New brand IQ² is offering single and dual sided power meters at a bargain price with claims of improved accuracy over competitors.
Pronounced IQ square, the brand is offering its single sided power meter at €149 (£130) and the dual sided version at €249 (£217), in a Kickstarter deal.
IQ² has already far exceeded its Kickstarter target, having raised £237,558 – far outshooting the £87k target and gaining support from 1,217 backers at time of writing.
Stock is expected to arrive in September, and retail prices will be €199 (£174) and €349 (£304). Up until now, cheap options have been single sided crank based versions - such as the 4iii Precision power meter, at £379.
To produce the power meter, IQ² product developers worked with external electrical engineers, and the final product will be manufactured in the Netherlands and England.
The device, which designers began working on in February 2017, sits between the pedal and crank, and the brand claims that the use of a “thin film nanostructure strain gauge” means that the readings can be more accurate.
This is because elsewhere, strain gauges must be hand glued, causing minor discrepancies – whilst this form requires no “human interaction” because the gauge is directly deposited on the surface and molecularly bonded then trimmed by laser.
In a press release, the brand claims to have “rendered all prior generations, makes and models of power meter devices obsolete” and the resulting creation tips the scales at just 29.7grams.
The power meter uses a replaceable CR2032 battery, with a life of 200-300 hours, and connects to cycling computers and apps via Bluetooth and Ant+.
You can purchase left only, right only or dual power and is water and dust proof. It works by assessing the degree to which the metal bends with each pedal stroke, the strain gauge then captures this pressure as a change in electrical resistance.
Configuration – setting crank length and calibration - is made possible via a partner app. The app is required to provide left/right power balance data, whilst battery warnings can come via the app and also via LED lights on the unit.
Michelle Arthurs-Brennan the Editor of Cycling Weekly website. An NCTJ qualified traditional journalist by trade, Michelle began her career working for local newspapers. She's worked within the cycling industry since 2012, and joined the Cycling Weekly team in 2017, having previously been Editor at Total Women's Cycling. Prior to welcoming her daughter in 2022, Michelle raced on the road, track, and in time trials, and still rides as much as she can - albeit a fair proportion indoors, for now.
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