ridethecliche

Hi Everyone!

Been a bit but here we are.

I'm looking for a rudimentary power meter that I can use on an 11 speed bike. I'm not really interested in spending a lot and I'm okay with the output being more valid for steady state efforts vs springs. I used to have an SRM so I've been there done that. No longer racing or training for racing so I'll survive.

I'm interested in picking up a stages PM for the left sided crank arm. I've found good deals on 10 speed stages and I'm wondering if the left arms are the same between 10 speed and 11 speed shimano cranks.

My preference would be for something like a quarq, but all the good deals right now appear to be for a 10 speed setup. The 10 speed cranks can be used with an 11 speed drivetrain right? I think I saw Zinn say that they could.

Thanks in advance!

colnago62

Check out a Powerpod. It is a device that hangs from your handlebars. It uses wind velocity, incline and a few other metrics to measure power. DC Rainmaker reviewed them. Somebody, maybe power meter city, had them on sale.

Kimmo 

Huh. That's pretty cool

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/03/powerpod-depth-review.html

ridethecliche

That is 100% not going to fit my needs, but I appreciate the suggestion.

WhyFi

Arms can be interchanged, but they'll differ aesthetically.

Yes.

Iride01 

There isn't much difference between a 11 speed crankset and 10 speed crankset. A 10 speed crankset is okay with a 11 speed rear. What you shouldn't do is use a 10 speed chain with an 11 speed rear.

caloso

This. I have a Quarq that started on a 10-speed Red set up and is now on an Ultegra 11. It doesn't care, as long as the chain is correct.

sfrider 

Stages at least lists a left side PM crank for the FSA SL-K (BB30). That's a good, inexpensive crank and if you can pick up that SL-K PM for cheap it might be a viable option if your 10sp bike is BB30. (You would also need an FSA BB since the spindle differs.)

But, maybe a brand new R8000 crankset with a PM crankarm isn't the worst idea... It's not like they cost an arm and a leg: https://www.jensonusa.com/Shimano-Ul...1-SPD-Crankset. As noted above, it's fully interchangeable with a 10sp Shimano. The cogs are the same size, and the chainring spacing the same. Spindle is the same so you can use your old BB. (But I'd take off the cups and clean the threads, reapply a graphite anti-seize grease, and reinstall + torque.) Or, if you don't mind waiting for the slow boat: R8000 crankset on Aliex.

ridethecliche

So just to wrap this up...
I impulse bought an ultegra stages gen 2 used on ebay for a hair more than 250 shipped. Only to realize the next day that the prices for the Stages gen 3 105 non drive side arms are now 300 bucks (pre tax and shipping). So I guess it's like a ~75 dollar difference, not bad!
4iiii, which I'd never heard of before, has 105 cranks with dual sided measurements for 600 now.

TLDR: I overpaid a bit, especially for something single sided, But this is for me to do indoor workouts. If I get the riding bug again hard, I'll likely switch over to a dual setup down the line. I bought my bike for like 350 used after selling my old CAAD9 for peanuts. I'm also building up an 80's bike with current-ish groupset so it can also find a home there.

Looking forward to getting going!

RiceAWay

Been there, done that. I do not recommend it since it gives inaccurate results. You have to estimate your frontal area for the reading to be even close to correct. You also have to estimate your aerodynamic drag profile. This is extremely difficult even for pros. Also you can pick up a used set of garmin power pedals for around the same cost off of eBay. There is this thing but for the life of me I can't figure out how it could possibly report power. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Smart-Bluet...03b16399401b3c

ridethecliche

Andddd sold the stages and bought a specialized branded powercrank aka 4iiii.