Best power meters 2024: pedal and crank-based models reviewed and rated
The best power meters for cycling will provide important information to help your training; we run through their key features, how to use them and pick the best
Power meters are an indispensable tool for measuring training efforts. Historically, cycling power meters were only used by professional competitive riders. Today, power meters are becoming increasingly popular amongst casual cyclists looking to gain deeper insights into their riding.
Why?
Technological advances have made ANT+ and Bluetooth protocols more reliable and accessible—enabling power meters to connect with a range of cycling computers, apps, smartwatches and phones. This new compatibility combined with a decrease in cost has made power meters viable, approachable options for non-professional riders.
Essentially, cycling power meters for cycling are strain gauges that are incorporated into some element of the drive train, typically in the pedals, crank arm or chainset to measure the rider's output in watts. The power data, plus other metrics like cadence and perhaps left / right balance, is transmitted to a bike computer head unit for an instant readout along with ride analysis later on.
In this guide we've put a variety of power meters to the test, assessing them for factors like ease of use, accuracy and consistency.
With pedal bodies available for Shimano, Shimano SPD and Look, Garmin's Rally RK200 is certainly versatile although swapping bodies isn't quick. Single and double-sided options are also offered, and they worked very well.
Certainly the lightest choice, 4iiii's Precision 3 Power Meter adds just 9g to the crank arm. It is also relatively inexpensive and works with any pedals, but it is left side only.
The Favero Assioma power meter pedals offers some extra data on top of the usual metrics and use a magnetic recharging system to keep them weatherproof. They did hang slightly awkwardly though so clipping in was harder.
As with all Speedplay pedals, there is plenty of float and adjustment available. They proved accurate, durable and easy to use with all the basic power data covered. Garmin and Favero offer a few additional bits of information though.
With the XC200 body, the Garmin Rally pedals provide power numbers off-road and use the same interchangeable spindle as the RK200. They proved themselves accurate and reliable, but pedals are more vulnerable to damage off-road than they are on-road.
Using Quark's excellent power meter unit, the RED cranks are easy to install and provided consistent, reliable numbers. Cost is surprisingly reasonable but it is best suited to a SRAM drivetrain due to the chainring configuration.
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Best power pedals for versatility
Garmin's Rally RK200 pedals are claimed to be accurate to +/- 1%
Most multi-discipline riders change bikes more often than it is practical to change spindles
Garmin's Rally pedals are a progression from the Vector 3. They've seen some notable improvements, firstly, a better battery door design which appears to eliminate issues with water ingress. Secondly, clever engineering means that you can swap the spindle between pedal bodies - using RS (Shimano), RK (Look) and XC (SPD-SL) style pedals and keeping the same power meter unit, although the pedal body conversion kits are expensive.
The pedals look great, and our tests showed they worked extremely well, providing accurate readings with no frustrating dropouts or spikes. There's a single-sided option as well as two-sided power measurement.
For us, these lost marks because they're a lot more expensive than the competition, and changing the spindle is a fairly fiddly job, that we don't expect multi-discipline riders would do as regularly as many swap bikes.
Power curve appears different to other devices, with high lower to mid-end power and low high-end power
4iiii has delivered a reliable and inexpensive left-side crank that, at 9 grams, is one of the lightest power meters you can get on the market. Compatible with Shimano cranksets, the Precision 3.0 uses the same spec of power meter regardless of whether it’s fitted to a 105 crank (which we tested) or a Dura-Ace model.
The 4iiii Precision only measures left leg power, but you can easily adjust the scale factor on the 4iiii app to account for a known imbalance in your power output between your legs.
Our testing found that it is sufficiently accurate and consistent to itself, meaning the Precision 3.0 is a useful training tool for those wanting to track their progress using power. We also experienced no issues concerning water ingress.
Installation is very easy, as is switching between bikes. Calibration using any bike computer or the 4iiii app makes usability brilliant. Being crank-based, it doesn’t affect your choice of pedals and cleat system either.
These pedals provided reliable numbers for the entirety of our testing period and we didn’t have any problems connecting them to the head unit, a computer or the companion phone app. The pedals are USB rechargeable via a magnetic connection, meaning no fiddling with rubber seals and ports.
The pedals provide some novel metrics, such as the amount of time you’ve spent pedaling out of the saddle and your platform offset – the degree to which you pedal with one side of your foot. More common metrics such as left / right balance are also present, although a cheaper single-sided version is available which doesn’t have these capabilities.
Stopping the pedals from getting a perfect 10/10 is the unfortunate pedal weighting as they don't hang in the most convenient orientation, which we found made clipping in and out a little more difficult than with other systems. If fast-starting crits are your thing, then that might be a concern. The Look cleat system is used on these pedals.
