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SRAM Quarq v P1

thekidduxcthekidduxc
in General Training Discussions

I would greatly appreciate any input the house has on my Power meter and BB question.

Please forgive me if this is a bit difficult to follow... I am just trying to talk myself through these options.

I am in the midst of upgrading my 2009 Cervelo P3's drivetrain, rear wheel, as well as purchasing a new power meter (Yea me) and it has lead to a series of questions as <g class="gr_ gr_3413 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins doubleReplace replaceWithoutSep" id="3413" data-gr-id="3413">attempt</g> to discover what is best for me at this point - SRAM Quarq or PowerTap P1.</p>

At this point in the P1 product life cycle, I would prefer to purchase the SRAM Quarq over the PowerTap P1. However, give the details below, is it best for me to pursue the P1 option? In addition, given the scenario below, if I do select the Quarq am I looking at future compatibility issues? 

  • I currently switch between my tri bike (Cervelo P3) and my (Pinarello Dogma) road bike twice a week. (This is a function of one group ride a week and 2 to 3 time trial races a month).
  • I have one set of nice wheels I swap between my two bikes. I have a PowerTap laced in the rear wheel.
  • I currently have a SRAM 10 speed on my P3 & a Campy 11 speed on my Dogma. Switching wheels is not the most enjoyable experience but the PowerTap straight pull hub makes it bearable. 
  • I plan on purchasing a Zipp 900 disc wheel and having a separate power meter solution for my P3 while I leave my current wheels with the PowerTap on the Dogma.
  • I plan on purchasing the SRAM eTap Aero Conversion kit.
  • My P3 has a BSA 68 BB. If I decide on the Quarq I would go with a Chris King BB conversion kit #9 to run a Sram GXP crank arm
  • If I went the SRAM Quarq route I would change my rings from the 53/39 to the 52/36 mid-compact which would be an added bonus.
  • However, I would save to upgrade my frame in the next two years and I am worried about compatibility with the SRAM Quarq. I would upgrade to either the new Cervelo P6 (BBright) or the Specialized S-Works Shiv (OSBB). Would I face any difficulty in using the SRAM Quarq in those frames given I have a GXP SRAM Quarq? Or is it as simple as switching out the BB?

 

 

Comments

  • thekidduxcthekidduxc
    I think a more pointed question would be:

    - would I face unwanted complicated compatibility concerns if I have a SRAM Quarq GXP and upgrade to a frame with a BBright or OSBB?
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    I'm not a BB guru by any means, but I've had a quarq for several years now. I've used it on my GXP Kuota tri bike and my BB30 Specialized road bike (w/ adapter). Took less than two minutes to swap between them, with a 8mm hex wrench. Easy.

    Since I travel frequently, I also just got the P1 pedals and keep those on my road bike full time (and travel with, for rental bikes), for now.

    When I finally upgrade my tri rig, I'll probably ditch the quarq and keep the P1s. I've been happy with the pedals so far!

    The biggest issue/concern with me, was getting used to the single-sided keo-style cleats, when I've been a speedplay my whole "career".
  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    FWIW, I have a GXP based SRAM crankset with a SRM powermeter that I can switch back and forth between my BBRight Cervelo P5 and my BB30 Cannondale SuperSix. It takes me about 2 mins to swap it. But the initial setup on my bikes took having my LBS swap out the bottom brackets. My SuperSix got a press-fit GXP bottom bracket. The P5 was a little bit trickier as my mechanic had to use different parts/bearings from 2 different bottom brackets to make it work (I can't remember the exact details). But after the initial time at the LBS, both bikes are completely compatible now and I never have to think about bottom brackets again. You cannot go the other direction (i.e. make a BB30 crank work on a stock GXP bike), but that shouldn't matter as you can generally make a GXP crank work on just about every bike (likely future builds as well).

