SRM has a new $1,900 flat-pedal power meter
Do you want to capture your watts when your soles are pressed into pins?
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SRM
Power meter pioneer SRM is pushing into uncharted territory with its new X-Power flat pedal power meter. While several brands offer clipless pedal power meters for mountain biking, including SRM, this is the first we’ve heard of a flat pedal platform power meter.
The pedals are listed on SRM’s U.S. webstore for $1,500, $200 more than the X-Power clipless version. That’s about $1,900 Canadian dollars. So the X-Power pedals aren’t cheap. There is also a single-sided version for US$1,200, if you’re only sort of committed to power training on flats.
Like the X-Power clipless pedals, SRM’s power platform has a stated accuracy of +/- two percent. The pedals are compatible with ANT+ and Bluetooth connections and have a 30-hour battery life, with rechargeable batteries.
RELATED: Review: SRM X-Power pedals for mountain biking, gravel and cyclocross
The X-Power pedals come with a two year warranty. Should you damage the pedal body, it is replaceable. There are five different anodized colours to choose from.
First, but not only platform power option
SRM is the first, and so far only brand to offer a dedicated platform pedal-based power meter. That doesn’t mean the X-power are the only way to get power numbers if you ride flats. Crank spider, chainring, or Crank-based power meters are already compatible with platform pedals. Though the assumption has generally been that riders wanting power data for training would also be taking advantage of the efficiency clipless pedals offer.
Pedal-based power meters do have some advantages over other power meter options, though. It’s much easier to switch pedals between bikes than, say, switching out cranks. With pedal-based power meters there are fewer tools involved and no questions about compatibility between parts on different bikes.
Who wants flat pedal power data?
So, who are SRM’s pricey X-Power platform pedals for? That’s less clear. It’s probably not the freeride or bike park crowd SRM has in mind, though.
Based on the website, SRM is going after BMX and ebikers. Most BMX racers already use clipless pedals.
One possibility is riders who can’t, or just don’t want to make the switch to clipless pedals but still want to train with power. There are all kinds of knee or ankle injuries that make riding clipped in impossible, or unsafe.
Power data isn’t just for high level racers anymore, too. While it is not inexpensive, especially with these X-Powers, all levels of riders can benefit from training with power. Sure, you won’t see any racers lining up on flats at the World Cup level(with the very notable exceptions of Sam Hill and Connor Fearon). But look at any other level of racing, or riding to improve fitness, and there’s all kinds of riders opting out of clipless pedals.
Will any of those riders want to pay $1,900? Looks like SRM is about to find out.
