You rarely see a Pro road bike without a power meter, and it looks like Quarq and SRAM have taken a step to make it the same in the mountain bike market. At the 2014 Euro Bike trade show, the new XX1 compatible Quarq unit was fitted to the SRAM XX1 crankset.
Although Quarq units have been fitted to a variety of cranks already, there were a few changes required to make it work with XX1 and the specific bolt circle, and a few upgrades too. It’s still ANT+, and units start at 689g with a 32g chainring.
It’s a very neat unit fitted to a bike
Compact Design
What is most noticeable is how compact the unit is, fitting neatly within the bolt circle. But it’s also a little deeper, with improved weather proofness (IPX7 Waterproof rating) to make sure the unit is up to the rigours of mountain biking, and the heavy jet-washing regime of most pro mechanics.
The unit also houses accelerometers for cadence, to do away with the need for attaching a magnet, which is increasing hard on some frame designs.
More Precision
Each unit is individually calibrated at the factory, but has also been designed to work accurately in a broader range of temperatures, without the need to recalibrate. For Endurance mountain bikers who ride and race in hard conditions, this is vital for accurate data.
It’s all well sealed
So many standards
The cranks will come in both 170mm and 175mm, plus 156mm and 168mmQ factor and for all standards of bottom bracket that SRAM produces.
Crank based power meters on mountain bikes have suffered so far with the elements, but this update from SRAM and Quarq might have solved many of the problems experienced so far. Pricing starts at about $US1500, but you’ll need to contact your local dealer for accurate pricing.