For the past two-and-a-half years, I’ve been testing the Stages power meter on and off, letting a few friends try it out between my own testing.
It’s a seemingly simple device, just stuck on the inside of your non-drive crank arm to measure left leg power by way of the crank’s deformation. Each model is calibrated to the specific crank arm it’s being attached to, and it’s all done in their own Colorado facility. While several lower priced options have been announced that allow for user installation, Stages’ says they’re not terribly concerned about things that aren’t even shipping yet. And they say they’re now among the largest cycling power meter brands by unit volume, especially when you include their indoor stationary cycles. That, along with pro team endorsements and usage, should say something about their quality.
My own experiences have spanned a couple years worth of firmware development that’s seen some marked upgrades and improvements, all with very few issues. For any piece of electronics on a bike to last that long without failure or problem is very good, and I’d recommend it highly with just a couple caveats…
The system comes with a new crank arm of your choosing, so long as it’s alloy and it’s from Shimano (all upper end, road and MTB), SRAM (Rival, X9), Cannondale (Hollowgram SI) or FSA (various). There are also BMX options using Shimano DXR MX71 cranks. Included in the box are the user manual and one battery preinstalled (not the two extras shown here), which is good for about 200 hours of use. Prices range from $699 to $899 depending on crank arm model.
All installation is done on factory fresh cranksets in house, so you can’t retrofit it to your existing cranks. Their process is what they say sets them apart, and it takes them two days to make and install one on each crank. The surface of the crank is laser treated and cleaned to prep the surface. Then the gauge platform is installed, it’s left to bond, then the electronics are soldered on, tested and sealed. Then, finally, they’re calibrated twice, once for force and once for temperature compensation. So, domestic labor is a big part of the cost, but they warranty it for one year with an optional two-year no questions asked warranty.
Our test unit was adhered to a Dura-Ace 9000 crank arm and only added 11g with battery installed. Among power meter options, this is about the lightest option.
The device transmits in both BLE (Bluetooth Smart/4.0/Low Energy) and ANT+ simultaneously. So, you can have it linked to your smartphone or the new Polar M450 cycling computers along with any ANT+ computer.
Firmware updates are periodic but important. Fortunately, they’re easily done through their smartphone app, which sends the update to the unit wirelessly over Bluetooth. Just make sure your cycling computer is off when performing a firmware update…I found that having the power meter connected to a computer interrupted the update process. The app will also show power output if you just want that simple bit of data while on the trainer.
As shown above, it clears traditional frames without any problems. Where I ran into fitment issues was on the Scott Solace, which uses a direct mount brake under the bottom bracket:
The power meter unit hit the Tektro brake caliper, preventing full crank arm rotation. So, if you have a bike with these types of brakes, maybe best to borrow a friend’s Stages crank and test it out.
During early use, I had the bike on the back of our van for cross country, multi-month road trips with the family. During that time, the vibration and bumps of the road kept the power meter “awake”, which crushed the battery. Word is, that was a common complaint which was finally remedied with the latest firmware update about a month ago (as of this post). Technically, the device still wakes with 1G of force (about what a normal, easy pedal rotation would cause) and will stay awake for 5 minutes. I have not traveled extensively with the bike since that time to see how that would improve
