Coming from a running background its weird to me how objective the power meter measurements are. Running is always more of a feel based sport / efforts.

I have been interested in getting a power meter but they always seem so expensive. I have a Trek 1.2 (shimano sora components, look keo classic pedals) and I am wondering what power meter would be decent and not cost as much as a new bike at this level. It seems more realistic for me to just not get one but I am curious if such options exist

If your crankset is a Hollowgram 2.0, you can get a Stages/4iiii/Pioneer left crank arm for it in the $360-400 region - it'll likely be a 105 or Ultegra arm, but it'll fit (again, provided your crankset is a Hollowgram). Watteam PowerBeat can be a little more affordable, but the install is more complicated (again, pending compatibility). Short of those options, a Power2Max crankset can often be had for the $500-600 region depending upon your bottom bracket and existing chainrings. The very easiest option, and no bones about it compatible, would be a pedal-based power meter, either single- or dual-sided. The main drawback to these is that your cleat options will be limited.

As much as a new bike? Most power meters are much less than a new bike. I don't know all the latest options but you should be able to find one at a minimum of $400, maybe even cheaper. If you're a data nerd or serious about training and improving, they are a great tool.

Is hollowgram a standard or brand or something? I am not familiar with that term. This looks like the same stock crankset I have on my bike https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ.../FC-R3000.html if that helps clarify what it is

I was just exaggerating the price. It still is a significant cost relative to a bike at my level I think. I have been spoiled riding a Watt bike with power numbers all the time so I have been interested in getting one for my road bike.

I bought Favero Assioma Uno pedals a month ago and while I've got less than 500 miles on them so far, I absolutely love them both as pedals and as a power meter. I considered dual sided but I just couldn't reason with it for my purposes.

I'm always puzzled by these questions. Whether a power meter is "worth" it depends entirely on what you would do with one, and how much a dollar is worth to you. There's no way any of us can know that. If you don't intend to do things that can *only* be achieved with power data and if the money can be spent on something else that you need, then it won't be. Training, for example, is one of the least demanding things you can do with a power meter -- that's why riders have been able to train effectively with only a wrist watch or a speedometer for years. OTOH, there are certain things that can be done with power data that are much, much, harder to do without power -- but most riders don't do those things.

If you do buy a power meter, know that you'll also need a head unit and, depending on what you're trying to do, possibly speed or cadence or heart rate sensors (unless you already own them). You'll also need to learn how to use the data you'll be collecting -- and to learn who to listen to and who you can ignore. (I'm probably one of those who you will ignore.)

For me, the power meter has been entirely worth it and I've learned a lot and done some pretty cool things with the data. I think I'm kinda in the minority.

A power meter has been entirely worth it for me, and training is just the tip of the iceberg.

Read this book first and then decide if a power meter is what you really need.
https://www.velopress.com/books/trai...a-power-meter/

I'm sure it has helped many but that's a pretty big burden to lay on any book. I've never been able to get through it.

The OP does not have Hollowgrams. They are BB30 and Treks are not BB30.

OP, there are a lot of opinions on this, and lots of past threads discussing this exact issue.

Really, it comes down to what are your goals and how are you tracking things? A power meter is a measurement device. That is all. It will not magically make you faster or stronger. It will just tell you what effort you are making. If you intend to use that information to dictate a training plan to reach a specific goal, then YES, it is an incredibly helpful device.

But if you don't plan to do that, then it is just an expensive device giving you numbers on how much you worked.

(NOTE: RChung is one of two, maybe three, people on this forum whose opinions on power meters is really worth listening to. I'm not among those people. And that isn't just my opinion. It's based on their full-time occupations and extensive history in this field.)

Stupid trademark names - HollowTech II is what I was looking for.

Right now I am cycling in supplement to the more serious running training I am doing. It seems like while I am doing that (and not training for Triathlons) buying a power meter should probably be put off for a bit.

In case anyone else is interested the WatTeam Powerbeat seems like one of the most cost effective options with a single side power priced at $259
DCRainMaker has a 10% code for that too which is an awesome price

That 10% discount doesn't apply to everything (contrary to stated) so I wouldn't count on it.

it works on the power meters on that power meter check out the dcrainmaker article on it if your interested, I gave it a try and it works fine

Pretty much this... a tool is only worth as much as you're going to use it for. You can use a power meter to improve your cycling with proper training but you will need someone to teach you the benefits of one and how to analyse the data first.

That's good- I tried recently for a head unit & no discount.

Training without a power meter is like going to a gym that has no weight listed on any of the free-weights or universal equipment, or running on a treadmill without the speed showing. You can still do a great workout based on feel, but knowing what the weight or speed is significantly helps with the incremental increases in your training plan.

I have about 10,000 miles on my PowerTap G3 Hub (connected via BlueTooth to a Garmin 520). It works flawlessly, and the single coin cell battery lasts about 1500 miles. I display 10 data fields on my Garmin, but Watts are the thing I look at 99.9% of the time. Everything else is mostly superfluous: speed, time, temperature, calories, distance, cadence, altitude.

I chose the rear hub power meter because my 3 main bikes all took the same size 700c wheel, and I wanted to be able to move the PM between those bikes (though I do have to swap the cassette if I'm putting it on either of the "old" 10 speed road, or commuter).

The crank arms on those bikes were not compatible, so Stages or 4iiii PM's were out of the question. And the pedal based PM's only came in SPD-SL (at least at the time I was buying), and I only do SPD shoes and pedals. But if SPD pedals existed, and were known to be equally reliable as the PowerTap hub, I probably would've went that route just for the sake of swapping convenience.

A power meter is the biggest performance upgrade you can buy, if you will make full use of it. Hyperbole aside, do you have an actual budget?

I also went PT wheels.. older models damn cheap on ebay. internals are basically the same as the G3 newer hubs but slightly heavier. but with DT swiss rims on the road and Stans on the CX they are still pretty nice wheels. both wheelsets cost me around the same as one hub.

I ride by myself 98% of the time and at age 60 have no ambitions of racing. But a power meter has been a great investment for me. It gives me both objective information and a challenge. It's been very good for my health, I think.

I started with Stages left sided, and that was better than nothing. I have upgraded to Stages 2 sided and on another bike, PowerTap G3. I am strongly left-biased, and honestly I wonder if the Stages left helped me to get there (unconsciously). So for me, I won't get a left sided power meter again. Although if I'd never upgraded, I'd still have benefitted.

IMO the book is too comprehensive, for lack of a better term. I've jumped around in the book and found some good info, but it's so dense it's hard to figure out what's useful for me at this time. A "digest" version might be more helpful to most.