I want a power meter and I am looking for some tips or recommendations to help me decide.
First my setup :
2020 Cannondale CAAD13 105 Disc
Cranks : Cannondale One
Chainrings : FSA 52/36
Pedals : Shimano SPD M540
Shoes : Need to be changed ASAP
I was either going for the Power2max NGeco or the Assiomas Duo (with the now famous hack to ride with SPD). Either way, I will need new shoes so we can take that out of the equation. As you can see, I am using SPD pedals because I like the double side clipping and being able to walk with the shoes. I know FSA Chainrings are “meh” + they will need to be changed soon as they begin to be worn down. The thing is the NGeco comes in specific models for the chainrings/crank you have.
These are my options:
Order the NGeco for Cannondale and be stuck with FSA chainrings for the rest of eternity (easiest, cheapest, but stuck with FSA)
Order NGeco with cranks that matches other chainrings. So when it is time to change the chainrings, I could install that powermeter/cranks combo on something else than FSA. But which ones? NGeco Road Powermeter – Power2Max North America. I am not really that much of a weight freak so I guess 105 chainrings to go along my groupset or whatever has the biggest compatibility range. (A bit more expensive but more options for the future)
Go for Assioma Duo, order new pedals (because my M540 won’t work for the hack) and hack them (expensive, but YOLO… but I would still need to change the chainrings soon… and be stuck with FSA still)
OR
Wait for a SPD compatible powermeter that is worth it?
Suck it up and go with road shoes + Assioma duo
OR
are you aware that Garmin just came out with a SPD pedal based powermeter? It’s $1200 for the dual sided and $700 for the single sided. So more expensive than Assioma and there isn’t long term use out there yet.
As for the Power2Max. I have one on one of my bikes and it has actually been the most trouble free powermeter I have had (I’ve had 3 Quarqs, Garmin Vector V1 and V2, and the Powertap Pedals). It is specific to the crankset that you have. However you are able to use different rings (i.e. Praxis) provided it has the same BCD (bolt circle diameter)
i went with buying assioma duo and use the cleats that are compatible… I don’t like the cleats very much.
What i really want is to go back to shimano spd-SL pedals… sigh… i might switch to power meters built into crank sets for both the road bike and the gravel bike… but that will be when i have established significantly higher income and a retirement plan established… like when pigs fly i guess…
I have seen the Garmin Rally XC200 but I find them really expensive. As you stated, no long term feeback too. So I was really going for something known ence the NGeco/Assiomas…
So if I am following your train of thoughts, I should go for NGeco with cranks combo to be able to get any chainrings I want afterwards. Any recommendations regarding that?
Yes I am aware of the XC200 but find them expensive. Wouldn’t buying a crank PM (like 4iii/stages) mean changing my chainrings too, ence making my other crank not fit? So why not stick with the NGeco in that situation?
I was in a very similar boat to you recently but with an Allez Sprint (Praxis Crank). I was leaning towards Assioma forever until I started hearing complaints about cleat compatibility. At the same time, I knew I’d eventually want to change out the crankset to match my 105 in the back.
I ended up getting the NGEco compatible with Shimano 4 bolt with P2M cranks (cheaper version of Rotor ALDHU) and buying some used 105 chainrings. The whole thing, including a new Wheels MFG BB, cost the same as assioma duo’s but I also got the benefit of keeping my preferred pedal system and upgrading the crankset. Totally worth it!
And then you would take out the existing spider and install this in it’s place. When you tire of the FSA chainrings you can then buy another set of 5 bolt 110 BCD chainrings (lots of options for this)
I have a set of Assioma Uno’s and 2 Power2Max meters (Type S and NGeco). The only reason I would choose the Assiomas over the P2M is if you want to easily swap them between multiple bikes. Dont get me wrong, they’re good but the P2M is so easy. It just always works. Auto zero means never needing to remember to calibrate it.
I don’t know where you are located, but in the US, a Quarq Dzero PM with cranks and a DUB BB (but no rings) is only $633 now. I own 3 Quarqs and I’m very happy with them.
Like you, I would recommend Quarq. Benefit of the cranks being available separately from the spider allows you to fiddle with crank lengths and should you have a mishap, the chance of the spider being damaged is much lower then pedals or cranks.
If I order a 5 bolts spider (like the Cannondale 110 BCD you linked) . This means I could only install it once I change the chainrings (and I would get more options as 110 BCD with 5 bolts is more common, correct?). Would the cranks I currently have still work on it though?
For me, the simple answer to that is I can hang my calibrated 20kg weight on my Quarqs to do a static calibration every year or two, and as far as I know, P2M still does not support that methodology. If you want a deep dive on why that is, you can watch this video. (Skip ahead to 14.00 if you get bored!)
If you only ever plan to have one power meter maybe calibration is not a concern for you (although personally I feel anyone spending $$$ on a PM should be concerned with accuracy!)
Looking at your photo, I don’t think any of the Quarq spiders would be compatible with those 4 bolt FSA rings, so better budget for new rings as well, that probably adds another $100-200 to the cost.
Interesting. It should still work with your cranks as the Power2Max page states Cannondale 1 crank compatibility. You could always send them an email with your pic to double check. But you are right, you would need different chainrings
I see. So “truer” accuracy with a static calibration with a known true weight with Quarq VS. “no need to calibrate” but not “true” accuracy. I have just noticed the newst version “DUB” which has How come the NGeco scores very good in lab test then (like the one from GPLama)?
Compatibility wise, I guess this would lead me to the same result as with the NGeco. Meaning I could still use my current Cannondale One cranks and I would need to stick with Cannondale cranks in the future. Also, I would still need new chainrings anyways.
