I am wondering if anyone has been in the market for a budget/one sided power meter and has compared the stages vs the pioneer one sided unit?. Are there any obvious advantages or disadvantages to either of them?.
I have not used the Pioneer. I had issues with Stages - which they always replaced under warranty. If budget matters, for one-sided power, consider the 4iiii.
But, you can get the new Power2Max on an FSA Gossamer crank for under $600. That's probably the best low-cost option at the moment.
Stages Gen 2 has only 1 real issue - a stupid weak ANT+ signal, which is exacerbated by the current crop of Garmins that have shittier ANT+ radios. Other than that, Stages is a solid choice for a trainer bike or a road bike. Next races on the schedule: none at the moment
I am wondering if anyone has been in the market for a budget/one sided power meter and has compared the stages vs the pioneer one sided unit?. Are there any obvious advantages or disadvantages to either of them?.
My experience with Stages has been absolutely awful. My BF just got a single leg Pioneer unit and loves it (he got it for 30% off at an IM expo, so for $350 I seems like a great deal). Over the years I've owned PMs from Powertap, Stages and Quark, and the Stages has been hands down, without a doubt, absolutely the worst. It's in the shop 5-6 times a year for repair, has been replaced twice, and is once again not working. I'm completely fed up with Stages and ready to throw the thing in the trash and buy a Pioneer. In the 3 1/2 years I've owned the Stages, I'd estimate that it's worked properly for less than 6 months total. I don't know how the company has stayed in business this long.
I own 2 stages PM. They both work great. I had issues with the weak ant signal that were resolved when I got rid of my Garmin.
I actually owned 3 (the original Gen 1) that was replaced after it didn't prove to be waterproof (thank you Ironman Canada 2015). Other than that I've been really happy with mine.
I have been an early adopter of the current generation Pioneer dual sided PM. I do not have the head unit, so I just get basic data to a Gamin 510. I can say that I have not had a single problem with the PM and it has executed perfectly for me.
In fairness, this is the only PM I have ever owned, so I have nothing to compare it to, but it's been great for me.
Do the pioneers still require you to send away your cranks for install (does this mean u need to repeat the process when your chainset wears out)? And stick a magnet on the frame for cadence?
Do you want cheap or do you want a decent level of accuracy?
Also- do you train by doing intervals of specific power? Or do you more just look at average power over a longer period of time during the ride? I ask this because the overall metrics are not far off with Stages- But if you are trying to hold an even and specific power the Stages is awful.
Stages and Garmin dont mix for Tri. The Ant+ signal doesnt transmit through water. However, i bought a Wahoo Bolt (Bluetooth), works a treat. So that probably pushes you up into the pioneer spend range. Food for thought.
Do the pioneers still require you to send away your cranks for install (does this mean u need to repeat the process when your chainset wears out)? And stick a magnet on the frame for cadence?
My BF was about in need of a new crank anyway, so he just bought the crank and PM together from Pioneer (an extra $50 for the crank, minus the 30% discount they offered at an expo). Not sure how it would have worked otherwise. I seem to recall them asking if he had his bike with him (I was racing, not him, and he didn't have his bike) so it may have been that they could have done the install at the expo if he had the bike, but we didn't explore that option so I don't know.
Just got the dual side Pioneer installed. Yes, the shop had to send the cranks away for install, but it was only a couple of days. I would imagine a repeat would be needed if replacing cranks. I believe the single left sided does not require Pioneer to install. I have the head unit and while don't really like the display or accompanying Cyclo-Shere site there is a lot of information to digest that you would not be collecting is using your Garmin. I am hoping Garmin releases a unit that will collect dual sided info.
Yes. They require magnets still. I love my Pioneer. It just works. I have the dual sided. But you can start left, then pick up the right and combine later. Also you can take that left off and put it on a different bike if you want. They can function independently of each other. http://www.TriScottsdale.org
Do the pioneers still require you to send away your cranks for install (does this mean u need to repeat the process when your chainset wears out)? And stick a magnet on the frame for cadence?
You can either send your existing cranks off to Pioneer or you can buy a new crank already assembled. Keep in mind that they only support Shimano DURA-ACE 9100, 9000, ULTEGRA 6800, and Campagnolo Potenza 11 speed cranks. My bike came with FSA cranks that I wanted to get rid of anyway, so I bought the Ultrgra 6800 pre-assembled kit.
The chain rings can be replaced by you & they do not require you to send them in.
Yes, you need magnets on the frame for cadence. I have mine attached with gorilla glue because a dropped chain will potentially strip the magnet off.
Do the pioneers still require you to send away your cranks for install (does this mean u need to repeat the process when your chainset wears out)? And stick a magnet on the frame for cadence?
As someone else already explained, you can send existing cranks or buy ones with it already installed and replacing chainrings is easy -- no, send in needed. I just felt I should mention that I sent in two different DA cranks I had and I found it very simple and straight forward. Got them back a short time later and they've been perfect ever since.
thanks for that- My stages is finally giving me trouble after 4 years. Funds are tight. Was keen on a pioneer left arm crank for now, with the option for dual down the road. My concern was when my chain rings finally wear out, I didn't want to fork out for another power meter all over again.
FYI, for this thread, I reached out to Pioneer regarding compatibility. There older model was less compatible due to width, but they updated it making it narrower and increasing frame compatibility. I should have a definite answer later today. I think the usual frames in question are the Trek and Cervelo models. I can speak to Specialized and Canyon and there is no issues.
I know when they updated their new model their was a focus on compatibility and I'm not sure if my gen 1 would have fit my Canyon, but the Gen 2 does. I vaguely recall in my conversations with them on the release the Trek being compatible, but want to confirm. I believe their was intention to have a compatibility list, which is what I asked for.