It's a crank-based power meter that only requires a switch out of the cranks to modified versions of your same crank. Once installed, you wouldn't even know it's there. Communicates to a head unit of your choice in ANT+ or blue tooth.
I have been holding out for Garmin's pedal-based system but it's vaporware at this point and their continued push-back of release dates has caused me to lose much faith in that type of setup.
So, take a look. Looks like a good alternative and the price is right for me! :thumbsup:
Well, I have one of these bad boys that was provided as a gift. I can tell you that it more closely matches the power readings of my computrainer than my Power Tap did.
In my mind this whole concern about symmetry of power is bunk. Think about it, if you are out putting in a given effort, your left leg will be proportional, if not equal, to your right leg. Power measurement is about consistency of measurement, not an absolute value. You get just as useful information from this tool as you will a Power Tap or SRM with regard to performance gains and how to pace yourself during a ride/training so as to achieve your target output.
The only time I have found this meter to be useless is during one legged drills. I cannot seem to generate any power out of my right leg.
Well, I have one of these bad boys that was provided as a gift. I can tell you that it more closely matches the power readings of my computrainer than my Power Tap did.
In my mind this whole concern about symmetry of power is bunk. Think about it, if you are out putting in a given effort, your left leg will be proportional, if not equal, to your right leg. Power measurement is about consistency of measurement, not an absolute value. You get just as useful information from this tool as you will a Power Tap or SRM with regard to performance gains and how to pace yourself during a ride/training so as to achieve your target output.
The only time I have found this meter to be useless is during one legged drills. I cannot seem to generate any power out of my right leg.
Lightest power meter on the market. Mine is very consistent between rides. I baselined the data with several rides on rollers then road the same route outside. Used heart rate, cadence to try and ride the same pace over and over to test. Power between rides was very close. Definitely worth the money and will be a great tool to measure changes in performance.
Lightest power meter on the market. Mine is very consistent between rides. I baselined the data with several rides on rollers then road the same route outside. Used heart rate, cadence to try and ride the same pace over and over to test. Power between rides was very close. Definitely worth the money and will be a great tool to measure changes in performance.
I'm sure it's consistent when you are pedaling smoothly, but what happens at extremes. Have you been up any long climbs? When I'm _really_ pushing my limits or on super steep grades (> 15%) my form tends to break down very quickly and I think is where I think it would become very inaccurate.
First off, I have been using my Stages power meter and while I have nothing scientific, my feeling is that it is working great, and is an amazing tool. FTP test lined up with my expectations, and the data looks consistent and accurate for what I expected. I do not own a computrainer, or other power meter to compare it to.
I have discovered something else, which I believe contributed to the poor results for Ray (DCrainmaker)'s tests. I recently also upgrade my head unit to the garmin edge 510 and began noticing "jumps"/"drops" in power readings. Upon searching the garmin forums I realized that this is actually a known and common issue with the new Garmin 510/810 which you can read about here:
When I went back and looked at Ray's tests, sure enough he used both a 510 and 810 as head units at different times during his test. When I did side by side tests with my 500 and 510 running I too saw jumps and discrepancies in the data. My thought is that the issues he saw, were more a factor of the buggy new Garmin head units, rather than the stages power meter.
I am disappointed in Ray's use of new Garmin technology for these tests, especially when we all know Garmin's poor track-record with buggy releases.
Ray is planning on writing an update about stages soon according to a few hints he dropped on his blog and a podcast. He also hinted that firmware updates have improved some of the issues seen in his original review.
I have been following the reviews and had been put off by the spikes/drops as I have powertaps and computainer data that I am used to using. Thanks for reporting real world results.
Yes, they do appear similar to his drops, and certainly noticed what he said about pacing. The power readings on the 510 jump around and sometimes cut out or "pulse" making it hard to pace.
