Hi Tracy @Madapostle
Thanks for your post and that's great you're considering a power meter for your bike. I'm not an expert in power meters, but here's a couple things you should definitely consider:
1) Does the device or App you are using to record your rides support connecting a power meter? You didn't mention what you're using to record your rides; please be aware that the Strava Mobile App does not support the connection of power meters. If you're using your phone to record, we recommend using one of the many 3rd party applications like the Wahoo Fitness app which can connect both power and cadence sensor types and will automatically upload your activity to Strava. If you're using a third party device to record (for example Garmin, Fitbit, etc) you'll want to do some investigation to confirm that your device supports connecting a power meter.
2) What type of power meter would work best with your existing bike setup? There's 3 general types of power meters; they can be installed in pedals, your crank or the rear hub. Depending on the existing components on your bike, some power meters will be compatible, and others will not, unless you replace bike components. When I bought my power meter, I took my bike to my Local Bike shop. The experts there took a look at it, and advised me which power meter(s) would work best, and be the most economical with my particular bike setup and components. I would definitely recommend doing that.
Here's a blog post I found that does a pretty good job of explaining the various types of power meters and the pros and cons of each.
Let me know if you have any questions for me, and hopefully some members of our Community will chime in and share their knowledge too. One thing that's great about measuring power is you can take advantage of our advanced power analysis features which are a very helpful training tool. Good luck!
Jane (she/her)
STRAVA | Community Hub Team
