ROTOR 2INPower SL Power Meter Review: Impressive Indoors // Unimpressive Outdoors. 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@antoniodidonato8622]

Shane Miller, thank you so much for this review! I own 3 2inpower DM and 1 SL...could not understand why the measured power was significantly different, meaning SL underestimating it...Did not understand why the difference between indoor and outdoor data! Is it something which can be fixed by firmware updates in the future?!

[@Kubafagan]

I was a Rotor user for years, purchased 2inPower SL and all I had is trouble(2 units). Both devices would not turn off and were draining the battery, not possible to pair with rotor app either to update the device… what was very disappointing - customer service… I described the issue to them in detail but was told to “calibrate the power meter and if this won’t work send it back where I bought it from…”. Not a rotor user anymore after this experience, very happy with 4iiii dual sided DA chainset

[@psb12123]

Thank you for the review. I recently purchased the Assioma's after my Wahoo Powrlink started drifting to more right leg dominance. The Assioma's confirmed it wasn't a significant imbalance for me. I was considering Rotor's lower level 24mm spindle cranks simply for 165mm availability to try since I haven't found 105 cranks in stock. I might have to reconsider or simply deal with the shifting deficiencies.

[@kojie333]

Power2max has been great for me. I choose their rotor Aldi combo. It tracks very similar to my wahoo kickr

[@MrKipperfish]

There are rotor compatible spiders from Magene, Segeyi, and power2max, all of which have units that have tested well on this channel. Added benefit: you can use Shimano chainrings with them as well! Of course, Favero just seems like a no-brainer no matter what.

[@kidsafe]

I bet if the right-side strain gauges were placed farther down the crankarm instead of right next to the spindle, it would be less affected by non-rotational forces.

[@JesterMcPants]

Crazy how similar the rings look to the Stone ones from eBay...

[@davidh7414]

I run the rotor aldhu and vegast 24mm cranks. But... I have a power2max PM spider connected to shimano ultegra chainring. No issues with having to change my bottom bracket, no issues with chainring shifting or power accuracy.

[@mareklesniak8768]

Same here. Vegast 24mm arms combined with P2M power meter and Shimano chain rings. Works fine, as expected. Seems to still be one the best (?) combinations on the market for Shimano setup.

[@karsten4689]

Have two 2InPowerDM - road and MTB since years. No issues, a perfect piece of engineering in my opinion.

[@gplama]

As mentioned in the video, I’m sure there’s people who are happy with this meter.

[@Evaso_CC]

I’ve had these cranks about 9 months and performance has been fine - but the app is appalling. Will only connect when cranks plugged in to charge. Rotor need to get a grip on this

[@petersouthernboy6327]

What are your thoughts on the Magene QED P505? My price range alternative is the Force spindle power meter crankset.

[@gplama]

I’ve reviewed this (and the P505 Base). They test well.

[@petersouthernboy6327]

@@gplama Thanks so much.

[@galenkehler]

Totally forgot Rotor made power meters, that makes a little more sense why Wheeltop bought in.

[@gplama]

WheelTop x Rotor could take a page out of the SRAM/Quarq playbook. Double down with the INSpider and throw that (with some 2024/2025 updates!) on the new Wheeltop groups. Ditch the 2INPower and offer the INPower as a budget spindle left-only power option.

[@TheWoogeroo]

If they'd ever made a good one, maybe. At the moment their PMs are a joke compared to Chinese ones at less than 50% of the price. And somehow also more expensive than Power2max ones too. Everything else rotor make, including groupsets, cassettes, cranksets is decent.

[@Hexsense]

Wheeltop could just deal with Sigeyi or Magene if they want reliable power meter.

[@galenkehler]

@@Hexsense yeah I understand that, it's only a small part of the equation. I'm just looking at the big picture. I dont think the deal actually has much to do with the rotor products but more the name and the distribution aspect.

[@rg807]

Can you use DA chainrings with the Rotor crank?

[@gplama]

No, I don’t believe so.