This does NOT happen on the edge 500. Also, the very fact that the edge 510 and 810 are buggy with power makes me discredit his test overall. Ray is the one that is so hard set on consistency of measurement. The fact that 2 of the 3 head units he used for his tests have known issues with measuring and displaying power says more than enough. I look forward to his update, and hope he does not utilize a 510 or 810 unit for it.
What is truly a shame, if this theory is accurate, is the fact that his review cut deeply into the sales, credibility, and hype for Stages. In an industry such as this, it may be very difficult for them to gather the momentum they had going again, even if Ray writes a new and favorable review.
Yes, they do appear similar to his drops, and certainly noticed what he said about pacing. The power readings on the 510 jump around and sometimes cut out or "pulse" making it hard to pace.
This does NOT happen on the edge 500. Also, the very fact that the edge 510 and 810 are buggy with power makes me discredit his test overall. Ray is the one that is so hard set on consistency of measurement. The fact that 2 of the 3 head units he used for his tests have known issues with measuring and displaying power says more than enough. I look forward to his update, and hope he does not utilize a 510 or 810 unit for it.
What is truly a shame, if this theory is accurate, is the fact that his review cut deeply into the sales, credibility, and hype for Stages. In an industry such as this, it may be very difficult for them to gather the momentum they had going again, even if Ray writes a new and favorable review.
It might be good to shoot him a quick email to tell him what you found. That way if he does a second review he can make sure it's not a contributing factor. I've emailed him before and he's pretty responsive.
I did. He acknowledged the data errors but was not convinced they caused all the issues he saw. Regardless he said to look for an update here soon that would test the new firmware, and avoid the 510/810, initial reports look promising he hints.
Anyone care to provide an update on how theirs is working? Thinking about it. Waiting for Rays update but would like to hear from those who have it and what they think. Pros/Cons.
Had mine over a month now and it is working great. The new firmware also enhanced my already positive experience. Numbers are stable and exactly what I would expect them to be. No scientific experiments from me, but no complaints either.
Pro: Weight, ease of switching between bikes, ease of calibration, Stages customer service.
Con: Still the potential that measuring left leg only has a downside, however, I have been following a power based training program using Stages and have seen big gains in performance and results.
I haven't done any active comparison to other power meters lately, nor do I intend to. But it looks like someone still is. I wonder which meters these are:
Have had one for about 6 weeks now. Today it stopped working... started showing 100W higher than normal; then I noticed it was responding slow - I'd stop pedaling but it would show power for a few seconds, and prior to that it was very instantaneous with cadence change. I stopped a few times to re-calibrate...noticed the calibration numbers were all higher than normal (not sure what the calibration number is really)... finally I stopped at a store and bought a new battery. 10 minutes after that it went to 0 Watts and seems done for good.
I did notice, while changing the battery, the plastic cover for entire meter isn't all that sealed against the crank arm - and it did rain recently.
Emailed Stages today, let's see how their support is...
Well, they shipped one out to me today next day air... two days after I reported the problem, and they didn't require me to ship the thing back to them first. Excellent customer service. Suspicion is water got into the unit.
So the messages are:1. Stages seems now, not previously, do a decent job of measuring left leg power and cadence under a variety of conditions.
2. Quarq can have some appaling errors in changing weather. 3. DC Rainmaker's integrity is and always was fully intact. His tests blow away almost anything else out there. For example checking for quick agreement with a Computrainer doesn't come close. They actually should not agree, since there is power loss between the crank and trainer.
It's not so bad. But they claim 2% total power accuracy, and as one poster noted, 5% is more typical given asymmetry. I recently crashed on my right side so obviously stages won't be reliable until I'm more symmetric again. And fatigue also affects it according to pedal tests. But for doing your intervals, it's fine. For gauging small changes in fitness probably not the best tool.
As long as they have the same spline pattern, yes. For example, SRAM Red GXP with Rival left arm. Dura Ace crank with 105 arm, etc.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Road Bike, Cycling Forums
5.4M posts
205K members
Since 1990
A forum community dedicated to Road Bike owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about bike parts, components, deals, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!