Endurance test 2016: Powertap P1 pedal - Power pedal: P1 pedal from Powertap put to the test

Continuous test performance: 2500 kilometres

There is no need to adhere to specific tightening torques for the pedal axle or check its position. After one minute of riding, the pedal is automatically adjusted and sends correct data. Powertap also recommends a manual zero adjustment, but in practice this usually delivered identical values. We calibrated the P1 with SRM and Quarq powermeters on numerous rides, the average values differ by one to three watts; on average, the P1 shows one per cent less. It records power peaks somewhat more dynamically than SRM and Quarq, resulting in slightly higher values during short bursts of power.

The pedal compensates for temperature effects and shows stable values even on cobblestones, whereby the left pedal collects the data from the right pedal and transmits it to the computer. We did not achieve the specified battery life of up to 60 hours (1 x AAA), typically 20 to 30 hours. According to Powertap, the pedal plates from Wellgo are not exactly compatible with Look's very similar Kéo plates, but they worked for us. The spring tension for the release hardness of the pedal can be adjusted very widely between 8 and 26 Nm; the heel can rotate freely over a range of 6 degrees. The P1 understands the ANT+ and Bluetooth Smart wireless standards; software updates are handled by the smartphone app (iOS only). At the beginning, a connected Garmin computer noted extreme values at power peaks; after the software update of the pedals, the phenomenon disappeared. In addition to the power distribution on the right and left pedals, the system also displays how effectively and evenly you are pedalling. The P1 is impressively easy to install and use.

PLUS Easy to install and change, true two-legged measurement
MINUS somewhat high overall height (14 mm), short battery life

Weight 439 grams (pair)
Price 1,349 Euro
Info www.powertap.com