Don't fight the power, embrace it...
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Power meters have dropped significantly in price in recent years
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You can install the battery after you've mounted the crank, but it's definitely easier to do it this way round the first time
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Make sure the two 5mm allen bolts are suitably loose before you try and remove the star preload bolt, otherwise you'll find that it requires an inordinate amount of force
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When you've removed the existing non-driveside crank arm, slide the Stages crank onto the axle, being careful to make sure that it's at exactly 180 degrees to the opposite arm
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The process of pairing with a head unit will vary depending on which brand you have. We used Garmin's Edge 1000 for the purposes of this feature
Don't fight the power, embrace it...
Power meters are an incredible training tool, but are something that still polarise opinion. The majority of pro riders train with power now, partly because riding is their job and so they have to make use of the best tools available, and partly because they (normally) don’t have to pay for them, of course.
But lots of amateurs are choosing to ride with power too, and given the rate at which prices have fallen over the last few years it’s a safe bet that a couple of years down the line the units might even be in danger of falling into the ‘affordable’ category.
Better than that, they’re becoming easier to use and install. The days of purely crank-based units are well in the past, and power meters like Stages are quite literally as easy to install as a crank arm. Speaking of which, we have a Stages Ultegra power meter (£699) in to test at the moment, and we’ve put together this handy little guide on how to correctly install the unit.