    With that said... I have the SRM AND the P1 pedals AND several Powertap wheels... If it were me starting fresh, I'd probably just get the P1's and nothing else. I bought them because they were the ONLY powermeter solution that would work on my Fat Bike last year. I should probably just sell my SRM, but I have the Osymmetric Chainrings on it (which I like for Ironman) and they kind of shift like crap on my road bike (and I'm also just kind of lazy about getting rid of "stuff"). At this point, the P1s are every bit as reliable as a Quarq or Powertap wheels (in my opinion). Powertap is a reliable company with a long history of good customer service. I had one of the first sets made and had a minor problem with them that they've fixed right away. I've heard of plenty of Quarq issues that SRAM has also been great about fixing (any electronic, battery operated "thing" has the potential for issues). But the P1's should no longer be considered a "1st Gen" powermeter and you are no longer a beta tester for buying them. They are easier to swap than a crank, and can be used on literally any bike in the world (Campy or SRAM or Shimano) with a single allen wrench and no special torque or calibration requirements. They are super easy to travel with and are essentially future proof.

    The only real drawback with the P1's is that you rarely see used sets for sale and they simply cost more than a Quarq (provided you don't hate Look cleats). But they have already come down a bit in price and if you add in the price of multiple Bottom Brackets and installation, the price difference becomes almost negligible between the two.
  • BonowranglerBonowrangler
    This is an interesting topic. I bought my first power meter in Nov 15' and opted for the P1. After 2000+ miles got my first alert to replace battery last night. I am a novice bike mechanic and can swap from my felt TT to my Venge in minutes. Same issue as SA with going from speedplay to P1 cleats. Only look down about half the time to click in now.
  • Douglas SutherlandDouglas Sutherland
    You had me at P6 vs S-works Shiv.

    Forgive the dumb question, but why would somebody hate any pedals? I have been in speedplay for a few years, Looks before that, and I recall the transition was pretty straight forward...
  • tim cronktim cronk
    I have a Quarq, P2M, and a Stages.... My next PM will be P1 pedals... They just make sense.... To the best of my knowledge the pedal threads on all cranks are standard/compatible..... BB's are not , they are constantly changing , requiring adaptors, or just non-compatiblity....

    With the exception of the left crank arm only like stages I found the crank based PM's to be a PIA when they fail and need to be replaced and they will...I'm not a wrench also find it very confusing trying to figure out what crank works with what bike... When my first Quarq failed I had to pull it out to send in to Quarq for replacement, no problem right? Except the only crank I had to replace it with while the other was out for repair was different gearing standard vs. compact , and longer crank 172.5 vs 165 , oh no biggie right? Its only a couple days , then the bigger gearing required lengthening the chain again... Love my P2M it has just worked , battery lasted 1year, but when battery needed to be replaced I found out the crank needed to be removed to get at it. If it were pedals or left side crank only it would be seconds and I'd be on my way headache free just no PM while repair/replacement...

    P1 pedals just make sense... Heather just got a pair for her new bike and we love them, been following all the EN'ers using them as well and I see NO downside ... BTW we got her P1's off backcountry.com 20% off and then received another 8% thru ebates.com... So there are some discounts out there...
  • thekidduxcthekidduxc
    A 20% discount on P1s!?!? Whaaaaat?!? "1.21 Gigawatts! Great Scott!"

    Thanks for all the input guys.

    @ Doug - there are a few benefits to being a U.S. Citizen and working overseas - one of the primary benefits is 40% of my income does not go to taxes.... So the bike budget enjoys a healthy surplus from time to time!

    @ John & @ Tim - every time I research and listen to smart folks like you about the Quarq, all I hear are potential compatibility issues and potential replacement heartache. I think the Quarq is a superior product (which is why I employed the word potential ^above^). But I don't think its worth the heartache when there is a comparable product without similar compatibility/replacement/swapping issues.

    I recognise the Quarq's long history of success and happy end users outshines the P1 at this point. But given my situation I'm going for the P1s. Thanks for all the input guys!
  • robin sarnerrobin sarner
    like my latest quarq that is finally rock solid.     gxp on all my bikes.     on my older Cannondale slice, that takes bb30, I had the bike shop install permanent threaded adapter.     so I can easily change my bottom bracket on all my bikes myself now. 
  • scott dinhoferscott dinhofer
    I had 2 PT wheels that i would swap on bikes. I got the P1s when they came out, idiot proof, no trip to LBS and can go from bike to bike. I will be doing a weekend in boulder with my MTB a week before the Leadville MTB100 & plan to use the P1s on that bike to do a 6 hr road ride as part of my training. as a caveat, I will not use these pedals on a MTB trail ride or race.
    Also, it's important to remember to reset the crank length on your garmin as necessary when you move fro mbike to bike. (I often forget)
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