Stages Cycling builds all its power meters in Boulder, Colorado - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The Stages office is filled with cycling nuts and, therefore, bikes - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Stages buys left cranks from suppliers like Shimano, then etches off a clear patch on the back with a lazer - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Here, the Stages lazer machine removes the finish from a batch of cranks in the shape of the Stages back plate - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Before the strain gauges are applies, decals go on - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Stages now makes power meters with Shimano, FSA, Cannondale and SRAM cranks - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
A series of strain gauges are applied to each crank. We weren't allowed to photograph this step too closely - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Once strain gauges are affixed, the cranks are left to set up - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Next, each crank's strain gauges are tested - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Stages has specified ranges for every stage of assembly - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Similar to the strain gauges, each electronic board is tested before assembly - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
At just a few grams, the brain of each Stages power meter lies within these boards - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Once the affixed strain gauges and boards are verified, the two pieces are welded together - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Connecting the strain gauges' wires to the board is small-scale work - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
iPads are used at virtually every assembly station to measure and record QC checks - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Sometimes the power meters require a little fine tuning before they are passed to the next step - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
The plastic backing is taped on before gluing - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Stages has robotic glue assembly - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
But human hands are still needed to clean up excess glue - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Some of the unit bodies are still glued by hand - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Each power meter travels around assembly with an ID card containing serial number and ANT ID - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Once assembled, each meter is calibrated and its measurements recorded - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
For calibration, each crank is attached to a gig at the recommended torque, then loaded with weight and its deflection under that weight is measured - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Stages has tight tolerances for each type of crank - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Each crank's measurements are recorded and used to calibrate - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Before packaging, each power meter gets a battery with a little tab underneath to prevent it from activating - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Stages has three, well-used espresso makers. Being a bunch of engineers, Stages has calculated their coffee-drinks-consumed-to-power-meters-producted ratio (but they wouldn’t share this with us) - Ben Delaney / Immediate Media
Many businesses track individuals' performance in charts, whether with sales growth, revenue trends or other metrics. Stages Cycling has a chart on employees' watts-per-kilo output at their functional threshold power.
While this chart was created for fun by customer service rep Amy Shepard, it does underscore the company culture at Stages, where the lunch rides are fast and furious, and more than a few staffers have national titles and former pro licenses to their names. Power measurement isn't just the product — it's what many of the employees live and breathe, seven days a week.
Senior vice president Pat Warner, by Shepard's rough estimate, ranks near but not at the top of the W/kg chart, a point he disputes in good nature.
"Guess it sucks to be fat!" jokes Warner. "I think [the ranking chart] should be based directly on FTP or a flat time trial. Who really races uphill anyway? Oh wait, I did all weekend."
Stages Cycling launched its left-crank-arm-based power meter in 2012, and has been the power-meter provider to Team Sky for the past two seasons. Stages has 43 employees, with about half of those in production roles in the company's headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. Stages now sells into 36 countries. The company declined to disclose how many meters have been sold thus far.
The stages office is filled with cycling nuts and, therefore, bikes : the stages office is filled with cycling nuts and, therefore, bikes
Bikes aren't just for display at Stages; many employees are avid riders, including the executives
"The mentality we had while developing the power meter was ‘simplify,'" says Andy Lull, Stages Cycling's product development director. "The goal was a simple-to-install, simple-to-use power meter that provided consistent and accurate results that you can train and race to. A byproduct of this approach was a more affordable power meter. I think the Stages Power meter meets our original goals."
When Stages launched, the power-meter choices were basically the high-performance but very high-cost SRM, or the more affordable hub-based PowerTap. Stages came in and undercut PowerTap, and the market has since exploded with meters from many brands, with many pushing downwards on price.
Stages makes all its power meters in Colorado. The gallery above walks you through all the steps — or at least all the steps we were allowed to show you.
A series of strain gauges are applied to each crank. we weren't allowed to photograph this step too closely: a series of strain gauges are applied to each crank. we weren't allowed to photograph this step too closely
After a lazer cleans off the crank's finish, strain gauges are applied to the inside of the arm
Recently, a few dual-sided Stages prototypes have surfaced underneath Team Sky riders. Warner confirmed the ongoing development of Stages meters with Team Sky, but stopped short of saying when or if a dual-sided meter would come to market.
"We would be crazy not to continue to test with Team Sky," Warner said. "What you saw on Team Sky was Stages. We are running different types of tests out there. But most Team Sky riders are on our production left-arm meters. The beauty of Team Sky is that they are the most analytic team out there, and of course they are riding 25 to 30 hours a week, so we get great feedback."
Click through the gallery above for an in-depth look at how Stages makes power meters with Shimano, SRAM, FSA and Cannondale cranks. Oh, and who is on top of that W/kg FTP chart? That would be the new guy, Jim Stemper, who is fresh off retiring as a domestic pro and comes in at 4.99w/kg, by Shepard's educated guesstimate.
For calibration, each crank is attached to a gig at the recommended torque, then loaded with weight and its deflection under that weight is measured: for calibration, each crank is attached to a gig at the recommended torque, then loaded with weight and its deflection under that weight is measured
Deflection under load is measured and recorded for calibration
Ben Delaney is a journalist with more than two decades of experience writing for and editing some of the biggest publications in cycling. Having studied journalism at the University of New Mexico, Ben has worked for Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, VeloNews and BikeRadar. He has also previously worked as Global Brand Communications Manager for Specialized. Ben covers all things road and gravel, and can be found logging big miles in the Rocky Mountains that nestle alongside his home in Boulder, Colorado. He has covered the most important bike races in the sport, from the Tour de France and Tour of Flanders, to the Unbound gravel race, and specialises in tech content, showcasing what the pros are riding and putting everyday equipment through its paces.
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