German outfit Power2Max has just launched one of the most budget-friendly power meters to date, the NGeco, which starts at €490.
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In spite of the unit's low cost, Power2Max is aiming to offer a pro level power meter for the masses. The unit is claimed to have a /- 2-percent accuracy, ANT and Bluetooth Smart connectivity, and of course power and cadence measurement.
This new budget-friendly unit comes on the heels of its NG meter, which is roughly double the price and gives you all the same features as the NGeco, but also offers slightly better /- 1 percent accuracy, a USB rechargeable battery, and can measure for L/R pedal balance, pedal smoothness and torque.
In an effort to keep the NGeco's price down, the unit is powered by a coin cell battery and claimed to last 400 hours. While the rechargeable battery will save you a trip to the supermarket, it also takes the battery life down to 150 hours.
Like just about every modern power meter there is no need for a magnet glued to your frame because the unit measures cadence using an internal accelerometer. The new power meter automatically corrects for temperature drift too.
Out of the box the NGeco power meter is slightly watered down when you compare it to the NG, but Power2Max says the metrics that the more budget-friendly unit misses out on, namely L/R pedal balance, pedal smoothness and torque, will be available as an upgrade for an additional cost, likely in the form of a firmware update.
This begs the question, with the guts of these two power meters more or less the same and taking into account Power2Max will be allowing for software upgrades that will add LR pedal balance, pedal smoothness and torque, is an additional +/- 1-percent accuracy and rechargeable battery really worth €500?
The NGeco will be available in spider only and spider with crank options, and is set to hit stores in (northern hemisphere) fall of this year.
Pricing
NGeco spider-only without crank
- Rotor, SRAM: €490
- Specialized, Cannondale: €590
NGeco spider with crank
- FSA Gossamer: €490
- FSA Gossamer BB386VO: €540
- Rotor 3D24: €640
- Rotor 3D+: €790
- FSA K-Force Light BB386EVO: €790
- Campagnolo: €1,390
(International pricing is to be announced)