The power-meter market is more competitive than ever and Body Rocket has arrived as a new entrant with a bold claim – the startup says its power meter is "the most accurate in the world" at 0.1 per cent.
Body Rocket is better known among watt-chasing enthusiasts as the company behind an on-bike drag sensor to help riders get more aero, without heading to a wind tunnel to verify any changes in kit or body position. You can watch our video in which we tested the aero sensor below.
Body Rocket says the new power meter pedals were developed alongside the aero sensor, because, the brand claims, existing power meters didn’t offer a "high enough level of accuracy".
The company’s power meter pedals have a claimed accuracy of 0.1 per cent, based, Body Rocket says, on data collected by the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub. SSE now also uses Body Rocket’s system on its pedalling-efficiency rig.
“Measuring aerodynamics is about ten times as hard as measuring power, so in building our own system we ended up with all the measurements needed for power at, unsurprisingly, about ten times the accuracy of most commercial systems," says Body Rocket founder and CEO, Eric DeGolier.
Power meter pedals have become increasingly popular in recent years, with the likes of Favero, Garmin, Wahoo and LOOK all now offering the ability to measure power through the pedal spindle.
Most systems offer a claimed accuracy of 1-2 per cent, and our testing of the best power meters shows there are several reliable options.
Favero's Assioma Duo power meter pedals combine accurate power readings with a highly competitive price, while Garmin's Rally RS200 pedals offer best-in-class cleat compatibility, clean looks and, once again, accurate data, based on our benchmark testing.
Benefits of a pedals-based system over a crank-based power meter include the ability to easily switch pedals between bikes and, with more competition, prices have dropped, too.
The downsides are they’re generally more exposed to damage compared to spider- or crank-based power meters, and typically offer less battery life. Indeed, Body Rocket’s new system offers only 40 hours of run time from its internal, rechargeable battery.
Body Rocket’s new system is at the more expensive end of the market, priced at £1,500, compared to the Favero Assioma Duo pedals at £639 and the Garmin Rally RS200 pedals at £969.99.
The pedals, which are available for pre-order now, with delivery estimated to be in June, are compatible with Shimano’s SPD-SL cleats, weigh a claimed 185g per pedal and use a standard 53mm Q-factor.
According to Body Rocket, the system has a 20Hz sample rate and sends data via ANT+ to any compatible head unit.
However, with ANT+ sample rates capped at ‘around 1Hz’, Body Rocket says its app can be used for deeper analysis of data, including left-right power balance, captured at the higher sample rate. Data is sent between the power meter and app via WiFi.
