Favero Assioma Pro MX MTB (SPD) Power Meter

[fourflys]

as far as PMs on an MTB-

I've pretty much converted all of my bikes to SPD pedals at this point, so, for me, this isn't really an "MTB" decision.. although, as I said earlier, a pedal-based system would make it super easy to switch between any bike, road or MTB.. and, from what I've read, there is very little variance between pedal-based PMs and others.. of course it will more precise if you have dual-sided vs single..

for me, I'm PM-curious just because I am mostly, but I think it would help me structure my rides a bit and, I'm sure, overall most likely improve my fitness..

[fourflys]

I have no doubt any Pro runs a PM on any bike they train or race on.. why wouldn't they? And someone like Nino or Pidcock certainly doesn't have to worry about the economics of having to buy more than one PM..

Originally Posted by EB

Pros are not us, but just for the record, XC pros like Nino run (spider-based) PMs on their race bikes:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/bike-c...-cup-wins.html

But XC pros also do a lot of their base and interval training on road bikes (with power meters), presumably because it's the most efficient way to work a structured program. So my presumption is that they run PMs on the race bikes so that they know if they're hitting a certain required effort. World Cup courses are extremely structured so Nino (for example) may know that he has to hit a certain wattage over a certain time period to move up on a certain climb, or using it to make sure an effort is threshold and not over the limit if he's reserving effort for later.

[feynman]

Originally Posted by fourflys

I've pretty much converted all of my bikes to SPD pedals at this point...

Same for me. I like SPDs on everything, so this would be a versatile, movable option for me.

My main host for these would be a Chorus 12 165mm crank, which seems to be abandoned by the crank PM makers.

Spiders scare me.

[benb]

And those Pros can also just decide they want to go train in a location where the trails are conducive to whatever training they want to do on whatever surface they need.

That's not my reality. It's hard for me to find anything much longer than 10 minutes without running out of room or a car or a dog off leash that makes me have to hit the brakes during an interval. And that's even on the road.

It would definitely satisfy a huge curiosity for me to get a handle on just how hard climbing off road is compared to road though.

[EB]

Totally get it. I mostly find it interesting that they choose to do most of their structured training on road bikes. I just think it's much easier to do something like a 30/30 or a 2x20 on a road bike where you can easily find steady grades and easily sustain a certain power level without interruption. But that also argues for a power meter you can move around!

I also personally hate power meters and got rid of the one I had years ago so take everything I say with a grain of salt...

[Baron Blubba]

I'm an advocate for pedal based power meters. So easy to install, so easy to swap between bikes, and if the pm fails and needs repair, you can just install any other set of pedals while they are being fixed. Swapping cranks and installing power meters on cranks is an ordeal, and so often compatibility issues arise for one reason or another. Pedals just work.
And the reviews for these Faveros have been excellent. If I cared a fig about my power numbers, I'd try a pair.

[fuji160s]

I really like the Garmin pedals I have, but these are much nicer on the eyes and I'm curious if the smaller stack height makes a noticeable difference. Not that keen on the proprietary charging cable, at least with the Garmin pedals you can pick up a replacement battery at the drugstore.

[fourflys]

Originally Posted by fuji160s

Not that keen on the proprietary charging cable, at least with the Garmin pedals you can pick up a replacement battery at the drugstore.

fair point, but, for me, I don't think that's a huge issue like it could be with electronic shifting.. worst case with a power pedal dying is you don't get your power numbers, but the pedal part still works fine to get you home..

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by fuji160s

Not that keen on the proprietary charging cable, at least with the Garmin pedals you can pick up a replacement battery at the drugstore.

I guess it's a matter of preference. Personally, I'd rather have rechargeable batteries than disposable ones, and having a standard charging interface like USB-C means some kind of covered port that could easily get crap inside it. For me the only down side is the risk of forgetting the cable when going for a lengthy trip, though as noted above you're still able to ride, just don't get your power numbers. FWIW, I get about 700 miles out of each charge on my DUOs.

[kgreene10]

I’ve been close to buying the Assioma a few times but then I look at my 110 gram Look pedals and ask myself why I would want to push the extra weight around in circles. Maybe that’s silly but my inner weight weenie speaks authoritatively. I’m slowly amassing parts for a new build and am leaning toward the just released 4iiii 3+ which is dual sided and has the added benefit of incorporating Apple Find My.

[robertbb]

Dissenting voice here.

