00:00A power meter is the best way of objectively telling you how hard you're pushing the pedals
00:04on your bike.
00:05This is done by measuring your torque, how hard you're pushing on the pedals, multiplied
00:09by your cadence, how fast you're turning the pedals.
00:12This will appear as a number in watts, which will appear on your cycling computer while
00:16you're riding.
00:17But what do you do with those watts?
00:18Well, we need an entirely separate video to really go into the details, so I've dropped
00:22a few links below to some of our guides.
00:25Now you know what a power meter is, I'm going to run you through the different types that
00:28are available.
00:29I'll run you through their pros, their cons, and anything else worth mentioning.
00:37First up, we've got crankbase, which, as you can imagine, are located in and around the
00:41cranks.
00:42Now, they can be positioned in multiple different positions.
00:44First up, they can be on the crank arm, like so.
00:46Then, you can also have them in the chainrings itself, or potentially on the spindle.
00:51Now that's just completely dependent on which brand you buy from.
00:54The pros for crankbase systems are that traditionally they've always been some of the most accurate,
00:59so you can be really confident with the data.
01:00They can also include pretty cool tech, like being able to measure wattage from each leg
01:05so you can see if you've got a power imbalance.
01:07The cons tend to be that they've been on the slightly pricier end of the market, but those
01:11prices have been coming down.
01:12The other thing which isn't so great with them is that they aren't as easy to switch between
01:16bikes.
01:18Power meter brands like Stages and 4i do also offer single-sided only options, which helps
01:23keep that price a little bit lower.
01:25However, what it does to get your power reading is that it takes the reading from one leg
01:28and then doubles it.
01:29So, it's not quite as accurate, but that being said, if you do want to dip your toe into
01:34the power meter market and you don't want to spend a fortune, then a single-sided power
01:37meter might be the way to go.
01:44Next up, we've got pedal-based power meters, which, as you'd expect, locate all the cool
01:48tech within the pedal.
01:50The pros for pedal-based power meters are that they are also accurate and reliable.
01:54So, similar to the cranks, you can be confident with your data.
01:57Also, with pedals, they're much easier to switch between bikes, so if you've got multiple
02:01bikes you'd want to use pedals on, that's something that's a lot more easily done.
02:05The cons though, pedal-based power meters can be expensive.
02:08They're also prone to crash damage due to being in a much more exposed area compared
02:12to their crank counterparts.
02:13Depending on which brand you buy, you might find yourself locked into a specific pedal
02:17platform.
02:18So, if you're particular about the pedals that you use, you might find that those cleats
02:21aren't compatible with any pedal-based power meter.
02:24Finally, if you're sensitive to things like Q-factor or stack, you might find that these
02:28values increase when you go to a pedal-based power meter.
02:32So, these things can be altered with a bike fit.
02:34So, what I would recommend is, if you do go for a pedal-based power meter, go see your
02:38local bike fitter to make adjustments for those changes.
02:46Before we get onto what might be right for you, a quick word about hub-based power meters.
02:50You don't see too many of them, but the way that they worked was, again, by measuring
02:54your power through the hub.
02:56Powertap was a well-known hub-based brand, but they were discontinued in 2021 by their
03:00parent company, SRAM.
03:01Now, there may still be a few for sale out on the market, but I would probably steer
03:06clear of them, purely because you won't be able to get parts or the support should they
03:09go wrong.
03:10However, SRAM might bring them back in the future, so that's something we'll just
03:13have to wait and see for.
03:18So, which power meter is going to be right for you?
03:23Well, I think for those of you that are on a budget and maybe just want to dip your toe
03:26into the power meter market, then a single-sided crank-based system could be really good.
03:31They might not be as accurate, but with a discrepancy of a few percent here or there,
03:36I think that's going to be good for most of us.
03:38If you have more to spend and potentially more bikes that you want to switch a power
03:41meter between, then I think this is where a pedal-based system comes in superior.
03:46Just remember, you might be limited on the different pedal systems that you can use.
03:50If you only have one bike and don't mind a little bit of mechanical faff and want to
03:53spend more, then I think a dual-sided crank-based system is going to be a really good option.
03:59Crank-based systems are used by the vast majority of pros, and as the old saying goes, if it's
04:03good enough for them, it's good enough for us.
04:05Hopefully now you're all clued in with the ins and outs of power meters and you've got
04:09a good idea on which one you'd like to buy.
04:11If you do have any questions though, drop them down in the comments.
04:14If you enjoyed the video, drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content,
04:17and I'll see you again very soon.
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