PressCamp '16: Stages Cycling

In a very short space of time, Stages Cycling has become a household name in the world of power meters. In a market previously dominated by high-cost products from the likes of SRM and Quarq, Stages Cycling has caused significant disruption with the introduction of their innovative left-hand crank-based system. Compared to traditional spider-based power meters, the Stage’s system allows riders to get into the world of power analysis at a much cheaper entry point, broadening the appeal to mountain bikers and enthusiast road riders as well as the uber-competitive types. And as more and more riders discover just how important measuring power is for both their training and racing, this market is only expected to grow further.

At this year’s Presscamp event, Stages Cycling were on hand to run us through their brand new carbon fibre crank arms, designed to suit the likes of SRAM XX-1 and X0-1 drivetrains. While we have plenty of info about those new cranks, I was keen to learn a bit more about the Stages brand and how their product comes together.

Owned by parent company Foundation Fitness, Stages Cycling operates out of Boulder in Colorado, where all of the brands product development, testing and production takes place. Stages first launched at Interbike back in 2012, before releasing their innovative left sided power meter in 2013. Within three years, Stages has become a significant player in the power meter industry, having established working relationships with brands such as Shimano, FSA, and Cannondale. They now offer a lineup that boasts 28 different models, with options to suit most drivetrains out there.

The Stages power meter system is relatively simple. It relies on the ‘bending’ that occurs through the non-drive side crank arm, with strain gauges placed along the length of the crank arm that help to measure that bending, or ‘flexion’, if you will. These strain gauges are then hooked into a circuit, and as the crank arm is bent under pedalling forces, the resistance through the circuit changes. The more flexion, the more resistance the circuit experiences. Stages then use complex firmware to determine the force required to bend the crankarm in the first place, therefore analysing how much power you’re laying down. Some further algorithms make some assumptions of left-to-right pedalling outputs, with the end Wattage figure delivering an accuracy rating of +/- 2%, which is pretty damn impressive. Of course there’s a whole lot more to it than that, but that’s the inner workings in a nutshell.

In comparison, spider-based power meters need to have multiple strain gauges along each ‘arm’ of the crankset where it joins to the chainring. This significantly increases complexity (and cost), and it also becomes a problem for mountain bike setups, where direct mount 1x chainrings are becoming much more popular than traditional spider-based chainrings. Stages’ product doesn’t run into any compatibility issues with chainrings, because the power meter is only found on the non-drive crank arm.

For the most part, Stages Cycling purchases the left-hand crank arms directly from companies such as Shimano, FSA, Cannondale, and then adds the power meter component in their Colorado facility. And because the power meter is built into the non-drive side crank arm, that’s the only item you need to purchase. If you already own, say a Shimano Deore XT crankset and you want a Stages power meter, all you need to buy is the left-hand crank arm from Stages, which comes with the power meter already built in and calibrated. As such, this makes their products by far one of the most price accessible ways to get accurate power analysis onto your mountain bike.

Up until recently, Stages was also working with SRAM. But because SRAM owns Quarq and now offers complete cranksets with a power meter built in, they stopped supplying Stages. This is fair enough given the two companies are essentially competing with each other, but it did mean Stages was left without an option for their SRAM customers. Rather than throwing in the towel though, they went to FSA to help them design and build their very own carbon crank arms to suit SRAM XX-1 and X0-1 drivetrains. Looking at the finished product, you’d be hard pressed to distinguish any differences between the two, as the Stages option shares a very similar profile to SRAM’s carbon cranks.

The new carbon crank arm is available in BB30 and GXP versions, and multiple lengths too. Stages will also be unveiling additional carbon crank options, including a model built for the RaceFace Next SL crankset. See below the details from Stages Cycling for their GXP model;

Each process of production is carried out in Stages Cycling’s Boulder facility in Colorado. Once the cranks are received from their suppliers, each crank arm is meticulously prepped and cleaned on the inside face where the power meter will reside. The strain gauges are then applied to the crank arm, and then the PCB is attached and soldered onto the strain gauges. Once everything is wired up, the plastic cover is attached and sealed onto the crank arm to ensure it is both watertight and airtight. This is essential for providing all-weather protection on an item that’s likely to encounter dirt, grease, mud, dust and bicycle cleaners.

Shimano Ultegra road cranks being prepped for their final stage of production.

Micro-sized electronics require finesse during installation. A clean and quiet environment is paramount to doing the job correctly.

Stages also conducts its own in-house testing and calibration. Each crankarm is QC checked, and is then given two points of reference for its power curve. One point is a zero load, and the other point of reference is a heavy weight that’s attached to the pedal end of the crank arm, seen here in the above photo. Each power meter is then also calibrated for temperature, so that your power output remains consistent whether you’re riding in the peak of summer, or the depths of winter. Stages aren’t the only company to compensate for temperature in their power curve, but they were the first.

Here a carbon GXP crank arm is calibrated for power. An additional function of the Stages Power Meter is cadence, which the unit can determine via the in-built accelerometer.

For mountain bikers running a SRAM 1x setup, the new Stages carbon crank arm presents a great value option for measuring power on your training rides and for racing too. And given the recent announcement of Stage’s partnership with Today’s Plan, I can imagine that there’ll be a lot more mountain bikers looking to take their riding to the next level.

For more information on the Stages range, head to the First Endurance website for local pricing and further details.