Power2Max Rotor 3D Plus
Affordable and effective crank-based power meter
The first question to address in any power meter review is, ‘Do you really need one?’. Before this summer we had only had limited exposure to training with power, but now we’re a complete power convert and will willingly bore anyone to death waxing lyrical about NP, TSS and FTP. In all seriousness, especially for training and pacing long-course racing, a power meter is an absolute godsend. So good, in fact, that it almost feels like cheating.
Cost has always been the main caveat with power meters, but with more players entering the market prices are coming down. And German brand Power2Max is definitely one of the most affordable. The price for a sensor only is €770 (roughly £645) plus P&P, with whole cranksets ranging from €890-1,390. This represents a significant saving compared to the crank-based sensor competition from SRM, Quarq and Rotor.
We opted for sensor-only to fit our existing Rotor 3D Plus crankset with 52/36t Q-Rings. Installation was a breeze, pairing instantly with both our Garmin 800 and 310XT head units via the ANT+ compatibility. Using an accelerometer you get cadence without the need for an additional sensor, although the left/right power balance given is only an estimate.
Its performance over five months of testing has been flawless, delivering rock solid consistent readings, syncing instantly and never once dropping signal. A big stumbling block to investing in a crank-based power meter had been the bike-to-bike swapability, but with the Rotor crankset, even for a self-confessed mechanical idiot, it’s a simple two-minute job.
Contact : www.power2max.de
Jamie Beach
Former digital editor 
