Power Meter Pedals for Spinning Bikes – All you need to know
When it comes to Spinning and indoor cycling bikes, the technology available is incredible, and it can help us when it comes to training. Bikes ten years ago were very basic, and you were limited. Even local studios and gyms didn’t have anything fancy. Those days are past, and we are not left with many options. Take into account bikes like the Echelon EX5s, Life Fitness IC7, and the Nordictrack S22i. These have technology like cooling fans, high definition screens, and options to link to interactive classes. That’s not all they have though, a high-end bike these days will also be fitted with a power meter.
What is a Power Meter?
A Power Meter is a device that uses a Strain gauge to measure the torque which is being applied to the object. This means that it can measure the amount of force going through your pedals. You have to be wary of buying a spinning bike that says it can measure power as there are two types, direct and estimation. Direct is an actual reading accurate generally to 97% plus. Estimation is the cadence calculated with the level of the resistance the bike is on. This can not always be very accurate. If you’re looking for good reading and are very serious about your training id recommend going direct even though it may cost a little more.
Where will I find the Power Meter?
Power meters come in many shapes and sizes. You will typically find them around the area of the front crank on a bike and the flywheel on a spinning bike. They usually sit around the bottom bracket area or live in the shaft between your pedal arms. An exception to the rule and what we will talk about today is Power Meter pedals, and obviously, these will be situated in your pedals. Having the power meter in your pedals means you can change them from your spinning bike to your bikes which you use outdoors and are the best value for money when it comes to having power on all your training tools.
How will Power Meter Pedals help my training?
Power Meter pedals are fantastic to get deep into your training. They give you excellent raw data, which can help you progress forward. ,For years, we have been working off heart rate when it comes to spinning as this was all we had available. Now we have power available many people are making the switch across. What they will provide you with is extra data that you can train from. This comes in the form of Watts. Training by Watts is much more accurate than training via Heart Rate as your heart rate isn’t as consistent as your power. For example, if you are exhausted, your heart rate might be higher when you’re training, but you might not be giving the effort you require to hit your goals. With power, it is more consistent, so no matter how you feel, it will provide you with an accurate result of the power you are creating.
How to train with a Power Meter?
Power Meter training is straightforward, and it is so easy to do compared to heart rate. The first thing I would recommend doing is a power test. We call this an FTP test. FTP means Functional Threshold Power. This test is typically done with a warm-up then a 20-minute max power effort. In the 20 minutes effort, we take the average Watts you produce and then take away 5%, and that’s your FTP. For example, hitting 200w as an average for the test would make your FTP 190w. Then you can put this into a session plan like this short Ramp session I have added below.
| Time | Activity | Power |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Warm-Up | 80w to 130w |
| 2 | Power | 140w |
| 2 | Power | 150w |
| 2 | Power | 160w |
| 2 | Power | 170w |
| 2 | Power | 180w |
| 2 | Power | 190w |
| 2 | Power | 180w |
| 2 | Power | 170w |
| 2 | Power | 160w |
| 2 | Power | 150w |
| 2 | Power | 140w |
| 5 | Cool Down | 140w to 80w |
Applications and Saving Workouts with Power-Based Pedal
I think for myself personally one of the best bits about having power meter pedals is connectivity. Not only are you able to save your workouts to your Devices via Bluetooth and Ant+ it opens you up to a whole range of training programs and applications such as Zwift. On applications such as this you can do their workouts, cycling in virtual world, race professionals and even do all the testing with on screen instructions. It’s a complete game changer and I would highly recommend pedals alone for this.
Tracking Progress made easy.
One of the best things about riding with Power Meter pedals is that you can track your progress easily. Personally, every two months, I do another FTP test and look at how much the number has improved to track how much progress that I am making through my training. Also, keep in mind that most spin bikes, including many high-end ones such as Peloton, don’t have power meters. They calculate your speed and cadence to give you an estimation of power which is okay, but nothing close in terms of accuracy compared to what a pair of power meter pedals would provide on a spin bike. And that’s one of the reasons you would often see an elite road rider use power pedals on magnetic spin bikes such as the popular Peloton bike or Echelon EX7s.
What are the best Power Meter Pedals to buy
FAVERO Assioma Duo Side Pedal Based Power Meter
1 used from $751.41
These are excellent pedals and, in my opinion, probably one of the best on the market at the minute. They give you 50 hours of use on each charge with internal batteries you also can recharge these, unlike my other power meter systems on the market.
What is unique about these and why they cost more than any other power meter pedals is they have two power meters, one in each pedal. Using this data, you can find out much more about how you pedal.
They come with the LOOK Red cleats. These are compatible with all road shoes on the market and very easy to source. The pedals are straightforward to switch between the spin bikes and road bikes too.
Price: $740
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant+
Cadence Sensor: Yes
Battery Type: Internal Rechargeable
Pros
Dual Sided
Excellent Quality
Use Look Cleats
Cons
Price
FAVERO Assioma UNO Side Pedal Based Power Meter
Very similar to the pedals above, just a lower model you are looking at again, one of the best power meter-based pedal options on the market. You have 50 hours of battery charge, and it’s all internal.
Unlike the Duo above, this is the Uno. It’s the same set of pedals, but there’s only a power meter on one side. This is perfect if you are not too worried about finding out too much data.
Again they come with the LOOK Red cleats, which suit most road and indoor cycling shoes. They will quickly change between bikes.
Price: $490
Connectivity: Bluetooth, ANT+
Cadence Sensor: Yes
Battery Type: Internal Rechargeable
Pros
Excellent Quality
Use Look Cleats
Cons
Single-Sided
Garmin Rally XC100, Single-Sensing Power Meter
These pedals are a little different from others, but we love them. The battery you put in yourself and gives you 120h of life, which is incredible. They are made by Garmin, which for years, they have been at the front of the power meter pedal market.
It’s a single-sided power meter, but you can upgrade it to a dual-sided one for about $250 extra. They are very accurate and will give you good reliable data when you’re riding.
They are SPD Clip in so what you would typically use on the spinning bike in a class, but they also have a very cool feature of an extra special kit you can remove the spindle and use road cleats.
Price: $700
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant+
Cadence Sensor: Yes
Battery Type: External Non Rechargeable
Pros
High Quality
Spinning SPD Clip-ins
Garmin Branded
Cons:
Single-Sided
Garmin Vector 3S Pedal-Based Power Meter
The Garmin Vectors have been on the market for a very long time and have been upgraded regularly. They are a go-to choice for cyclists worldwide. They again have a similar system to the XC100, where you change the batteries yourself. They furthermore give you 120h of power data.
They are single-sided, and the left-hand pedal is the one that measures the power. There are significant savings to be had if you are happy not to have a power meter in both pedals. Personally, this is the way id go.
They are the LOOK style cleat favored by many road cyclists and will easily swap between bikes. You can also put them on Peloton bikes.
Price: $700
Connectivity: Bluetooth, Ant+
Cadence Sensor: Yes
Battery Type: External Non Rechargeable
Pros
High Quality
Road Clip-ins
Garmin Branded
Cons
Price
Robbie Ferri from “Riding with Robbie” has been cycling for almost ten years. In that time, he has broken World Records, Bikepacked all over the World, and also raced ultra distance at a top-level. Robbie picked up a bike and started cycling when he was about 25 years old and said it was the best thing he ever did. The experiences and the fun he’s had have given him a huge passion for helping inspire others to ride further, farther, and get fitter.
