A cleat-based power meter system called CycloWatt – promising to be easy to install, simple to swap between bikes, and low-cost – has launched on Kickstarter and nearly tripled its funding target in a day.
CycloWatt’s co-founder Levi Luder says, “We have run several tests, and we are in the final development phase, improving the reliability of the measurement and reducing the stack height. We believe that we can conclude the development and final test by the end of May, since feedback has been very positive.”
CycloWatt is a Switzerland-based enterprise, and all of the technical gubbins integrates directly into the cleat of a clipless pedal system.
“The result is accurate real-world power data that installs in seconds, moves easily between bikes, and fits naturally into your existing riding setup,” says CycloWatt. “Whether you train indoors or outdoors, CycloWatt gives you objective insight into your performance so you can ride smarter, pace better, and improve consistently.”
Okay, we get that there could be advantages to cleat-based power measurement. Pedal-based power measurement systems – like Garmin Rally, Favero Assioma, and Wahoo Powrlink Zero – are pretty easy to swap between bikes, but a cleat-based system wouldn’t require any setup changes at all, as long as you have the saddle height right. For those wanting power measurement on more than one bike, that could be a major plus.
All of this sounds enticing, although it does make us think of the Brim Brothers cleat-based Zone DPMX power meter which smashed its Kickstarter funding target a few years ago, but never made it to production.
Would you need to use CycloWatt-specific pedals? Apparently not. You’ll be able to choose between CycloWatt three-bolt cleats that fasten to your shoes in the normal way, compatible with either Shimano SPD-SL or Look Keo pedals – so for road cycling only – at least initially.
You clip into your pedals as normal, and away you go. CycloWatt says that its system increases stack height by 5mm, and that it is working to reduce this further before shipping the final product.
Obvious question: what happens when the cleat wears out?
The team behind CycloWatt says that you simply remove the electronics section and keep it, while you replace the plastic parts. Replacement cleats cost CHF 15 (about £14.50).

CycloWatt is a single-sided system, taking measurements from one leg only, and accuracy is a claimed +/-3%. That’s a greater margin for error than is claimed by most other power meters out there. Favero Assioma and Garmin claim +/-1% for their systems, for example. CycloWatt’s accuracy is not affected by dirt, mud, or temperature changes, says its developers.
CycloWatt transmits your power data wirelessly via Bluetooth or ANT+ protocols, so you can see it on your cycling computer or smartphone in real time without the need for a special app. It is said to work in the normal way with training platforms like Zwift, Wahoo, and Garmin.
Charging? You connect CycloWatt to the mains with a magnetic connector, and the battery is said to be good for 48 hours of riding.
Okay, we’re interested, but we can’t help being reminded a little of the Brim Brothers Zone DPMX system, which raised £160,000 on Kickstarter back in 2016 after several years in development.
“Under your shoe, in your Speedplay Zero cleat, the special sensor plate measures force, and on top of your shoe the pod measures motion,” said Brim Brothers. “The pod uses all this to calculate power (watts) and cadence (rpm).”
Brim Brothers ceased operations in late 2016 without delivering product or providing refunds.
Of course, CycloWatt is an entirely different system – different design, different personnel – it’s just the Kickstarter and the cleat-based power-measurement elements that are similar.
CycloWatt’s standard price on Kickstarter is CHF 179 (around £173.50), with some early bird discounts up to 27%.
As ever with Kickstarter projects, rewards aren’t guaranteed.
Check out the CycloWatt Kickstarter campaign here.

14 thoughts on “Cleat-based CycloWatt power meter launches on Kickstarter, promising easy swaps and low cost”
Sounds like a fitters nightmare!
Brim Brothers ran into problems with the stability of the interface between cleat and shoe. The interface is never perfect, particularly across the many kinds of shoe out there, and there is always a smidgen of flex there, more than there is in a steel spindle of a pedal, more than there is an al or carbon crank – which adds noise to the power signal.
Brim Brothers also ran into longevity issues. The cleat is a high-wear area, and the shoe is also subject to lots of abrasion. Fairly hostile to delicate electronics. This PM is going to face major issues with wear on the cleat. It’s also going to really struggle to solve that huge stack height issue.
The Brim Brothers PM had the electronics on a separate pod, clipped to the top of the shoe, with a ribbon cable encased in a steel-wire reinforced, rubberised resin running down to the force plate. So the electronics were fairly safe, and the force plate added very little to the stack height. However, the connection from the electronics pod down the side of the shoe to the force plate was subject to being worn through and damaged with use. Brim Brothers never really solved that – had it made it to mass production, they would have had to cost-in semi-regular replacing of plate+pods, as riders wore down connectors (particularly on their foot down side).
Presumably, CycloWatt must know this—and have a plan to avoid or address these issues?
That’s one option, and let’s hope that’s exactly the case. Otherwise they might wake up to a very unpleasant surprise.
They’re solving the problem the DPMX had with the ribbon cable by putting the electronics into the cleat. However, that gains them the problem of lots of extra stack height + more stuff exposed to high wear and abrasion.
You need chatgpt to write your comments for you? Really now..?
I dislike AI. Those are my words, typed by myself, and that’s my writing style.
Also, I was a Brim Brothers kickstarter backer, and I’ve had some communications with Barry Redmond about the DPMX (I had Barry as a lecturer years before that).
Watching with interest.
So its 3% accurate, its single sided, its going to wear out, it looks hideous, its a kickstarter that you may never receive, and it costs more than the wave of spider based power meters on AliExpress (including the GeoID PM500, which is a rebadged version of the highly rated Magene PS505).
I’m out….
“Up to 24hrs riding per charge” according to the kickstarter. As if that was a good thing.
I used to get 3000km, so ~120hrs at my slow speed, from my Quarq.
Any kind of increased stack height is a nonstarter. And cleats are inherently disposable components like brake pads. I’m almost always an advocate of new ideas but this one seems hatched by someone who doesn’t have any real world experience with cleats and shoes.
Apart from all the other faults with this product noted by other posters, I don’t really buy the “easily transferable between bikes” line either; not only will most people have different shoes to go with different pedal set ups (SPD-SL for road, SPD for gravel/MTB) and different ride types, they also often have (I hope it’s not just me) different shoes for the same bike depending on conditions. I have my “best” road shoes that only come out in the summer when the forecast and the roads are dry, if it’s raining or muddy an older, more tatty pair come out. For me, this product would have to be constantly swapped between different shoes or just stay on one pair that I only use for maybe 25% of my rides, so that supposed advantage pretty much disappears.
Brim Brothers are sitting back, sipping a beer, and waiting to see how this works out. 🍻