Speedplay X vs Zero?

[djg21]

Originally Posted by weiwentg

I am not an engineer. From the little bits I can decipher of Keith Wakeham's YouTube vids, every spindle is a bit different, so the placement and arrangement of the strain gauges will differ by brand. Plus one has to find space for batteries and transmitters, and then find a manufacturing partner, and then make sure they do the job consistently. There's probably a lot of processes we can't even conceive of. Recall that Brim Brothers thought they had it nailed, and then they took delivery of the first shipment, and they found out they were skunked. It looks simple to us when it's done, but getting there is not simple.

Brim Brothers had issues with capital, relying on Kickstarter to finance development of its power meter. https://cyclingtips.com/2016/11/when...s-power-meter/.
Wahoo has much deeper pockets and can afford to develop or license necessary technology. My guess is that there will be more of a willingness to work with Wahoo than there was to work with Richard Bryne. We will just have to wait to see what Wahoo has in mind.

[berserk87]

Originally Posted by djg21

Speedplay missed the boat here, and needs to have a power meter to stop losing market share. I’ll be that there will be news of a Speedplay powermeter by next season.

Are they losing market share?

Or are you projecting that they will without a power meter option? Not sure what you are saying.

[Elefantino]

X user for 21 years. Tried Zeros but need more float for my bum left knee. Suppose I could use X on one side and Zero on the other but that would be weird.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by berserk87

Are they losing market share?

Or are you projecting that they will without a power meter option? Not sure what you are saying.

I make a presumption based on anecdotal evidence. Among the people I know who have been Speedplay users, including myself — since the early 90s — a good number have switched to Powertap, Garmin, or other pedals with a power meter. If there were Speedplay power meter (pedal based that could be switched between bikes easily with bilateral power), I would never have considered switching. I had this conversation during a ride last week and at least three people who also switched from Speedplay agreed. Interestingly. I was really psyched for Metrigear when it was designing a power meter for Speedplay, making use of the Speedplay’s hollow spindle. The Garmin Vector 3 has been a mixed bag for me, given issues with the battery doors and drop outs, which required a warranty replacement. The pedals are now stable and function fine knock on wood.

[Mark McM]

Originally Posted by djg21

I make a presumption based on anecdotal evidence. Among the people I know who have been Speedplay users, including myself — since the early 90s — a good number have switched to Powertap, Garmin, or other pedals with a power meter.

Speedplay probably has lost some customers who want a pedal based power meter. But what percent of the market does this represent? Probably only a small fraction. While I think it is a good guess that Wahoo wants to make a pedal based power meter, I suspect that the reason the owners of Speedplay sold the company to Wahoo has more to do with wanting to retire and get out of the business (Speedplay has been privately owned since its founding over about 30 years ago).