not affected by outside variables compared to other data such as speed, cadence or heart rate.

If you are interested in riding your bike purely for enjoyment and fitness, or prefer simple data collection such as speed, distance, average speed, cadence and/or heart rate, then a power meter may be unnecessary.

How do I choose a bike power meter? What type of power meter is best?

Selecting the best power meter for you depends on a number of factors. Most power meters are generally quite accurate, consistent and add a little extra weight. It all comes down to what you will use the power meter for and how often you will use it, as well as frame and component compatibility, ease of installation, the simplicity of swapping between multiple bikes (if need be) and the amount that you are willing to spend.

When looking to buy a power meter, you will need to focus on a few key areas and ask yourself a few essential questions:

Compatibility: Is the power meter compatible with your bike? For example, will it fit on your frame, mounts, bottom bracket or crank arms? If it’s not compatible with your frame or components, then it’s best to look at other power meter options.

Accuracy and Consistency: It is important for a power meter to be accurate, however it is more important that the power meter is consistently accurate over numerous rides. Once installed and correctly calibrated, the majority of power meters are accurate to within a very small percentage, generally +/-3%.

Reliability: It is important that your power meter works consistently well and provides accurate data every day in a wide range of conditions, is robust and doesn’t break or lose connection to your bike computer. Thankfully, many power meter units on the market rank well in terms of reliability.

Transferability: How easily can the power meter be transferred from one bike to another? If you have multiple bikes and only one power meter, then you should look for a power meter that can be easily swapped between bikes such as pedal-, wheel/hub- or handlebar-based power meters. Crank- and bottom bracket-based power meters can be transferred between bikes if they are compatible with the frame, however it is very time consuming, not to mention there is greater potential to damage your frame and components.

Installation: Installation of a power meter goes hand-in- hand with transferability. If the power meter can be easily installed, then it can be easily transferred. Once again pedal-, wheel/hub- and handlebar-based power meters are the easiest to install. Other power meter types can be installed by the average cyclist with the use of instructions and tools, however it requires more time and hands on work. If you only have one bike or don’t want to transfer the power meter to another bike, then the installation process will be a once off. Your local bike mechanic can also give you a hand if you need any help.

Left/Right Measurement: Some units can measure the power output of each leg individually. Other units can measure the output from one leg only (for example a left-hand crank arm) and extrapolate the data to estimate the power output from both legs. From this, power data can be measured fairly accurately, but not exactly.

Transmission Protocols: Your bike computer, smartphone and/or tablet will communicate with your power meter via one of two wireless protocols: ANT+ or Bluetooth. Currently the majority of power meters are compatible with both protocols.

Battery Type and Life: The battery life depends on the type of battery and the power meter unit. The majority of power meters will use either rechargeable lithium-ion batteries or a coin-cell battery (CR2032). Some units use AAA or LR44/SR44 batteries. The greatest battery life in order from the greatest to the least is coin, lithium-ion and AAA. The battery life of a rechargeable lithium-ion battery is generally less than a coin-cell battery (up to 90 hours less), however you won’t have to worry about the procedure or cost of replacing them.

Weight: Every power meter will add weight to varying degrees. The lightest units will only add approximately 8 grams extra such as the 4iiii left-hand crank arm sensor. The ‘heavier’ power meters will add over 200 grams depending on which component is substituted. Either way, the weight added is insignificant, so much so that the majority of cyclists won’t be able to feel the added weight.

Price: Power meters start at around a few hundred dollars and can go up to a few thousand dollars or more. Lower priced power meters can still do the job quite well and accurately enough for the majority of cyclists. More expensive power meters are usually slightly more accurate, however the degree of accuracy difference is very low, assuming they are both properly set up and calibrated.

What are the best power meters for cycling? Which power meter should you buy?

Determining the best power meter for each individual is usually based on how often you will use it, bike compatibility, ease of installation, transferability and the price. Most power meters are very close in terms of accuracy and add extra weight. As a result, you’ll find that almost every power meter is included in the list of the best and most highly power meters.

See the full list of the best power meters along with specifications, summarized and full reviews.

The best and most highly rated power meters you should buy as rated by the experts in 2021 include the:

• 4iiii Precision Power Meter

• Favero Assioma Duo Pedals

• FSA PowerBox Carbon Crankset

• Garmin Rally Power Meter Pedals

• Look Exakt Power Meter Pedals

• Power2Max NGeco Power Meter

• Quarq DZero Power Meter/SRAM AXS Power Meter

• Quarq PowerTap P2 Power Meter Pedals

• Rotor 2INPower Power Meter

• Shimano Dura-Ace 9100P Power Meter

• SRM Origin Power Meter

• Stages Cycling G3 Power Meter

• Velocomp PowerPod V4 Power Meter

What is the cheapest power meter for cycling?

The cheapest power meter available is the unconventional, innovative and easy to use Velocomp PowerPod Lite Power Meter with a RRP of $199USD.

The PowerPod Lite works by measuring the frontal wind force, elevation, speed, cadence, rider weight, accelerometer measurements and atmospheric pressure, which is then run through an algorithm to determine the power output for each leg. It can be conveniently placed on a handlebar mount and easily swapped to a different bike. The only downside is that it doesn’t work on indoor trainers. It has a claimed accuracy of +/-2%. The accuracy is comparable to gold-standard power meters.