[@mirrorme2995]

sir? i have question. I am conservative, so I still prefer major brands that have been around for a long time, such as Rotor, over cheap power meters like Magene. Crank-type power meter(crank or spider or axle, anyway just crank type) Among them, we considered Rotor's products. However, the price was high, almost half that of the magene power meter, and after reading positive reviews from many people a magene power meter, I started to worry. Are power meters from existing major brands, including Rotor, still worth the price? Also, if you don't have a device that can measure power, such as a trainer, and you need to purchase a new crank, which do you recommend, a rotor or magene?

[@gplama]

I've reviewed meters from both brands. It's entirely your call to make the decision which brand to go with.

[@66mikkim]

The fact alone that is is over 1300 bucks (without chain rings) is a dealbreaker from the start. I can get 2 Assioma´s and still be cheaper, have better data, and have no problems shifting. I just dont get why ppl still buy overpriced items, when you get the best for half the price.....Same with frame sets and wheels....STOP BUYIN OVERPRICED!

[@MrRegulation109]

Did you look at R/L balance indoors? Why should the powermeter work 100% indoors, but not outside, is this a temperature compensation issue? Also, the pedalling dynamics issue, both being identical, did you try pedalling one legged? It would seem the PD data is only being calculated for one side only.

[@gplama]

I dug a little deeper into the data but ultimately it’s on Rotor to determine/resolve their issues. There’s only so many hours I’ll spend on a meter that can’t be used as a trusted baseline.

[@kidsafe]

Outdoors the bike rocks to-and-fro. The likely reason why this doesn’t affect the left side is because the power is measured at the spindle. The spindle pretty much only sees forces involved in propelling the bike forward. This is not true for the right side where lateral deflection in the crankarm does not translate into forward movement, but does register on the strain gauge. When strain gauges are located so close to base of the crankarm, the power meter has to be calibrated against lower amounts of deflection, which hurts accuracy as well.

[@danaponik5276]

@@gplama I don't blame you for halting testing once you confirmed a repeatable issue. I'd also guess it is Temp Compensation also. Much like our "beloved" Dura Ace cranks...darn thing is dead accurate indoors compared to my Neo...but outdoors is another story. Just wished my new bikes didn't come with them!

[@johnnyboy4711]

P505 all the way

[@gplama]

That's a great example of a budget priced spider power meter that tests extremely well.

[@johnnyboy4711]

@gplama taking off TT ,58T and moving to gravel/CX bike 36T for winter

[@zedatomic8342]

I have used the Rotor 2inpower for may years. Have been very happy with it. Your testing is limited to one user. Did you have to switch the power meter from one bike to another? Temperature may change the readings. Ultimately we know power is different between indoors and outdoors. It’s not accuracy but consistency that’s important. We can argue till the cows come home on which Powermeter is most accurate. We seem to use multiple meters for comparison and then go with the most votes! Not really very scientific. Too many firm (negative) conclusions in your video based on questionable and non statistically significant testing. I installed the powermeter on my bike. Ultimately I am comparing my numbers between rides and as I get fitter the numbers go up. I start riding and in a few seconds it’s synced with my Garmin. I calibrate it once or twice a year. It’s a no brainer to spin the cranks a couple of times and hit the button on the Garmin twice. Someone’s idea of friction is a nothing-burger for me. And finally - I use Qrings both outdoor and indoor. I have no idea if they make me faster or protect my knees but they work for me….sorry I love the vast majority of your content but not this video.

[@gplama]

