00:00 A power meter is the best way of objectively telling you how hard you're pushing the pedals
00:04 on your bike.
00:05 This is done by measuring your torque, how hard you're pushing on the pedals, multiplied
00:09 by your cadence, how fast you're turning the pedals.
00:12 This will appear as a number in watts which will appear on your cycling computer while
00:15 you're riding.
00:16 But, what do you do with those watts?
00:18 Well, we need an entirely separate video to really go into the details, so I've dropped
00:22 a few links below to some of our guides.
00:25 Now you know what a power meter is, I'm going to run you through the different types that
00:28 are available.
00:29 I'll run you through their pros, their cons and anything else worth mentioning.
00:37 First up, we've got crankbays which, as you can imagine, are located in and around the
00:41 cranks.
00:42 Now, they can be positioned in multiple different positions.
00:44 First up, they can be on the crank arm, like so.
00:46 Then, you can also have them in the chainrings itself or potentially on the spindle.
00:51 Now that's just completely dependent on which brand you buy from.
00:54 The pros for crankbay systems are that traditionally they've always been some of the most accurate,
00:58 so you can be really confident with the data.
01:00 They can also include pretty cool tech, like being able to measure wattage from each leg
01:05 so you can see if you've got a power imbalance.
01:07 The cons tend to be that they've been on the slightly pricier end of the market, but those
01:11 prices have been coming down.
01:12 The other thing which isn't so great with them is that they aren't as easy to switch
01:16 between bikes.
01:18 Power meter brands like Stages and 4i do also offer single-sided only options, which helps
01:23 keep that price a little bit lower.
01:25 However, what it does to get your power reading is that it takes the reading from one leg
01:28 and then doubles it, so it's not quite as accurate.
01:31 That being said, if you do want to dip your toe into the power meter market and you don't
01:35 want to spend a fortune, then a single-sided power meter might be the way to go.
01:44 Next up, we've got pedal-based power meters, which, as you'd expect, locate all the cool
01:48 tech within the pedal.
01:50 The pros for pedal-based power meters are that they are also accurate and reliable.
01:55 Similar to the cranks, you can be confident with your data.
01:57 Also, with pedals, they're much easier to switch between bikes, so if you've got multiple
02:01 bikes you'd want to use pedals on, that's something that's a lot more easily done.
02:04 The cons, though.
02:06 Pedal-based power meters can be expensive.
02:08 They're also prone to crash damage due to being in a much more exposed area compared
02:12 to their crank counterparts.
02:14 Depending on which brand you buy, you might find yourself locked into a specific pedal
02:17 platform, so if you're particular about the pedals that you use, you might find that those
02:21 cleats aren't compatible with any pedal-based power meter.
02:24 Finally, if you're sensitive to things like Q-factor or stack, you might find that these
02:28 values increase when you go to a pedal-based power meter.
02:32 These things can be altered with a bike fit, so what I would recommend is if you do go
02:36 for a pedal-based power meter, go see your local bike fitter to make adjustments for
02:40 those changes.
02:46 Before we get onto what might be right for you, a quick word about hub-based power meters.
02:50 You don't see too many of them, but the way that they worked was, again, by measuring
02:54 your power through the hub.
02:56 Powertap was a well-known hub-based brand, but they were discontinued in 2021 by their
03:00 parent company, SRAM.
03:01 Now, there may still be a few for sale out on the market, but I would probably steer
03:06 clear of them, purely because you won't be able to get parts or the support should they
03:09 go wrong.
03:10 However, SRAM might bring them back in the future, so that's something we'll just have
03:14 to wait and see for.
03:21 Which power meter is going to be right for you?
03:23 Well, I think for those of you that are on a budget and maybe just want to dip your toe
03:26 into the power meter market, then a single-sided crank-based system could be really good.
03:31 They might not be as accurate, but with a discrepancy of a few percent here or there,
03:36 I think that's going to be good for most of us.
03:38 If you have more to spend and potentially more bikes that you want to switch a power
03:41 meter between, then I think this is where a pedal-based system comes in superior.
03:46 Just remember, you might be limited on the different pedal systems that you can use.
03:50 If you only have one bike and don't mind a little bit of mechanical faff and want to
03:53 spend more, then I think a dual-sided crank-based system is going to be a really good option.
03:59 Crank-based systems are used by the vast majority of pros, and as the old saying goes, if it's
04:03 good enough for them, it's good enough for us.
04:05 Hopefully now you're all clued in with the ins and outs of power meters and you've got
04:09 a good idea on which one you'd like to buy.
04:11 If you do have any questions, though, drop them down in the comments.
04:14 If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content,
04:17 and I'll see you again very soon.
04:18 "
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