Favero has revealed its latest-generation power meter pedals, the Assioma PRO RS.
As expected, the new road pedals are built around the same watt-measuring technology as the excellent Assioma PRO MX off-road pedals (launched last year), which sees all of the electronics integrated within the spindle.
This means the new Assioma PRO RS pedals ditch the unsightly spindle pods featured on Favero’s existing Assioma Duo pedals and offer a Shimano SPD-SL-compatible power meter pedal with a ‘normal’ Q-Factor of 53mm.
We’re lucky enough to have a set in to test, so let’s run through what’s changed and my first impressions of the new Favero Assioma PRO RS pedals.
No more pods
While the Assioma Duo’s pods didn’t affect performance, it’s fair to say many felt they looked somewhat ugly.
Now, though, all of the electronics are housed within a fully sealed spindle.
As with the PRO MX pedals, Favero says this offers greater durability, better protection from water ingress and easier servicing.
At a glance, then, the Assioma PRO RS pedals now look practically identical to a standard road bike pedal system, with only a close inspection revealing any electronics. This brings them in line with offerings from Favero’s closest competitors – Garmin’s highly rated Rally RS200 pedals and Look’s Keo Blade Power pedals (which didn’t score so highly).
As with the Assioma PRO MX pedals, this means a 15mm pedal spanner is required to install the Assioma PRO RS pedals, rather than an 8mm Allen key.
The pedals are charged using the same proprietary magnetic adaptors as the PRO MX pedals, although Favero has made the heads USB-C compatible (they were previously micro-USB).
As we'd hoped, Favero has confirmed riders will be able to swap the pedal bodies between road and off-road (available separately, for €98 per set) with only basic tools.
Light weight and low stack
Aside from aesthetics, though, Favero claims the Assioma PRO RS pedals are class-leading in a number of key areas.
Favero claims they weigh 123.5g per pedal, making them the lightest pedal-based power meter for road bikes, for example.
On our scales, a dual-sided set weighed 250g – 55g lighter than the Assioma Duo pedals – and undercuts both Garmin’s and Look’s efforts (which weigh 320 and 260g, respectively) comfortably. Including cleats and hardware, that figure rises to 321g.
The Assioma PRO MX pedals also have a low stack height of only 10.5mm, offering a close connection to the pedal.
That is, again, marginally better than both Garmin and Look’s pedals (which have stack heights of 12.2mm and 10.8mm each), although SRM’s X-Power Road pedals beat the lot at 9.75mm.
For context, a standard (non-power meter) Shimano Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedal has a stack height of 14.6mm – though, unlike Favero, Shimano includes the thickness of an SPD-SL cleat (around 5mm or so) in this measurement.
As with the weight, these minor differences aren’t ones you’ll be able to feel while riding. But in a world of marginal gains, low weight and low stack are certainly nice to have.
One area where there is a tangible difference is with the Q-Factor, which is a measure of how far the centre line of each pedal is from the crank arm.
Favero’s previous Shimano SPD-SL-compatible power meter offering – the Assioma Duo Shi – had a Q-Factor of 65mm, 11mm wider than its Look Keo-compatible Assioma Duo pedals. The Assioma PRO RS pedals, however, feature a ‘standard’ 53mm Q-Factor, which is only 1mm wider than Shimano’s Dura-Ace pedals.
It’s fair to say there’s no agreed ‘best’ Q-Factor, although road bikes tend to be narrower in order to increase cornering clearance and prevent pedal strikes.
Favero Assioma PRO RS first impressions
When Favero revealed its pod-less Assioma PRO MX pedals last year, my thoughts turned instantly to what it could mean for a new-generation road power meter pedal system.
A little more than a year later, we finally have just that, and although the Assioma PRO RS pedals offer few surprises, that’s a good thing in my book.
As BikeRadar’s primary power meter tester, I’ve long been impressed by the performance, reliability and value offered by Favero’s pedals.
The set of Assioma Duo pedals I’ve been using since September 2020 has remained faultlessly reliable, both from mechanical and electronic points of view. They’ve been transferred between countless bikes and have become a benchmark against which I measure all other power meters and smart trainers.
Nevertheless, the refined form factor is a welcome upgrade and one that essentially solves the only ‘fault’ I could find with the Assioma Duo pedals.
In the hand, the composite pedal bodies feel pleasingly similar to Shimano's own high-end SPD-SL pedals, and it’s great to see genuine Shimano cleats included rather than third-party versions.
Having made the switch from Shimano to Look Keo cleats back in 2020 in order to test the Keo-only Assioma Duo pedals, it's a somewhat ironic turn of events that the new PRO RS pedals are only compatible with SPD-SL cleats.
Ideally, it'd be preferable if riders could just have a choice between the two – as you can with Garmin's Rally system (which is available with Look Keo-, Shimano SPD-SL- or Shimano SPD-compatible pedal bodies).
That said, there’s little doubt – in my mind, at least – that Shimano SPD-SL is the superior system. The wider platform aside, SPD-SL cleats simply offer a larger positional adjustment range and, in my experience, are far less slippery to walk on than Look’s offering.
I’m also keen to find out just how quick and easy it is to swap the pedal bodies between road and off-road.
While Garmin’s Rally system offers this capability, it’s a fiddly task involving tiny screws and the exposing of electronics. With prices for replacement pedal bodies starting at £219.99, it’s also a relatively expensive proposition.
If the process here is as easy as Favero claims, and they measure up to Favero’s high bar of accuracy and reliability, these could be the go-to power meter pedals for multi-discipline riders.
Favero Assioma PRO RS pricing and specifications
The Assioma PRO RS pedals cost £649 / $789 / €699 for a dual-sided set or £399 / $499 / €439 for a single-sided set.
The dual-sided sets (Assioma PRO RS-2) measure the power produced by each leg independently, whereas single-sided sets (Assioma PRO RS-1) measure power on the left side only, and double it to estimate your total power output.
Upgrade kits (Assioma PRO RS-UP) are available for £389 / $489 / €429 to convert single-sided pedal sets to dual-sided.
- Pedal body options: Shimano SPD-SL
- Weight: 246g (excluding Shimano SPD-SL cleats)
- Claimed accuracy: +/- 1 per cent
- Claimed battery life: 60 hours
- Connectivity: ANT+ / BLE
- Q-Factor: 53mm
- Stack height: 10.5mm
- Rider weight limit: 120kg
