A power meter is a measuring tool that can be placed on your race or mountain bike. It tells you - through your bike computer or sports app - how much force your legs are producing real-time during your ride. Knowing your power values will help you improve your performance in the short and long term. With a power meter, you can learn how to dose better, increase your distances, outperform yourself or others and experience even more fun and progress as a race cyclist, mountain biker or triathlete.

Power meters exist in all shapes and sizes at varying locations on a bicycle. Unfortunately, every location comes at a trade-off in compatibility, ease of installation or price. Generally costing upwards of $400, a power meter investment is mostly attractive to professional cyclists.

IQ² is here to change that.

It all started with us being passionate cyclists who wanted to buy a well-functioning power meter. Since they cost $400 and up, we expected a perfect product. However, all of them had major disadvantages in areas like compatibility and ease of installation. Since we are also product designers, we became curious… is it theoretically even possible to create the perfect power meter at a good price?

We are happy to report it is.

With IQ², everyone gets to enjoy all power meter advantages combined in one product at a breakthrough price. It’s easy to install and swap between multiple bikes. It is also available in two separate units that track left and right leg power independently, so you can see if your legs are performing the way you want. It stays functional on dusty roads and its waterproof casing protects the technological core from rain and splashing water. You don’t have to replace any expensive bicycle parts, as you simply screw our power meter in between the crank arm and pedal. It’s compatible with all race and mountain bikes.

The IQ² power meter is a single unit that gets installed between the crank arm and pedal. We created the option to order two separate power meters, one for each side of your bicycle to measure leg power independently. One unit weighs just 29,7 grams and houses a strong and light titanium adapter. An advanced low-pressure molding technique ensures the power meter is waterproof and dustproof. The colors are customizable to fit your mood and personal style.

Power meters are able to measure force because of a 'strain gauge' they contain on the inside. A strain gauge is a miniature device that measures strain on an object or surface. Zoomed in, the strain gauge is placed on the surface of a measurable object. When force is applied, the object bends slightly, which changes the length of the strain gauge. This causes a measurable change in its electrical current, which is then calculated and sent as a power value by the meter. 

There are different types of strain gauges. Typically, the ones inside power meters are hand-glued, causing every power meter to be different from the next. They must therefore be compensated by extensive calibration and complex software. This makes power meters difficult to mass-produce and expensive and shows why some - who underestimate these complexities - do not succeed! 

Our thin film strain gauge is of an entirely different caliber. Instead of being hand-glued, it requires no human interaction because it is directly deposited on the surface of the part, molecularly bonded and trimmed by laser. All our strain gauges are exactly the same when they come out the production process. It's a revolutionary technology used in situations with zero error tolerance, such as in medical, military and harsh environments. 

So, how did we do it? First, we analyzed the different types of strain gauges that cause the typical high price of power meters. Second, we did an inventory on the drawbacks of each placement location on a bike. Third, we researched which benefits cyclists are actually looking for when deciding on a power meter. Putting these three factors together, we arrived at the following comparative matrix.

The team at IQ² put effort into designing a device that is easy to attach and detach on your bike. We did this because as cyclists, sometimes we swap bikes for different terrains and conditions. With our power meter, you can always swap bikes without saying goodbye to its training benefits.

It has taken us various cycles of theorizing, designing and testing before we arrived at our final product. Our power meter is a joint effort by IQ² product developers and electrical engineers and our production specialists abroad. In this year and a half process, we managed to identify our final manufacturing partners in The Netherlands and England. Upon a successful Kickstarter campaign, we are ready to move ahead and prepare production  quickly and efficiently. This way, we'll be shipping in no time.  

See what cylists said about the IQ² power meter. 

So, you backed us on Indiegogo and ordered your product(s). What happens next? Find our timeline below. Also, feel free to post your questions in the comment section and we’re happy to answer them for you. 

The people behind the IQ² power meter are driven and passionate individuals who are good at what they do. Meet the professionals behind the scenes.   

With all aspects ready to go, such as a tested prototype, technology partners, production factories and shipping, all that’s left to wish for is funding to get these wheels turning! We would like to invite you, Indiegogo community and cycling enthusiasts, to back our project and get your own high quality IQ² power meter delivered to your doorstep. Our goal is €100.000 within 30 days. We would be absolutely thrilled to be able to have your support and disrupt the global power meter market.

We at iQsquare are able to manufacture the power meter at such an affordable price because of the following reasons:

1. The main reason current power meters are so expensive is because of the use of conventional strain gauges. Every power meter that comes out of production is different and needs extensive calibration and complex software for compensation. The iQsquare power meter is equipped with a thin film strain gauge, which is directly deposited on the titanium adapter and is molecularly bonded to the surface. This is a highly accurate and fully automated process which results in absolutely identical power meters during production.

