Vicious Power

Bottom brackets power meters are making waves in the sports world as they can help one train to his or her full potential. This new innovation works on the principle of torsional deflection in the bottom bracket shaft. The shaft has a disc at each end with small perforations that detect any torque applied to the pedals before relaying the data signal to the handlebar which is mounted to a computer unit. This design enables athletes to know and accurately determine the specific performance requirements that they need to achieve their targets in a particular field as the device correctly relays the amount of power they use in real time.

The bottom bracket power meters has many advantages; the first being its ability to give the athlete the ability to store data for the same ride over a long period of time which helps him to know how to achieve his objectives while training. The device can also help athletes to carefully monitor their effort levels during an event so as to help them to know their weakness and improve on them. With the data the bottom bracket power bracket is able to record then it can aid the athlete to train more specifically for the demands of the event that he is about to engage in.

There are however some limitations of using this device for instance it can prove to be expensive if the rider does not fully utilize it or has no idea how to use it. Moreover, interpretation of the data stored and relayed by the device requires someone with background knowledge and experience otherwise wrong interpretation can easily be made through self-diagnosis. Furthermore,the power meters are like any other electronic devices and thus they require to be maintained regularly to maintain high levels of accuracy and functionality hence additional cost will be incurred

Power Meters are gadgets on a bicycle that measure the power out put of the person riding. Most power meters in the market use strain gauges to measure torque applied thus when combined with angular velocity it calculates power.
These power meters usually come with a handlebar which is a mounted computer that displays information about the power generated by the person riding. Currently in the market, there are three power meter types within the crank spider location. They include: Quarq, POWER2MAX, and SRM.

Quarq is a crank based power meter that measures the torque applied through both pedals and through a strain gauge that is positioned at the crank spider. The instrument that measures is called the crank which is mounted to the crank and chain rings. It requires specific crank sets but it can be relatively simple to interchange between bikes depending on compatibility. The accuracy is at par with other units in the market and also you can swap chain rings without an issue. It also quite affordable compared to other power meters.

POWER2MAX is a crank based power meter. It has a growing crank set compatibility matrix that gives it good accuracy. It is the least expensive crank based power in the market. It uses fewer strain gauges. However, purchasing and servicing can be difficult and also, it does not have a method of turning off off auto-zero.

SRM is also a crank based power meter. It is a well established brand with a well understood product.It has excellent data capture and data accuracy especially on the head units. It is not just limited to the SRM head units, you can use any other head unit you like. It is quite expensive and servicing it is not as easy as other power meters in the market.