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Quarq Prime bringing DZero power metering to stock bikes in 2017

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Quarq_Prime-Power-Ready-crankset_DZero-power-meter-ready_label

One of the most significant obstacles to the general adoption of power meters by regular cyclists has just been that they just don’t come on new bikes when you buy them. Sure cost had been a big stumbling block for many years and isn’t going to disappear too soon, but with a lot more competition in the market now, prices have come down a lot. But power meters are complicated bits of tech that many cyclists either weren’t sure if they would benefit from, or weren’t sure if it was worth the hassle to ditch the cranks already on your bike to buy and install an expensive and complicated add-on.

Well, maybe SRAM has a better solution. Their Quarq brand was developing their next-gen DZero power meter platform and figured why not try to go one step farther and make it easier for cyclists to transition into tracking their power. SO they developed what they are calling the Quarq Prime Power Ready crankset in carbon & alloy, and they are getting it spec’ed as OEM on a bunch of new bikes for next season. Take a closer look at what companies will be putting the cranks on their bikes in 2017, and how they expect Power Ready to get more riders analyzing their power output to improve their performance…

Designed as a simple add-on power measuring spider, DZero is still going to require an additional purchase after you buy a new bike, so Quarq are being a bit sneaky when they talk about OEM spec. But the Quarq Prime Power Ready crankset is already being built up and shipped on 2017 bikes from Canyon, Felt, Fuji, and Trek in both a premium carbon version and a lower-priced forged aluminum set of arms. The idea is that the cranks have been designed specifically to bolt on the upcoming Quarq DZero Power Meter, which will simply replace the stock removable spider with the smarter DZero version.

Quarq_Prime-Power-Ready-crankset_DZero-power-meter-ready_carbon-arms Quarq_Prime-Power-Ready-crankset_DZero-power-meter-ready_aluminum-arms

Quarq_Prime-Power-Ready-crankset_DZero-power-meter-ready_aluminum_8-bolt-splined-interface

While it isn’t a far cry from the removable spider cranks that you have already seen from SRAM, the thinking goes that for cyclists on the fence about whether or not to go down the path to power measurement, getting a bike with a set of cranks specifically designed and labeled as “Power Ready” will help them make a choice in a new bike purchase, and smooth the transition to the upgrade.

Quarq_DZero_power-metering-spider

The cranks still perform well without adding on the power-metering spider, but buyers who want to make the upgrade can quickly have the Quarq DZero spider installed by the shop before they pedal out of the door, or can easily make the upgrade later down the road.

Quarq.com

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he-man
he-man
7 years ago

Great… price dependent. This is barely different than what power2max is doing now, but they’ve got a few holes in their lineup, like the existing XX1 and X01 cranksets me and everyone else I know is currently riding.

Jim
Jim
7 years ago

I’m not sure I see any difference from the current options, other than some marketing sleight-of-hand they must have learned from Specialized.
They do make good power meters, so at least they’re not conning you to buy junk.
Now, if they were to say the spider costs $300 retail, that would be a solid step forward.

Eric Schiller
Eric Schiller
7 years ago
Reply to  Jim

I think $300 is out of market for Quarq for now. Power2max sells a SRAM spider (old 3-bolt version) for $640. I’m sure once these powerless Quarqs start floating around P2m will add a new meter with this newer Quarq interface.

pchak
pchak
7 years ago

This is like HD ready TV’s from back in the day. Who really upgraded their TV’s? The answer is no one did. The cycling industry will have to learn this now also…. Just include a stages like meter for $200 extra and problem solved. If I can buy a closeout stages meter on an xtr crank for 400 then charging an extra 200 dollars or so and not having to also re-purchase a crank arm doesn’t seem like rocket science.

The bike industry will continue to milk us for every last dollar. I mean why can we buy a dura ace canyon for almost half of a Big S model?

Eric Schiller
Eric Schiller
7 years ago
Reply to  pchak

That’s not a good analogy. Lots of people upgrade cranks that have removable spiders to power meters. Power2Max built their business on it.