2. Every current power meter replaces a part of the bicycle, whether it is a pedal, crank arm, crank set, spider or hub. The customer needs to buy a part he or she already owns.

3. Because of the attractive price, the power meter is affordable for every cyclist. This substantially increases production quantities, lowering the price of purchased components and justifying the use of fully automated production techniques.

Let us first explain what the Q factor means. The Q factor is the horizontal distance between the two crank arms on your bicycle.

The iQsquare Power Meter enlarges the Q factor with 16mm per side.

The next question arises: what is your ideal Q factor? The ideal Q factor is anatomically determined by the distance between your hip joints. Unless you've had an extensive bike fitting including Q factor adjustment, you are probably riding with a Q factor that is either too small or too wide.

The majority of people does not notice the difference in Q factor between, for example, a road bike (146mm ~ 171mm) and a mountain bike (163mm ~ 196mm).

Technically, yes, you can do this. However, if you order a one-sided power meter, you automatically receive a spacer for the other side to even out the Q factor. This increases by 16mm per side. If you order the L + R set, you do not receive a spacer. If you then mount the L power meter on one bike and R power meter on the other, you will not have a symmetrical spacing of the pedals.

We recommend using the L + R power meter on one bike. We made the process of swapping extremely easy, which you can find as a video in our prototype gallery.

After thoroughly examining all possible locations on the bicycle, the place between the pedal and the crank arm is the most versatile and producible for the lowest price. This combination gives every cyclist the opportunity to use a power meter on every bike he or she owns.

A single-sided power meter measures the power produced by one leg and multiplies the measurement by two. This is a good solution for your budget, however it is very common to have a difference in produced power between the left and right leg, which lies in the range of 5 - 20%, resulting in a large measurement error. This measurement fault is not so important when comparing your own results, but comparing power data with other riders can be misleading. 
Therefore, it is recommended to use a double-sided power meter for a precise measurement.

The iQsquare power meter is designed to swap between bikes very easily.

The procedure to switch between bikes is as follows:

Assume bike A currently holds the power meter and bike B is the bike you wish to swap to.

1. Loosen the power meter screw on bike A and take off the power meter + pedal combination.

2. Make sure a heli coil is correctly installed using the heli coil install tool inside the crank arm of bike B.

3. Place the power meter + pedal combination on bike B.

4. Fasten the power meter screw on bike B.

5. If the crank length of bike A and bike B are different: open the iQsquare configuration app and choose 'switch bikes'. Then choose 'bike B' and the configuration of the iQsquare power meter is changed to bike B.

6. Happy riding.

The crank length is measured between the midpoint of the crank axle and the midpoint of the pedal spindle.

In most cases the crank length is also printed on the crank arm. 
Common crank lengths range between 160 and 177,5mm.

When installing the iQsquare power meter for the first time on your bike, the iQsquare configuration app helps setting up your power meter step by step.

The only thing the app asks you to do during install is:

1. Choose between the 'left-only', the 'right-only' or the 'both sides' power meter setup. 
2. Name your bike 
3. Fill in your bike crank length 
4. Install the iQsquare power meter between your pedal and crank 
5. Hit the 'pair' button

The iQsquare power meter transmits the following data to your bike computer or smartphone:

- Total power 
- Left/Right balance (when using left and right power meter) 
- Torque effectiveness 
- Pedal smoothness 
- Cadence

First wake up the iQsquare power meter by turning the crank arm at least a half a revolution.

Check if the iQsquare power meter is awake by checking the green blinking LED.

Consult the user manual of your bike computer or cycling app for the steps needed to pair the power meter to your bike computer or smartphone.

The iQsquare power meter is equipped with an easy accessible battery compartment and a battery cap with a zigzag profile edge.

For opening the battery compartment, turn the battery cap counter clockwise by hand until the battery cap is separated from the power meter.

Replace the empty battery by a new 3V CR2032 Lithium coin cell.

When the battery is placed inside the battery compartment, the positive side must be visible on top.

Close the battery compartment by turning the battery cap clockwise until you feel the lock engaging.

The status LEDs of the iQsquare Power Meter give you the following information:

Low battery 
Left and right power meter paired 
Transmitting Bluetooth 
Transmitting ANT+ 
Error

Yes, if you buy a left-only or right-only power meter, you will also receive a spacer for the other side, so the distance between the pedals are evenly divided.

The rider's weight limit for the iQsquare power meter is 110kg.

The iQsquare power meter is constructed to withstand the forces that are being generated during a mountain bike ride.

Because a power meter is a precision measuring device, a rider's weight limit of 110kg is applied and damage caused by abusive use is out of warranty.