If you’re not having much luck finding a crank-based power meter to go with your fancy new Shimano Dura Ace R9100, Pioneer Electronics is coming to your rescue. As the first to offer compatibility with the newest release from Shimano, Pioneer is sticking with the cutting edge here. And they’re rescuing plenty more by expanding the compatibility of their power meter kits to support Campy, Cannonade, FSA, and more cranksets. All this starting at a pretty decent price point for a well-established and respected name in power meters: $499.
In fact, we caught up with Pioneer at Interbike and checked these out in person. Clean, seamless, and they seemed to be working quite accurately. They were also showing off some pretty sweet fit metrics with their new analytical ecosystem add-on Expanded Sensor Network.
Basically the set collects rider data using a series of 26 sensors (strain gauges, accelerometers and gyro sensors) located on five key locations on the bike and rider – the seat post, helmet, bar stem, power meter and ankling sensor on top of the rider’s shoe. All of this can be captured with Pioneer’s computer, and analyzed with their analysis software. So, yes, a full eco-system of products that will help the racer or more serious cyclist get the best metrics and waste the least wattage. Definitely pretty sweet and still in the refinement process.
But in the meantime, here’s plenty more on their power meter offerings.
Pioneer Power Meter Kits
These power meter kits are designed to add Pioneer’s power meter to existing compatible cranks (which means, you send Pioneer your crank/s and they’ll install the power). The difference with Pioneer is that you’ve got a few options:
- $999.99: SGY-PM9100C Dual Leg Power Meter Kit for your dual leg crankset
- $499.99: SGY-PMLTC Power Meter Upgrade Kit for your left crank arm
- $579.99: SGY-PMRTC Power Meter Upgrade Kit for your drive side crank
All of these include ANT+ connectivity, +/-2% measurements, integrated dual accelerometers for cadence measurement and error correction, and waterproof coolness. All sets should be available in October.
How Does It Work?
The power meter kits can be installed on your existing crank or crank arm to eliminate the need for investment in a second crank, making these cheaper than similar high-end power meters. Plus, they’ve got the same force direction data and advanced HDPower Metrics.
The process of getting one onto your bike is a little more involved than just adding to cart and paying shipping. You’ll buy it the kit you want at your local shop who packs up your drive side crank and/or left crank arm in the box and ships it directly to Pioneer’s installation center for full install.
Dual Leg Upgrade Option
The coolest thing with Pioneer’s system is what we’re gonna call the Power Layaway Plan. Start with single-leg power now, and keep your options open to upgrade to dual-leg measurement later. If, for instance, you don’t think you’ll need all the fancy pedaling metrics now, but you might end up getting much more serious about your racing performance later on by improving your pedaling techniques through more in-depth analysis.
For cyclists who want to upgrade to a Dual Leg Power Meter at a later date, Pioneer offers compatible kits, the SGY-PMLTC left crank arm and SGY-PMRTC right drive side upgrade kits. With 12 point and Dual Leg force measurement, Pioneer’s HD Power Meters help uncover sources of pedaling imbalance, identify bike fit, power loss and absorption issues, and are essential tools for improving pedaling technique and efficiency.
Crank Kit Compatibility
Remember, this power meter won’t just plug on to whatever cranks you have–here’s the list of compatible models below:
- SGY-PM9100C (Dual Leg): Campagnolo Potenza™ 11, Shimano DURA-ACE® R9100, DURA-ACE 9000, ULTEGRA® 6800
- SGY-PMRTC (Right Drive Side Crank): Campagnolo Potenza 11, Shimano DURA-ACE R9100, DURA-ACE 9000, ULTEGRA 6800
- SGY-PMLTC (Left Arm Crank): Campagnolo Potenza 11, FSA SL-K carbon, Cannondale® Si-SL2, Cannondale Si, Shimano DURA-ACE R9100, DURA-ACE 9000, ULTEGRA 6800, Shimano 105®, XTR Trail, XT
Grab Your Own
The Pioneer power meter kits for consumer supplied cranks will be available in fall with suggest retail prices of $499.99 (SGY-PMLTC), $579.99 (SGY-PMRTC), and $999.99 (SGY-PM9100C).
For more information on the Pioneer system, visit www.powerisking.com
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