The best bang for your buck pm IMO is a powertub hub. But that presents issues if you have multiple wheelsets.

To narrow it down, you need to decide what type of pm do you want/prefer or what is going to work best for you personally. Do you have multiple bikes? Do you want the pm on more than 1 bike? How mechanically inclined are you and are you willing to swap the pm between bikes?

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https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...de-2017-edition.html

PowerTap Hub is often referred to as a very good lower priced alternative.

Do you plan on using it with more than one bike? If so a pedal-based power meter would be a wise choice. I just got the Favero Assioma Duo and am loving it. They, along with Garmin and PowerTap make a single sided version in the $500-$600 range that could be ideal for you.

Google DC Rainmaker 2017 power meter guide and you'll find the most comprehensive info set on power meters.

I'm not super mechanically inclined and I have a "dumb trainer" that I swap out a trainer wheel when riding. I'd like to see power numbers when I'm on the trainer, so not sure the hub mounted one would be the best. Though, I like the simplicity.

Check out the Powertap C1 chainrings at $350+tax and shipping or the Power2Max NGEco starting at $490+shipping. I tried the C1 first, but it was incompatible with my bike frame and settled for the NGEco. Works great, error of 2% and 2 years warranty.

I used to have a dumb trainer as well and went for a wheel with PowerTap hub to output power (and use it in Zwift). Works perfectly well. I do not like to ride it outdoors as the wheel is heavy and slow. But ideal for indoors. Got a good deal on a used wheel with an old hub, but never had an issue with that setup...

"Bang for Buck" isn't really a thing with power meters... they all do essentially the same thing, which is to tell you how many Watts you're putting out at any given moment. The extra metrics that some of them generate aren't generally considered that useful or actionable.

The best power meter is the one that you can use in the most possible situations that you ride your bike in and/or doesn't compromise your existing setup.

A few options...but honestly just read DC's review and start there to see what fits your needs budget. a few of the cheapest out there from free - $260. I am not claiming any of these are good just that they are the cheapest out there.

vPower app in garmin IQ store - free. Its reliable (consistent) and matches zwift/TR virtual power in my tests. Works on garmin watches where you can change the data field (ie 935, fenix)

Powertap powercal - $30 for the bluetooth version; $100 for the ant+ version. - https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...in-depth-review.html

Watteam Powerbeat - $259 - https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...in-depth-review.html

Did you say free power meters? I'm confused as typically "nothing is free" is it some type of app that gets you an approx? I'm just highly interested in any free equipment.

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I still lapped everyone on the couch!

Its a free app in the garmin IQ store. Its based on a few metrics like speed, cadence, etc. https://apps.garmin.com/...b1-b80b-6b080940ebb7

I have the Watteam Powerbeat and it works great. It's super easy to install and has been very accurate and reliable over the 5 months I have been using it. Great value.

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http://dontletitdefeatyou.blogspot.com

Freshly serviced second hand SRM.

The PT G3 hub weighs less than a Shimano 105 or Ultegra hub, and doesn't need a separate cadence or speed sensor. Also, at the moment, you can get a G3 hub built into a DT Swiss hub for $500. Currently, a Stages 105 (left) crank costs $530 (and you'd need a speed sensor if you were going to use it indoors on a trainer).

Every time someone asks about a PM and is not concerned about accuracy, God kills a kitten. Please...think of the kittens!!!

Why would you need a Speed sensor for indoors? You already have a PM that transmits power data to whatever app you are using.

Because power and speed are different. I have not used any training apps, but if you want to know you speed compared to power you would need the speed sensor, or if you just want to know how far you rode, because that is how distance is figured out.

speed on a trainer is an irrelavant metric. Dumb trainers have varied power curves. On mine, 1h at 200W will yield 8miles tops. On a smart trainer is even less relevant. Since the trainer adjust the resistance of the trainer you could be on a 34x28 cambination with the trainer given lots of resistance and the wheel speed super low. On the contrary you could go 53x11 and the trainer would give very little resistance. Wheel speed would be high. So same effort 2 different total speeds/distance.

to each their own, but outdoors and indoors speeds/distance are not comparable

Certain head units are triggered either by heart rate or speed. They're designed that way so you can record a ride if you don't have a power meter. If you don't use a heart rate belt those head units won't wake up to receive the power signal unless you have a speed sensor.

if you have two bikes (road and tri) have a PowerTap hub built into a decent well and train/race on that 100% of the time. If you have one bike then send your non-drive side crank arm to 4iiii and have them install a power meter on to that for $399 and you're golden.

Ian

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Ian Murray
http://www.TriathlonTrainingSeries.com
I like the pursuit of mastery
Twitter - @TriCoachIan

+1 for considering a pedal-based power meter. I've been very happy with my PowerTap P1s, though the latest Garmin Vectors look nice too. Like the OP, I also have a dumb trainer, so it's important to have an on bike power meter. Good bang for my buck since it's trivial to switch out so all of my bikes have power. It takes about three minutes and one wrench to switch (very easy even if you're not mechanically inclined). And it doesn't matter what wheelset I'm riding. Also nice to have the same power meter across all bikes so the results are more consistent from bike to bike (at least that's my understanding).

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tricalculator.com

Used from the classifieds. Powertap for warranty.

Used SRM or Powertap.

Do you have a computer that can read power?

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Used Stages Shimano 105 2nd gen left only. Seen going for as low as $180. If you're not racing IM's and have Shimano hollowtech cranks - a value hard to beat.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Why does it matter if he's racing IMs for the 105?

I mean, there are loads of arguments against Stages in the forum, but...

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