At $295, is the Tempo the most affordable power meter yet?

There has been a huge proliferation of power meters in the past couple of years, and with the increasing choice has come a bit more affordability. Looking like the most affordable yet is the new Tempo, which has hit Kickstarter this week with a price of just $295. 

The Tempo is a crank arm power meter, very much like the popular Stages power meter used by Team Sky. The sensor is mounted to the left crank arm and uses ANT+ to send data to a compatible head unit. The company is able to offer the low price of $295 because you supply the crank arm, and Tempo will install the power meter.

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The Tempo measures 33mm x 60mm and is just 10.5mm thick. The case is injection moulded plastic and will be water and impact resistant - the photos show a 3D printed prototype. It’s claimed to have a 200 hour run time from the easily replaced batteries. 

.Currently, it’s compatible with most Shimano cranks, road and mountain, and some FSA models. The sensor is bonded to the crank arm using a high strength adhesive and is currently only compatible with metal cranks. It hopes to develop a carbon fibre compatible version in the future. 

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The company is confident it has fully tested the prototype and that it is ready for production, it just needs the funding to do a production run.  The sensors are calibrated and temperature compensated and you can program the power meter for your riding style.

The downside at the moment is the Tempo is only available in the US. It’s seeking $25,000 funding to put the power meter into production and with 46 days to go, it has raised $1,236 from four backers. So some way to go yet. Providing it hits the target, it’ll go into production for a July delivery. 

More info here https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2129451964/affordable-high-performa...

Whether the Tempo goes into production and becomes available in the UK remains to be seen. Currently, one of the most affordable power meters we’ve written about is the bePRO pedal-based system which gets you power for just £347. Meanwhile, a Stages 105 power meter will set you back about £450 if you shop around.