Team Sky threw a curve ball straight out of leftfield when they announced a new partnership that sees Stages Cycling become the WorldTour’s power meter supplier, thus ending a four-year association with SRM.

Team Sky have been high-profile proponents of training and racing with power – with results to match – and SRM’s system has been ever-present on the bikes of Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins and co. since 2010.

SRM have long been the dominant power meter supplier in the peloton but the empire is shrinking, with Pioneer, Garmin and Quarq among the brands represented, but it’s the arrival of Stages at the top table which is most significant for the wider market.

Power meters have, until now been the preserve of professional riders – or amateurs with very deep pockets – but Stages’ crank-based system is the most affordable on the market and if it’s good enough for Team Sky, a team that has laid the foundations of its success on power, then it’s good enough for the rest of us.

“We’re trying to create a product which is attainable for cyclists as power meters haven’t previously been viewed as attainable,” Stages’ Pat Warner told us at Core. “Most people who buy a $3,000 bike aren’t going to buy a $3,000 power meter, but someone who spends that on a bike might spend $600 on a power meter as that’s a reasonable ratio.”

It’s still not cheap, with a Stages-equipped crank costing between £599 and £799 (Shimano Dura-Ace, Ultegra and 105, and SRAM Rival, cranks are currently available), but it significantly broadens the market appeal of a power meter and the Team Sky’s validation of the system is the most powerful marketing tool the Boulder-based brand could hope for. Expect to see Stages set the trend for more affordable power meters.