I previously used a Quarq and recently switched to Stages. I am finding that the Stages reads significantly lower than the Quarq at similar effort levels. The readings seem to be pretty consistent, but they are just low. For example a 285 watt effort on the Quarq is reading roughly 220 watts on the Stages. Anybody else have this issue or have any idea of the cause / solution?
I have reached out to Stages but haven’t really gotten anywhere yet.
How do you know it’s the Stages reading low rather than the Quarq reading high? It could also be some combination of the two.
Have you done a static torque test on either?
Check the static torque on the Quarq. If that checks out, either the stages is off or you have a very weak left leg.
I previously used a Quarq and recently switched to Stages. I am finding that the Stages reads significantly lower than the Quarq at similar effort levels. **The readings seem to be pretty consistent, but they are just low. **
Presumably you bought the Stages because you were convinced that accuracy doesn’t matter, only consistency does. You say your readings are consistent. What’s the problem?
Check the static torque on the Quarq. If that checks out, either the stages is off or you have a very weak left leg.
In order to rule out the left leg issue, you can do a test where you pedal left-leg-only and see if that gets them closer to matching.
Another possibility is if the stages is intermittently dropping out (many people have reported weak battery doors. Be very gentle with yours) AND whatever software you’re using reports the dropouts as 0W, that could bring down the stages average significantly.
My Quarq measured balance, and my legs were generally within 3% with left leg being stronger.
@RChung I understand that consistency is important (and I get the sense that you don’t like Stages), but I have a lot of old data from years of training with other powermeters. I can deal with a small change between the old and new readings as long as the new readings are consistent and repeatable, but the difference I am seeing is large and renders my historical data useless. I can’t really believe that the magnitude of this difference between these powermeters is normal (20%+).
Regarding whether the Quarq is reading high, it is a possibility, but the readings are much more in line with what I would expect than the Stages.
I think my Stages is messed up (I don’t think that this is normal of the product) and I am more interested to know if anybody else has found large differences between the Stages and other powermeters so I can confirm my suspicions. From what I have read, some people report a ~5% difference, but my difference is significantly greater than 5%.
Just out of curiosity what prompted you to change from Quarq to Stages?
Generally cost. I liked the Quarq, but couldn’t justify the price of a new Quarq with a new bike and my old Quarq (10 speed) wouldn’t work with new drivetrain (11 speed). I researched and had seen generally positive reviews of the Stages.
my old Quarq (10 speed) wouldn’t work with new drivetrain (11 speed).Why not?
I’ve used an Elsa with 10s PowerGlide rings on 11 speed bikes, Force 22 and Red 22, without issue.
my old Quarq (10 speed) wouldn’t work with new drivetrain (11 speed)…
Pretty certain it would have worked, really no difference between the rings for 11 and 10 speed (or you could have just installed 11 speed rings on your quarq). Why do you believe it would not have worked?
Perhaps I jumped the gun on that assumption. I was going from an old Red drivetrain to new Di2. Frankly, I didn’t spend too much time considering moving it over because I wanted to keep the old bike “whole”. I was mostly just evaluating the price of a new powermeter and Stages appeared to be a good product at a significantly lower price.
@RChung I understand that consistency is important (and I get the sense that you don’t like Stages), but I have a lot of old data from years of training with other powermeters. I can deal with a small change between the old and new readings as long as the new readings are consistent and repeatable, but the difference I am seeing is large and renders my historical data useless.
If comparison with historical data were important to you, it should have been a priority. If being able to check the accuracy of your power meter were important to you, it should have been a priority. You opted for an inexpensive power meter that, as you admit, is consistent. Those other things weren’t a priority to you.
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. Quarq is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and go back to Quarq or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
@RChung I understand that consistency is important (and I get the sense that you don’t like Stages), but I have a lot of old data from years of training with other powermeters. I can deal with a small change between the old and new readings as long as the new readings are consistent and repeatable, but the difference I am seeing is large and renders my historical data useless.
If comparison with historical data were important to you, it should have been a priority. If being able to check the accuracy of your power meter were important to you, it should have been a priority. You opted for an inexpensive power meter that, as you admit, is consistent. Those other things weren’t a priority to you.
Sure, but his equipment looks consistent.
-Scott
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. Quarq is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and go back to Quarq or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
I actually think that most people who own a Stages have one that works fine. “Works fine” being defined as a power meter that accurately and precisely measures their left leg. I would bet that most of them however have no idea if their Stages is working well for them in terms of total power since they likely have nothing to compare against. Meaning they have no idea how their L/R balance could be changing day to day, between different efforts, or between different levels of fatigue. The only way to confirm it is to always use their Stages in combination with a PM that measures total power…which kind of defeats the whole purpose.
I previously used a Quarq and recently switched to Stages. I am finding that the Stages reads significantly lower than the Quarq at similar effort levels. The readings seem to be pretty consistent, but they are just low. For example a 285 watt effort on the Quarq is reading roughly 220 watts on the Stages. Anybody else have this issue or have any idea of the cause / solution?
I have reached out to Stages but haven’t really gotten anywhere yet.
Just check the torque slope on the Stages unit and modify the slope setting so it’s correctly calibrated…oh, wait…
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. Quarq is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and go back to Quarq or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. SRM is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and get an SRM or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
Fixed it for you 
My Quarq measured balance, and my legs were generally within 3% with left leg being stronger.I don’t think the Quarq measures true left right balance, i.e. when you’re pushing down with your left leg the Quarq will measure the power of your left leg pushing down plus the power of your right leg pulling up. If you had a weak left leg you may be compensating by using your right leg on the upstroke (or other parts of the stroke) and the Quarq would be unable to tell.
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. Quarq is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and go back to Quarq or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. SRM is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and get an SRM or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
Fixed it for you
Can you also fix the part where needs an extra $2,000 for the SRM?
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. Quarq is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and go back to Quarq or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
I know some will say their Stages PM works fine, but it sure seems like they are out numbered 10:1 with those that say the opposite. SRM is the gold standard IMO but there are a few others that are also a good fit. Can you return the Stages PM for a refund? If so I’d do it and get an SRM or try the new PT pedals. The extra dough will save you plenty of headaches.
Fixed it for you
Can you also fix the part where needs an extra $2,000 for the SRM?
Nope… Can’t fix that part…but I bought one used two weeks ago here for 1500 shipped. SRM DA 9000. There are deals out there.