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StageONE Power Meter... I'm Stoked!

43K views 141 replies 65 participants last post by  caad9er 
#1 ·
I haven't yet seen a thread on this but check this out!

DC Rainmaker: StageONE $699 ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart crank-based power meter announced
Stages Cycling StageONE Power Meter ? Interbike 2012 - BikeRadar

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:
 
#93 ·
Well crap. What do I do? I currently have no powermeter.

I got into long course Tri last year with a new Cervelo P2 it was a budget stretcher. The bike has an FSA Gossamer crankset.

But, Stages doesn't offer a FSA left crank arm. And the "powers that be" seem to be in the process of pissing all over the Stage's accuracy anyway.

So there continues to be no "approved" power options for those that simply can't justify adding 50-100% of the cost of our bike.
 
#101 ·
StageOne Review

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. :)
 
#102 ·
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. :)
The problem is, power output is not proportional across the spectrum. At l2, you may be very asymettrical and at L5 you may be nearly 50 50.

That said, I still think there is some value to the Stages for setting personal bests, TSS, CTL, etc.
 
#105 ·
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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.
 
#106 ·
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.
 
#108 ·
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:

https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?34165-Power-Readings-Issue/page2

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.
 
#114 ·
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.
 
#121 ·
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.
This is unfortunate for Stages for sure. It also cuts into Ray's credibility also.
 
#120 ·
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.
 
#122 ·
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...
 
#123 ·
Keep us posted. I've ridden in the rain with mine without incident.
 
#128 ·
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.
 
#136 ·
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.
 
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