I have many years of experience doing this. Only now you're calling my testing questionable because I've presented the data from the power meter you own? The baselines I use and methods have proven to be robust. Not sure why you’re questioning why this test is only with one user? I’ve shown multiple data sets indoors and out, and preformed a brief analysis of other review data (to a level those reviewers didn’t bother to go to with their own data). The differences seen indoor vs out is in no way related to the ability to produce more power outdoor (what you’re referring to). As mentioned in the video, I’m sure there’s happy users of these meters. That’s fine. My data (and other reviewers data) indicates this meter can not, and should not, be used as a trusted baseline to compare other meters. It's also of note you're calling my testing out as being non-scientific while basing your own opinions on "comparing my numbers between rides and as I get fitter the numbers go up". Have you questioned my testing protocols when I present a meter/trainer that tests well? Being shown (objectively) what you've paid good money for isn’t as good as another product doesn’t sit well with people. I respect that. The fact that I present this information while others gloss over their own data for a 9/10 rating should piss you off even more. This green lights exactly what we see here - Rotor doing very little to improve the user experience of their product over the span of 7-8 years and still charging top dollar for it. All while their competitors offer products that perform better, have better support websites, and cost less. Positive reviews of poor products are a problem that the end user ultimately pays for.

[@zedatomic8342]

@@gplama My apologies Shane I do not wish to upset you here. I have enjoyed your videos for many years and given you hundreds of likes. I always watch your videos and I appreciate you content. BUT - with respect - I find many You Tube product testing videos to be suspect. I take everyone I watch with a degree of scepticism. You are one person, testing one unit and comparing it to two other units and not in lab conditions. Your results are different from other reviewers as you have stated in your video. If you found it to be impressive indoors but not impressive outdoors - why would that be the case? We can speculate on the reasons. Temperature may affect the results from a power meter and with one power sensor in the crank arm and the other in the spindle this may be an explanation. Anecdotally many people have reported different numbers when riding outdoors than when riding indoors on a trainer. So there is variability due to real world conditions. But this is speculation - not fact. You are only testing one Rotor crank, you have nothing to compare it to other than your other different brand power meters. All electronic products that leave a factory have some variability. That's why they publish accuracy percentages. Over time your older units may become less accurate. The challenge I have here is that there are simply too many variables and not enough objective data. To be clear here, I am not saying you are wrong, I am simply saying that all you can state is that given the testing you did, under the circumstances - these were the results you saw. The fundamental problem with You Tube is that we elevate peoples’ opinions into fact. When you describe your experiences on Zwift and your thoughts on the latest Zwift updates I listen to them and I am informed - most times I agree with your opinions - sometimes I don't. If you want to convince me - take 10 Rotor power meters to a Wind tunnel lab - Install each one on the same bike and measure its power against the power that the calibrated wind tunnel power meter is measuring - do this in a variety of different speeds and temperatures. Then analyse the data. Frankly - I am fine with my Rotor Power meter - it does what I want it to do - I'm not riding in the TDF any time soon. I get your comments on Rotor not doing enough to keep up with the competition. I am not a Rotor fan-boy nor do I have any reason to support them more than any other company who's products I buy. If I decide to buy another power meter in the future, it may be a Rotor or it may not. I will listen to/read lots of subjective testing reviews of different power meters and make my own decision. Which is all anyone can do. If your video prompts Rotor to work harder and provide better products - great! That’s a good outcome. Fundamentally I appreciate the work you do and the content that you make but there is a level of responsibility here when we make pronouncements about a product based on limited experience and subjective testing.

[@gplama]

@@zedatomic8342 I appreciate the follow-up. I'll take this onboard and assess my wording in the future when reviewing/concluding things. 🙏🏼

[@MrJhockley]

Lack of shorter crank lengths :( Pogachar at 1.76m high rides 165mm.

[@TheWoogeroo]

Such an odd oversight when they already make cranks down to 150mm. I guess putting the PM in the cranks is just a bad design for business efficiency / SKU reasons apart from any other problems - too many different models. The spider type PM makes much more sense.

[@mjokffsgfjs]

U won't ride like pogacar, dream on.

[@MrJhockley]

​@@mjokffsgfjs i've already made the national team :)

[@Hexsense]

Yeah, Pogacar with great flexibility and pretty much no excess fat still benefit from shorten crank to 165mm. Us office people with belly and stiff body could benefit so much from shorter crank.

[@joshuanewman149]

They do a 155mm aswell. Not sure when this review was done but they have been available since the start of the year. They just came out a bit later than the standard 165-175 lengths

[@Raymond-Farts]

Gawd, more Geek stuff I don't need.