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Stages vs 4iii .... any real world experience?

Nathaniel RosaNathaniel Rosa
in General
Stages vs 4iii left crank. I'll be looking at 105 but I can't imagine the unit/functionality differs to ulteg.

If anyone has experience with both it would be good to hear! Otherwise experience good or bad with either is still always interesting to hear!

Currently swayed to 4iii because it's a fair bit cheaper, and looking at reviews / graphs etc I don't really see any reason to spend the extra on stages. But prove me wrong!

Cheers :)

Comments

  • Andy_RAndy_R
    edited May 2017
    Bit of a specialist subject - I've owned both.

    Stages: I had two units (2G in both cases). Both drained batteries within 2-3 days. This seems to be a pretty frequent complaint, reading up on the subject. Both had to be returned. Many people use them happily, but my personal experience means I couldn't recommended them. On a positive note, Stages customer service when dealing with issues was very good.

    4iiii: I bought this as a replacement for the Stages unit. It has worked perfectly from the get-go, needing only one battery change throughout wet, muddy winter riding. Compares very well to my Powertap wheel. n = 1, but I would certainly recommend 4iiii on my experience.

    I have just bought a Quarq. I hope it performs as well as Powertap (also great!) / 4iiii.
  • JMacJMac
    edited May 2017
    You seem to be building a collection Andy.
  • Andy_RAndy_R
    Just need to use them now ;-)
  • Nathaniel RosaNathaniel Rosa
    Thanks! Confirms what I've heard too. My friend has stages and has never had an issue with it, but from a couple of other people I've heard similar complaints. I'll have a good look at the warranties of both to make final decision.

  • ChrisPChrisP
    To add, I've had a Quarq for about 2.5 years now, and it has been nothing short of excellent, I think I've changed the battery twice in that time and that's it. Swap it regularly between my TT and Road bikes, wind, rain, mountains, being whacked with a wooden block to get it out the BB and calibration always very stable, plus its not doubling 1 leg power (sometimes your output/balance may change as intensity rises for example) I got the base Riken AL, I think the equivalent now is the DZero and it is well worth the extra IMO
  • davewellsdavewells
    I'm on my 2nd Ultegra Stages (2nd Gen) - kept experiencing data drop-outs and sudden battery drainings, possibly due to moisture getting into the battery case. After long direct discussions with Stages, (it felt like I was working for them on their R&D team, I was doing so many test rides and checks for them), they finally refferred me to Saddleback, their UK distributor, who just sent me a new unit within a week.

    Jenny uses a 1st Gen 105 Stages - she's also has trouble with moisture ingress, which is a known problem on the 1st Gen. Stages sent her a new battery casing door, and as long as she packs the battery out with a small piece of electrical tape, it seems to behave generally.

    We have no experience of other brands, but it has been a bit disappointing, to be honest - they would be great units as they're so easy to swap between bikes (I move between bikes about 3-4 times per week), but reliability does seem to be an issue with them.

    Warranty-wise, they were very good - bought both units (new) through Ebay 3rd party sellers, but no issues with Stages/Saddleback providing support/replacements.
  • Nathaniel RosaNathaniel Rosa
    edited May 2017
    Thanks very much Dave

    Good warranty service very useful to know.

    See you out on the road soon! Who knows, I might even start dipping toes in testing now I will have data ;) still got another month of solid work ahead unfortunately, so July.


    Thanks Chris. Yeah for sure, I've given it some thought. I'll give it some more.
  • wilburtrumpwilburtrump
    3 stages in 3 months a couple of years ago. Full refund and replaced with a quarq which has been fine, couple of issues though. Power2max on my road bike is by far the most hassle free and consistent. Whatever you go with, make sure their customer service is good. You'll be needing it at some point.
  • Nathaniel RosaNathaniel Rosa
    Thanks, yep I hear you.
  • BrendanRBrendanR
    Has anyone come across the Watteam PowerBeat? It's a left and right leg power meter for what seems like a competitive price.

    http://watteam.com

    http://www.clevertraining.co.uk/watteam-powerbeat-the-world-s-first-add-on-pro-level-powermeter
  • wilburtrumpwilburtrump
    When it comes to power meters I'd generally stick with the big brands. All the smaller ones (and stages) seem to have so many glitches and the customer service is often not great. Crank based PMs are the most reliable in my experience too. Tom Trimble may be up for selling a SRM if you ask him nicely...
  • ChrisPChrisP
    What Will said. Cyclepowermeters.com seem to always get very good service reviews, they were helpful when I was choosing mine.
  • MatPorterMatPorter
    I have a WatTeam PowerBeat, and have been very happy with it.
    The fitting needs to be done carefully (though the app takes you through it very clearly). You get a lot for the price, and accuracy seem fine to me (although this is an un-scientific "feels like it does when I'm the turbo").

    Best place I've seen for power meter advice/reviews is DC Rainmaker (https://www.dcrainmaker.com/)

    Mat

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