Review

The Lab | The SRAM Quarq XX1 Power Meter

21.08.2015
by

We’re constantly testing the best bits of kit, and over 460 kilometers we’ve been testing out the SRAM XX1 Quarq PowerMeter. Check out the original article from issue #016 or read on below!

Power meters are a very specialist luxury item and certainly not for everyone, but if you need to know how much power you are putting down, then the QUARQ is one of the most accurate on the market. Working together with SRAM and using electronic witchcraft, these XX1 cranks measure exactly how much power your legs are putting out, telling you with cruel accuracy if you have have powerful pistons or muscles like overcooked spaghetti. UK Editor Trev is taking part in the magazine’s ‘Ride Fit’ series, and after an intensive fitness test realised that knowledge is power, so he was very keen to run these intelligent cranks.

Mit dem Quarq-Leistungsmesser wandert eine ganze Menge High Tech in den Antrieb.
The Quarq Power Meter puts a whole lot of high tech into your transmission.

The XX1 QUARQ cranks take standard X-SYNC 104 BCD rings and measure the amount of power you are putting through the pedals at the crank spider with a ±1.5% accuracy. As the cranks are ANT+ compatible your powerful (or not) efforts can be viewed in real time on any ANT+ compatible GPS.

After riding, all the data can be uploaded to STRAVA so he can obsessively analyse his training or race performance.
After riding, all the data can be uploaded to STRAVA so you can obsessively analyse your training or race performance.

After 460 km of muddy and wet off-road riding, the QUARQ has performed flawlessly, giving instant and reliable real-time power data direct to Trev’s Garmin Edge 500. The QUARQ also lets him know his cadence (without having to fit a magnet), so he has all the information he needs right at his fingertips. While power data is certainly more useful to road cyclists, it does allow Trev to monitor his training efforts in great detail; he can push harder on the hills knowing what power is being applied, test his sprint power, and it also allows him to make sure he does not go too hard on transitions during racing. After riding, all the data can be uploaded to STRAVA so he can obsessively analyse his training or race performance. Trev has found it a really useful tool for improving his strength on the bike, and it has certainly revealed some weaknesses.

Mit dem passenden Tacho hat man immer eine Übersicht über die Leistungsdaten.
On the display, you can always see the current statistics of your ride.

The QUARQ is very expensive, so it’s important that they are robust and Trev has found that strong washing with a hose has not caused any problems; even on the muddiest and wettest of rides, the recording has been faultless. In fact, the cranks are IP7 rated (they can be submerged in water down to a meter for 30 minutes), so if you do ride into a river, you have half an hour to fish your bike out. Trev is still on the original CR2032 battery (which promises 300 hours of riding time), but has fitted some RaceFace crank boots to protect the expensive cranks from damage.

Nur eine kleine Aufschrift verrät das sonst unaffällige Messsystem.
Only a small inscription gives away the power meter.

Tester: Trevor Worsey

Price: $1399 / €1199 / £1049

Weight: 626g

Duration of test: two months

Km ridden: 460

You can find more information at sram.com.

Words & Pictures: Trev Worsey

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