Durianrider
7 years ago

Stages already done this. Its is called shimano, campag or sram cranks haha.

myke2241
myke2241
7 years ago
Reply to  Durianrider

Stages is different in how they get their values and does do carbon or slow to carbon

Tomi
Tomi
7 years ago

aren’t they just rebranded s9x0 or force crankset ? Both have removable spiders already.

Bill
Bill
7 years ago
Reply to  Tomi

It’s exactly what it is. I actually have a Force BB30 crank that has a quarq spider from my old GXP Red Quarq on it. I got tired of fumbling with adapters and wanted to use my quarq with native BB bearings.

It even has the force colored rings on the photo. They’ve just repainted the arms. It’s a BB30 force crank.

Eric Schiller
Eric Schiller
7 years ago
Reply to  Bill

Unless Force 22 has been updated, F22 uses a 3 bolt spider. The new Quarq interface is an 8 bolt spider. So not “exactly.”

Bill
Bill
7 years ago
Reply to  Eric Schiller

Yup, you’re right. I wonder if that means sram’s working on ditching the three bolt interface. I suppose it’s one way to slow down the army of direct mount knockoff chainrings for a week or two.

Eric Schiller
Eric Schiller
7 years ago
Reply to  Bill

I really have no idea. The interface may be more secure, but I’ve never heard of anyone having problems with 3 bolt spiders, chainrings, or power meters. This new interface appeared along with the Elsa RS and XX1 meters a while back. It has moved to the red etap meter recently also.

JoACHIM
JoACHIM
6 years ago
Reply to  Bill

So there is no way of mounting a direct mount chainring on this?

Ck
Ck
7 years ago
Reply to  Tomi

It looks like the mounting interface is different than what i’ve seen with SRAM cranks. So knowing them they’ve changed mounts so you can only buy a spider for “new” cranks.

Allan
Allan
7 years ago

This is shady. And it doesn’t help when BR is aiding in the falsehood that this is a “stock”.

Robin
Robin
7 years ago
Reply to  Allan

How is this shady?

mateo
mateo
7 years ago

Of course the cranks are similar to SRAM ones, but they’re not identical. Quarq spiders use 8 bolts vs 3 on the SRAM cranks.

TimB
TimB
7 years ago

seems the difference is that the Dzero Power meter spider uses three bolts to mount to the crank arm whereas current Quark uses a 8 bolt mount. So current cranks should be backward compatible with Dzero

TimB
TimB
7 years ago

sorry looks like its 8 blt so current Quarq cranks are compatible and not the three bolt spider…

Bob Corbishley
7 years ago

The difference is that the old three bike SRAM / quarq mount required that you send the unit back to quarq for recalibration whereas now you can simply bolt it on and the existing self calibration function can deal with it. It’s a bit of a risk changing over a pretty fundamental part of their system as all the manufacturers of direct mount chain rings will need to go back to the drawing board..

Bazz
Bazz
7 years ago

Lost opportunity here. SRAM could have made this work with their three bolt Direct Mount system and made lots of sales (and friends).

Guess someone else will have to do it for them…

TomG
TomG
7 years ago

Would there have been space between the 3 direct mount holes and a standard 110 BCD chainring bolt setup to put the power spider in?

I’d love to know how much being SRAM’s in house power meter brand has boosted sales of Quarq. Perhaps not much? Either way, they’ve clearly decided it’s time to up their game in terms of powermeter/groupset integration in the face of the new DA 9100 PM.

xc-fr
xc-fr
7 years ago

ooold story. even SRM did it for years now. have a SRM FSA k-force-light spider. you get it also for cannondale, tune, sram, rotor …..
but we’ll see if marketing will help 😉

TomG
TomG
7 years ago
Reply to  xc-fr

Yes, but this is the equivalent of someone selling you a stock bike with an SRM branded crank arm, without an SRM spider. No different in practical terms, but a game changer in marketing terms.

kevin c
kevin c
7 years ago

they wont be backwards compatible. the three bolt arms will not mount to the dzero. the new mount just ensures that people with old cranks or old power spiders have to do a complete upgrade and cant use their old arms.

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