Data smoothing can lead to lower peak power reading
Durable and super reliable, the Wahoo Powrlink Zero dual-sided power meter pedals are a high-quality product for those who prefer the adjustability of the Speedplay cleat/pedal platform – and they’re fairly priced compared to the competition too.
Incredibly easy to set up and use, the build quality is superb and there were no pairing issues either.
We were impressed by their accuracy too, although with the single caveat being that the pedals appear to ‘smooth’ slightly, meaning that peak sprinting power appears lower for the shortest time durations.
Post-ride analysis on the Wahoo app includes left / right balance (with the dual-sided version), average and maximum power, TSS, normalized power, power curve and time in zones – which covers most training needs. You don’t get pedaling dynamics data though, such as torque effectiveness or pedal smoothness, which can be found on Garmin and Favero models.
Since the new Wahoo design uses a stainless steel rim that mates with the cleat, we were impressed to find they were looking almost as good as new after our six month testing period.
Reading type: Dual (single sided version available
Battery: CR1/3N
Pedal body / cleats: Shimano SPD two-bolt
Reasons to buy
+
Uses reliable and popular Shimano SPD pedal body
+
Masses of data available
+
Spindle inter-changeability means you can swap into road pedal guise
Reasons to avoid
-
Cost
-
Swapping spindle not practical on a regular basis so limits swapping between road and off-road pedal bodies
-
Battery life not as good as advertised
-
Some software bugs
Pedal power meters that are compatible with off-road shoes and riding are a rare beast. Garmin has answered the call with an off-road version of the Rally pedal using the popular and reliable Shimano SPD pedal body and cleat.
Accuracy is +/-1% and there's a wealth of information available through your bike's head unit and the Garmin Connect app giving you all the power data you could possibly want.
The pedal has quite a high stack height which does make it more vulnerable to rock strikes and possible damage. However, our tester found that this isn't so much of an issue for gravel riding due to the terrain and high bottom brackets, but is something to consider if you want to fit the pedals to a mountain bike.
To increase the utility you can swap the power spindle into a road pedal body so you can use it across different types of bikes. However, this is a time-consuming job and not one for every ride so you'll only really get the benefit of being able to swap the pedals between bikes if you ride more than one with off-road shoes.
Integrated power meter makes it expensive to own multiple chainrings
SRAM uses Quarq's DZero power meter to deliver its readings
A previous winner in our Editor's Choice awards, the Quarq power meter that forms part of the SRAM RED AXS groupset proved to be accurate, durable and reliable, without being anywhere near one of the most expensive on the market.
Our tester escaped dropouts and power spikes during testing, and found the data reliable - reading about 4 watts above a Wahoo Kickr, which is a reasonable number accounted for by drivetrain losses.
The SRAM RED AXS power meter is a solid unit for those seeking easy, reliable, and accurate numbers from a power meter.
A power meter is a device fitted to a bike that measures the power output of the rider.
Strain gauges deflect slightly when a force is applied. By measuring this torque and combining it with angular velocity, power (measured in watts) can be calculated.
It's a good way to gauge your effort while riding that's less prone to being affected by extrinsic factors than heart rate measurement. Some riders swear by regularly testing their functional threshold power to measure how training is going. You can find out what is FTP in cycling and how to improve it on our dedicated page.
What does watts mean on a bike?
Watts are the energy required to a move a mass a certain distance in a known time period. So in bike speak, the mass is you plus your bike, and the distance is the ground covered.
Moving a bike, though, is a far more complicated scenario as its resistance to motion is far from consistent. In layman's terms, then, this equates to: power = force x velocity.
This is the key to understanding how a power meter works. It's essentially applying that equation to a given part of the bike - be that bottom bracket axle, crank, hub, pedal axle etc.
Accurate measurement of this force is one of the biggest challenges power meter manufacturers face, placing the utmost importance on the smallest of details such as the placement of the gauges, the quality of the gauges themselves and even the temperature of the measured material.
How do the best power meters work?
Currently, the best power meters can be placed in four key areas of a bike and how they work will depend on their location, although they will all use a type of strain gauge.
Of course, each has its advantages and disadvantages.
Pedal-based systems are easy to fit and change between bikes, but can be less accurate owing to the complexity of the force measurement. What's more, being exposed puts them at greater risk of damage.
Popular examples include the Garmin Rally and Favero Assioma, and Wahoo has recently launched the Powrlink Zero Speedplay-compatible power meter. Power meters of this type can also be single or double-sided.
Bottom bracket systems can be accurate and low maintenance. However, installation is more difficult and is made all the more complicated by the varying bottom bracket standards available today.
Factor in that a system of this type may not fit your bike and it is also possible that you have to run a different brand chainset to the rest of your groupset. Examples include Rotor INPower.
Chainset-based power meters can be very accurate but it is worth factoring in that they don't measure individual left/right power, although they can estimate it.
