I saw this offer on Instagram for a pretty cheap power meter, does anyone know the brand or if this is any good?
by Tonight-Similar
I saw this offer on Instagram for a pretty cheap power meter, does anyone know the brand or if this is any good?
by Tonight-Similar
16 Comments
2.6 out of 5 on Trustpilot: https://www.trustpilot.com/review/stagescycling.com
Oh and they typo’d 105 to 05 in the second picture.
I’d stear clear of them. If something looks too good to be true, that’s because it is.
STAY AWAY FROM STAGES.
I bought two leftside power meters from them – one for my road bike and one for my mtb. BOTH completely stopped working in under 6 months. I called, emailed, and filled out numerous support requests on their website and never heard back.
They “went out of business” a few months later. Now I guess they are back to ripping people off.
Precision 4iiii has a similar product and I haven’t had any issues with them. Stick with them or anyone but stages.
Editing to add that the model I bought for my road bike is the exact model advertised here – shimano R7000 leftside.
Was the advert written by Don Draper?!
Stages used to be one of the best. They’ve been struggling for quite a while now (I honestly thought they fully folded). I had their crank arm power meters on a few bikes and they worked just fine. However, a proper spindle or spider power meter is going to serve you better over the long run imo. I’d be very concerned about long term support and warranty from them. Back when they were doing much better, I did have to warranty multiple power meters from them; I’ve never had a problem with either of my spider power meters…
I have that exact R7000 power meter on one bike and a Stages R8000 dual side in the other. All work really well. Good deal for $150.
Stages is owned by Giant now.
had two left hand cranks, both r8000. one lasted a few years before giving odd readings. the other is still going strong 6 years later and a few dings.
I had a gen 1 Stages SRAM rival left side power meter a while back. It gave repeatable results for any intervals over 1 minute in length.
The technology is fine. Most of the issues were on the company management side. It’s probably better now that Giant owns them.
I have a stages power meter on my 105 groupset and it has worked well for 3 years. As others say, stages went through bankruptcy and acquisition by giant and I have no idea as to their quality or customer support anymore. I see they still sell them on powermetercity.com, they are some of the most reputable and knowledgeable people around. I’d ping them about to ask about any risk of poor aftermarket support, and then definitely buy through them if you want it instead of spending more for 4iiii.
I have a stages on a GRX 810 crankset.
It would have been cheaper just to write a random number generator app. I would put Stages just above any of the Chinese companies in terms of reliability and support, and honestly below a few of the more reputable ones like Magene.
It reads about 10-15% high as a minimum, and more on 300w+ efforts. Makes intervals impossible to do. If my power was what this guy reported, I would be in the world tour. (Alas, I am but a lowly cat 2 roadie.)
Reportedly the newest gen of PM (before they folded and got purchased again) is a little more reliable but not really.
I mean, you won’t find power for $150 and it works okay for people who have really symmetrical biomechanics. But the devices themselves are fairly unreliable and often have technical / connection issues.
So… I’d say only pull the trigger if you want something and are okay wasting $150. But if it’s important to you or that’s not disposable income, save for something a bit nicer.
Actually looks like a pretty good deal. Unfortunately options for international shipping look pretty shit… Website also has barely any info on it…
Honestly, invest just €100 more and get a 4IIII. Way more reliable and sturdy.
Stages is a bit of a hit or miss. Its a 105 crank arm so that is fine. The power meter itself works. But it is just not the most reliable or durable brand. Hence the price, something has got to give.
If the choice is stages or nothing, get it. If you can up the budget a bit, go 4IIII. If you can triple the budget, get the favero assioma pedal power meter. That in my opinion is the goat. Also since they are so easy to take on holiday and mount on rental bikes.
I paid 225€ for mine in 2022, and it still works, so 150$ is a good deal.
I went garmin power pedals. So far so good. I did not have the frame clearance for this if I recall
Yeah. I’ve had the same stages meter for like a decade now and works fine.
I have three Stages (two 105 and one Dura Ace) and two 4iiii (one XT, one custom XTR M980). So far they’re all doing fine, except one 4iiii has a gimpy battery-hatch cover that I zip-tie down for backup. Yeah I would endorse the $150 deal if you want power data and have a compatible crankset.
I can’t say anything about this power meter but my stages HR monitor (chest-strap) is absolute garbage