While Assioma's are excellent (I had a pair for a couple of years and they were faultless) I don't feel power meters in general are worth it. I sold mine and now solely care about heart rate on outdoor rides.

Consider if you'd rather take in the world around you and keep conscious of hazards, than chew stem and look at numbers. Heart rate is a good measure of how hard your body is pushing and it's an important tool to make sure you don't overcook things which is particularly important as we age. But power numbers are next to useless unless you're fully committed to a routine interval training plan with a coach or software.

And even if you are, structured training is very difficult to execute outdoors anyway. Perhaps it's better to do intervals indoors mid-week and keep your weekend rides in heart rate zone 2? That's the prevailing wisdom in training effectiveness now anyway.

[Likes2ridefar]

Originally Posted by robertbb

Consider if you'd rather take in the world around you and keep conscious of hazards, than chew stem and look at numbers. Heart rate is a good measure of how hard your body is pushing and it's an important tool to make sure you don't overcook things which is particularly important as we age. But power numbers are next to useless unless you're fully committed to a routine interval training plan with a coach or software.

And even if you are, structured training is very difficult to execute outdoors anyway. Perhaps it's better to do intervals indoors mid-week and keep your weekend rides in heart rate zone 2? That's the prevailing wisdom in training effectiveness now anyway.

This is not my experience at all using power meters. It’s your choice to look at the screen. You don’t need to be glued to it to see your zone especially with the wonderful, large color screen or led lights computers now have. You certainly don’t need a coach and while data analysis is a big reason to use one it isn’t complicated data to understand requiring advanced analysis. But for those interested it is there. I raced for a number of years and lived in the northeast during then and managed to have structured workouts just fine outdoors. I hate riding indoors. Would rather use studded tires in the snow than sweat away on a trainer.

Heart rate is a lagged indicator that is more difficult to use for a structured workout, and can vary daily. It also requires a strap to wear. It is great to use both but were I to pick one it would be power every day.

[gravelreformist]

Originally Posted by robertbb

Dissenting voice here.

While Assioma's are excellent (I had a pair for a couple of years and they were faultless) I don't feel power meters in general are worth it. I sold mine and now solely care about heart rate on outdoor rides.

Consider if you'd rather take in the world around you and keep conscious of hazards, than chew stem and look at numbers. Heart rate is a good measure of how hard your body is pushing and it's an important tool to make sure you don't overcook things which is particularly important as we age. But power numbers are next to useless unless you're fully committed to a routine interval training plan with a coach or software.

And even if you are, structured training is very difficult to execute outdoors anyway. Perhaps it's better to do intervals indoors mid-week and keep your weekend rides in heart rate zone 2? That's the prevailing wisdom in training effectiveness now anyway.

I rarely do structured intervals outdoors, and only race a few times per year, yet still find a power meter to be one of the most important parts of my setup. I trained and raced seriously for many years by heart rate, but find it to be such a lagging indicator that it's a highly imperfect tool for moderating effort.

Today I mostly prefer to do extremely long rides with a lot of elevation change. Here in upstate NY that means a route of 80-100 miles might have many dozens of climbs between 50-1,000' in elevation gain. By the time that HR catches up with my effort, I will often have been above my power target for between 10-30 seconds already - often by 50-100 watts. Over the course of a day's ride, that's a huge number of matches being burned when I didn't intend to. Since beginning to ride with power I nearly never struggle to finish a ride at my intended pace. I am able to ride faster, further, more comfortably, often finishing rides as strong as I started them.

I think the idea the power meters are only useful for interval training is causing a huge portion of the market to miss out on a valuable tool for enhancing their cycling enjoyment.

[jpritchet74]

I will be buying a pair or 2 of these once they are finally in stock somewhere. I have 4 sets of Assioma pedals are they are absolutely fantastic.

Regarding battery life? They last a LONG time - I might charge each set once every 3-4 months. Then, my Garmin says when the battery is low and I have done over an hour of ride time after getting that alert without them dying.

[ZaddyWatts]

Im excited for these as well. I’ve done the Assioma Uno mated to an Xpedo SPD pedal in the past and really liked it but ended up reverting back to the stock road pedal once the spring wore out and wouldn’t lock my feet in enough. It was probably the best mod for my mtb that I can think of. I do lots of long distance riding on paths to get to my trails and it’s nice to build on that zone 2 fitness on the way rather than bonking midway through my trail ride in the woods. I can only assume that these new pedals will be be even more reliable compared to what I had and I had no complaints.