Why are power meters so expensive?

There are a few factors that make a power meter expensive. Making a reliable, compact, robust, lightweight, waterproof and accurate power meter requires extensive R&D for a company which costs a lot of money. Companies need to make a profit from the effort, time and money spent to make the power meter.

Some companies such as Stages have spent up to three years creating their power meter. The cost of the strain gauges and parts needed to make the unit are relatively inexpensive if they are off-the-shelf. However customized circuitry with the highest quality and most advanced components are generally required and used by companies. Supply and demand is also a factor. Power meters are labor intensive to produce. Companies can’t easily manufacture huge quantities to help lower the cost.

Although most people believe that they are expensive, companies are still selling as many power meters as they can manufacturer at the current prices, meaning that there is little desire to reduce the retail price.

How does a power meter work on a bike? How are cycling watts calculated?

A power meter is a device that can measure the power output of a rider by using an incredibly small strain gauge.

A strain gauge is a sensor whose electrical resistance varies depending on how much force (strain) is put on it. This change in electrical resistance can measure torque.

Power (measured in watts) can then be calculated by multiplying torque (how much force the rider is generating) by velocity (distance divided by time).

What are ANT+ sensors?

ANT+ (Advanced and Adaptive Network Technology) is a wireless technology owned by Garmin that allows for the collection and transfer of sensor data, developed specifically for the health, fitness and sports industries. Basically ANT+ sensors can collect and send data using the ultra low power version of the ANT transmission protocol, using the same frequencies as WiFi and Bluetooth at 2.4GHz.

An ANT+ enabled sensor (i.e. bike computer) can connect to and display information from multiple ANT+ sensors, such as a speed sensor, heart rate monitor and/or a power meter, all at the same time. ANT+ is universal, meaning that if a device has an ANT+ sensor, then it is compatible with all products with ANT+ capabilities, even if they are from other brands.

How long do power meter batteries last?

The battery life of a power meter depends greatly on the type of unit. Battery life can even vary between power meters of the same type.

A single-sided Stages crank arm power meter will last approximately 200 hours and a dual-sided Stages power meter will last approximately 150 hours.

A crank-based (spider) power meter will generally last around 200+ hours.

Pedal-based power meters will generally last around 100 hours.

Bottom bracket-based power meters will generally last around 250 hours.

It’s always best to check the product specifications for the claimed battery life as well as reviews to get a good indication of how long the power meter battery will last.

What is power-to-weight ratio? How is power-to-weight ratio calculated? What is FTP power? How is FTP calculated? What is a good FTP in watts per kg? What is a good average power? What is a good wattage for cycling? What is a good watts per kg for cycling? How many watts does the average cyclist produce? How many watts per kg do the pros produce? How many watts do professional cyclists produce?

The power-to-weight ratio is a great indicator of your performance levels, regardless of whether you ride on flat or hilly roads. Power-to-weight ratio, calculated in watts per kilogram can be calculated by dividing your maximum power output (in watts) by your body mass (in kg). For example an 85kg rider who can sustain a maximum power output of 300 watts for a given time period has a power-to-weight ratio of 3.53 watts per kg, which is commonly abbreviated as 3.53W/kg.

If a cyclist can sustain a power output of 300W whilst another cyclist can sustain around 250W on perfectly flat roads, we can confidently predict that the cyclist who can sustain 300W will be faster. However, the power-to-weight ratio becomes very important when climbing. For example, if two riders ride up the same hill on an identical bike, one who weighs 70kg and rides at 223W (3.19W/kg) and the other who weighs 85kg and rides at 270W (3.18W/kg), the 70kg rider only needs to average 223W to ride up the same hill, at the same speed, on the same bike as the 85kg rider.

Functional threshold power (FTP) is a measure of the average power (in watts) that you can sustain over a 60 minute period. To determine your FTP, it is the same as calculating your power-to-weight ratio (power output divided by body mass) for a 60 minute period. This can either be determined from a full 60 minute effort or estimated from a shorter ride, for example riding hard for 20 minutes and reducing the average power reading by 5-10%, depending on your fitness levels as we would gradually tire from riding for 60 minutes.

According to the data, the median twenty minute effort for all cyclists in watts per kilogram is very close to 3.80W/kg. A professional cyclist has a typical power-to-weight ratio of 7.0, 6.1 and 6.0W/kg for a 5, 20 and 60 minute time period respectively. An amateur cyclist has a typical power-to-weight ratio of 3.7, 3.3 and 3.0W/kg for a 5, 20 and 60 minute time period respectively. A recreational cyclist has a typical power-to-weight ratio of 2.5, 2.1 and 1.8W/kg for a 5, 20 and 60 minute time period respectively. The average beginner cyclist will have an FTP of around 2.0W/kg.

Data has been collected from professional cyclists who have recorded and uploaded their stats during competition. WorldTour rider André Greipel has been known to produce a staggering 1900W whilst sprinting. It is claimed that professional cyclists average around 300W+ during a stage of a grand tour, usually around 400W in the final hour of the stage. Amateur and recreational cyclists may be able to sustain 300W+ except over a much shorter period of time. Data suggests that approximately 50% of males have an FTP below 260W and 50% of females have an FTP below 200W.

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Looking to buy a power meter? We have compiled a list of the best and most highly rated cycling power meters that are available to buy, with specifications, summarized reviews and the latest deals.

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