Similar to bottom bracket systems, they are not as easy to swap between bikes, unlike pedal-based systems, and there can be compatibility issues. Examples include the fabled SRM (the original power meter), Power2Max and Quarq.
Crank arm-based systems can be relatively easy to swap between bikes. Like pedals, they have the potential to be single or double-sided and popular examples include the Stages crank arm and 4iiii Precision meter.
What is the difference between single, double and combined power meters?
You can buy single-sided power meters that measure power from one side, usually the left, and then double the reading to estimate your total power output from both legs.
A single-sided only measurement means doubling a single leg's power may not be a fully accurate representation of your power, but it can mean they are more affordable.
It may be worth checking if you have significant imbalances before opting for a single-sided meter. Note a 48/52% balance between legs is common.
Combined power meters effectively combine the power from both right and left legs and do not measure it independently. An example would be an SRM power meter.
Note that these systems, although accurate, will not differentiate which leg the power comes from.
Left/Right side power meters, or double-sided power meters are found on more modern and more expensive power meters that have gauges in multiple locations, such as pedals and some crank-based units.
This can be useful in establishing if you have an imbalance (one leg much more powerful than the other) and for working on pedaling technique. It can also be used if you are recovering from a single leg injury.
Dual-sided measurement is limited to power meters that measure power in more than one location, such as pedals, but also more expensive crank-based units, like Rotor 2InPower.
Which power meters work with Garmin and other cycle computer connectivity?
Everything rated here and the vast majority of power meters transmit via ANT+, allowing them to connect to most bike computer systems, including Garmin and Wahoo.
Most power meters also offer Bluetooth Smart connectivity - a handy tool for connecting to indoor training apps such a Zwift and Trainer Road, or smartphones, as well as for practicalities such as updating power meter software. Most cycling computers also now have Bluetooth connectivity built in.
Our guide to indoor training apps for cycling compares the best on the market and helps you identify which one you are most suited to. If you are wondering about power meters and turbo trainer compatibility, our page on best smart turbo trainers includes the latest models.
If the current climate means slim pickings on indoor trainers, or finances mean having to choose one or other, you can always bypass the smart trainer altogether and just use a power meter and simple turbo trainer. You'll need a couple of other sensors but can still work out as a much cheaper Zwift set up and you have the bonus of outside use once warmer weather arrives.
Do power meters measure cadence?
Yes, even if you are using bottom bracket based power meters, there will be the supporting software to enable you to measure cadence, as it's necessary for the power meter to derive your power output.
Are power meters worth the money?
There are lots of schools of thought about how to train and race effectively. Some people swear by tracking data, others steer well clear, but as with most things in life, most think it's about striking the right balance. Our feature on using a power meter in training is a really great insight into what the experts say, acknowledging the best power meters as helpful tools, but not to lose touch with your rider instincts.
Why are the best power meters so expensive?
There is an incredible variety of power meters now on the market, which has helped their popularity, volume of sales and therefore helped bring the prices down. However, it's still very much a developing technology, which has to be accounted for in the end price.
From our experience, it's a 'you get what you pay for' product. The best power meters will have invested a significant amount of research and development in ensuring that the end product is consistently accurate, robust enough to withstand forces and harsh environmental conditions and to develop the supporting software.
Entry level - typically £250-£400/$300-$500
At this price you are likely to get a single-sided measurement that doubles the reading to estimate both legs. Stages 105 cranks are available at this price, as are 4iiii and the outgoing Garmin Vector 3 single sided power meter.
Mid-level - typically £550-£800/$700-$1,000
Mid-price starts to see pedal-based systems and dual-sided meters. Crank and chainring systems also become available. Professional athletes are increasingly using meters at this price point. Favero Assioma pedals are a fine example.
Top end - £900/$1,200 +
At the top of the market, we find dual-sided measurement and crank and spindle based systems. Examples include the Rotor 2InPower and SRM.
How do I use a power meter?
If you want to learn about how to ride with a power meter, it's worth reading our guide on how to train with a power meter. It has lots of useful information about how to get the most out of your gadget and how to apply the numbers to your training.
How we test
Cycling Weekly has a team of testers with vast experience of testing bikes, components, clothing and accessories across a wide range of prices and spec levels, so they know bikes and tech inside out and have the experience to know what makes a great cycling product.
Our experience means that you'll have a consistent, in depth viewpoint, which is reflected in our product scoring. You can find out more on our How We Test page.
When it comes to testing power meters we grade them for their overall accuracy and reliability as well as their ease-of-use, durability and weight. Given that power meters are available across a range of price points we also consider value for money when writing our reviews.
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I’ve been hooked on bikes ever since the age of 12 and my first lap of the Hillingdon Cycle Circuit in the bright yellow kit of the Hillingdon Slipstreamers. For a time, my cycling life centred around racing road and track.
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