There’s a list as long as a crank arm of manufacturers that have beaten Shimano to releasing a watt-counting power meter. Some have been good, some have been clunky, others have given sketchy readouts.
But rather than rush something to market to beat competitors in a bicycle arms race, the Japanese manufacturers sat back and learned. And then learned some more. Shimano doesn’t really do chance and certainly doesn’t produce products not fit for purpose. Shimano churn out stuff that works, every time. Always.
This can give them a reputation for not always being in the cutting edge, boring even. But most would argue that the new Dura Ace P Power Meter is actually pretty “flash”.
Its power meter is held within a top notch Dura Ace 9100 crankset and uses strain gauges in both crank arms. The connectivity is with ANT+, so it connects wirelessly to a bike computer and uses Bluetooth to pair with a smartphone for diagnostic checks and updates. The battery, which is charged with a magnetic cord, keeps going for 300 hours on full charge. The addition of the power meter to a standard Dura Ace 9100 crankset is a pinch at 70grams.
So what did take them so long? Why so late to the party?
Shimano were getting ready. And when they arrived, everyone put their drinks down and took notice.
Buy the Shimano Dura-Ace Power Meter here
