Should You Buy a Power Meter or Carbon Wheels? (With Examples)

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Do you have some money to spend but don’t know if you should buy a power meter or carbon wheels?

The answer is surprisingly easy!

Questions to Ask Before Purchase

Before making the purchase, ask yourself the following questions. They will help you make a better decision.

1. What Are Your Goals?

Do you want to get faster? Do you want your bike to look better? Or do you simply want an upgrade, no matter what?

If you honestly answer these questions, it will become clear if you should get carbon wheels or a power meter. Sooner or later, you will probably buy both, but the question is, which one do you buy first?

2. What Is Your Budget?

For example, if your budget is $1000, you can buy both at once if you don’t mind not having the latest and greatest.

Single-sided power meters start at around $300. However, dual-sided power meters cost twice as much, and the high-end power meters can even exceed $2000.

TIP: Learn what type of power meter to choose. I wrote an in-depth comparison of single vs. dual-sided power meters.

Carbon wheels start at a similar price range. For example, you can buy Chinese carbon wheels* for around $400.

*Look for UCI-approved, certified, or rider-proven wheelsets that are safe to ride and come with a warranty. Avoid unbranded wheels with a doubtful history. Learn more here.

Wheels from established brands are more expensive. They range from around $800 to over $3000.

Power Meter vs. Carbon Wheels: Pros and Cons Explained

The following table summarizes the advantages and disadvantages of power meters vs. carbon wheels.

Power meters revolutionized the training of cyclists worldwide. They provide instant, objective, and accurate data that allows you to train more efficiently to get the most out of yourself.

TIP: Here are additional reasons for using a power meter.

On the other hand, carbon wheels will make your bike look much cooler. But, of course, they also bring some performance benefits. I break them down here.

How Much Faster a Power Meter Makes You?

It depends on factors like your fitness level, how much you improve your FTP, etc. Here is a simplified example:

Let’s assume you are an average road cyclist with an FTP of 3.5 watts/kg and a weight of 77 kg (170 lb). Andrew Coggan’s power output table puts you in a CAT 3 category (you can use this FTP calculator to see how you compare).

Now, let’s say you will follow structured training for a year and improve your FTP by 50 watts. This is a 0.65 watt/kg improvement (50/77=0.65), so your new FTP would be 4.15 watt/kg.

Here are a few examples of the possible time differences:

As you can see, 50 watts may not seem like a lot, but they make a big impact.

How Much Faster Carbon Wheels Make You?

Many things, like your aerodynamic drag coefficient, wheel weight, terrain, rolling resistance, etc., influence your (average) speed.

Unfortunately, bike wheel manufacturers usually don’t publish data from their testing. We get marketing claims like “Our wheels will save you 20 seconds at 40 km/h average.”

FLO Cycling is a bright exception because it publishes at least some data. They compared their carbon wheels with the aluminum rims of Mavic Open Pro. The difference at 35.4 km/h (22mph) was around 8 watts.

When you watch some unscientific speed comparison tests online, the time savings of carbon wheels compared to shallow aluminum wheels are in dozens of seconds, not minutes.

A power meter is a better investment, but you have to be willing to do some work and leverage the data it provides.

For more info, feel free to read my comparison of aluminum vs. carbon wheels.

Conclusion

Most riders will become faster with a power meter, especially if you are willing to train and get the best out of yourself.

A power meter will provide valuable data you can leverage to improve your training and make it more effective. Keep in mind that you won’t become faster overnight. So, a power meter pays off, especially in the long term.

On the other hand, a carbon wheelset will make your bike faster instantly. They are the icing on top of the cake. Buying a carbon wheelset first and then a power meter makes sense if you care about how your bike looks and want to impress your cycling friends.

Let me know which of these two you will buy in the comments.

Power Meters or Carbon Wheels FAQ