4iiii Precision Power Meter Review

Intro

Around the first quarter of 2018, I found myself contemplating the possibility of ordering a power meter. Having gotten through a fixie craze as my gateway into the world of cycling, I suddenly found myself immersed in the world of road cycling. Perhaps it was my boss who gave me the small nudge to start taking my cycling more seriously, eventually progressing to the level of an amateur road racing cyclist; as he himself got pretty deep into it, coining himself somewhat of a neo-pro cyclist, eventually succumbing to his injuries & falling back to real world as a shrewd businessman.

Back to the main point of this short blurb; I found myself wanting more out of my rides. Of course, I could feel my fitness getting better & better with every ride I did, whether it was a leisurely stroll or a Cat6 commute through the concrete jungle alongside the many drivers I must’ve upset in downtown Toronto. Going from a Garmin Watch-Based Vivoactive HR to a more proper Wahoo Elemnt Bolt Bike Computer, I yearned for more & more analytics. Going from Average Speed, to analyzing my Heart Rate on rides, to Strava segments; I sought to quantify my fitness.

During the 2017 Winter, I found myself hunched over on the stationary gym bike; utilizing my Heart-Rate Chest Strap & phone in order to pace my heart for intervals. I began to notice subtle differences for each workout. Depending on the other factors of life; be it stress, lack of sleep, or just diet; my heart rate was never as consistent as I would like it to be. Some days, reaching my max heart rate in an interval was nigh impossible. Some days it was easy, provided I drank enough coffee throughout the day….

So why 4iiii?

Honestly, my boss suggested I should use one of his old SRM units (thinking back, I could’ve saved SO MUCH money with this option, do 10spd chainrings work on 11spd groupsets tho?) I must admit that the extent of my search for a powermeter was not quite thorough, a rough google search of the various products out there, & a cursory look at the prices set most of my options off the table. Most of my options were simply too expensive for my likes; or would involve migration to third-party components.

I managed to go far enough to contact Quarq regarding the DFour91 (I figured that keeping the Shimano Chainrings I already have on my Ultegra R8000 Crankset would ensure that my shifting performance would be unaffected). Quarq Customer Support responded quite quickly & told me my bike looked rad (thanks, Quarq!), but I would have to procure a compatible crankarm that would take their spider, in addition to modifying/replacing the BB30 to Shimano Conversion Bottom Bracket I already had installed on my bike, which frankly cost a lot more than a standard BB unit. I simply couldn’t afford such an option like that…

My options eventually whittled down to the single-sided options. Regarding my skepticism towards the durability of power meter units enclosed within a pedal (Shimano SPD-SL is amazing, I’m too satisfied to go seek other options), I looked to compare the Stages, Pioneer & 4iiii single-sided units. As for why I chose 4iiii over the rest, “O Canada! Our home & native land! True patriot love…”, but also from my research online involved many anecdotal experiences regarding Stages Signal issues & some complication involving Pioneers units & their own Headunit, I concluded that 4iiii would be up there involving cost & reliability.

4iiii’s logo: “Smarter, Faster, Safe”, eh? I’m actually quite the opposite: Dumber, Slower, lots of Road Rash 😔

The Process

Throwing aside the mere amount of money I had allocated towards life’s necessities, I purchased the Factory Install for my Ultegra R8000 Left, or NDS (Non-Drive Side Crank Arm) around late 2017 or early 2018. Sending the unit in was quite easy, my Local Bike Shop (LBS) made sure of the clearance between my crankarm & chainstays, as certain bikes with beefier chainstays will not have enough clearance to clear the little pod that sits on the inside of your crankarm (involves using an AAA-battery to see if can clear b/w the the crank & chainstay). It should be noted that results may vary regarding a Factory Install. I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, while 4iiii HQ resides in Cochrane, Alberta. This should mean that the logistics & shipping times I experience are going to be shorter than someone who lives outside of Canada, & I won’t have to deal with Customs & other overseen shipping fees (as it turns out, any crankarm that is sent in for a factory install must go to Canada, while ride-ready cranks you can buy from them are either manufactured in their Alberta factory or China/Taiwan facilities).

How about I just bike there and have them do the install? 🤔

Without a crankset, I was unable to do any workouts on my home trainer (Stac Zero!); but my experience involving indoor training had already been ruined for the winter season. Not knowing I needed that many fans to regulate my body temperature, I found myself overheating every ride, & sweat pooling up in places I’d never expect…

Tiny little pod, pretty up there in lightness!

There was some miscommunication regarding what address the unit was to be shipped to (I believe they were confused between sending it to my address, or to the LBS, who shipped my crankarm out.) But I can say that around 4–5 weeks later (including the shipping clarification between 4iiii & my LBS), my unit came in! In a small box, lay my crankarm under sealed plastic wrapped, adorned with a tiny pod, even smaller than the little cadence sensor I had mounted on my other bike. I installed that baby on my bike, & didn’t really do anything afterwards? Training with power is a commitment which I did not understand or even plan out till this very day.

Does it Work?

Sure does, I can see my very humbling 124 ftp…. Utilizing my new unit in conjunction with TrainerRoad, I planned to cycle into fitness & become pro by the end of summer (LOL, sarcsasm, but seriously, I’m really bad at bikes). Unfortunately, I was still ignorant in the art of indoor training, & found myself overheating, just like the good ol’ days. I also noticed how single-sided power compensates. I noticed that if I focused my efforts on my left side, my power would continue to read somewhat accurately, while if I focused my efforts on the right side, I would see my power skyfall from a pathetic 100 into nothingness (☹). Other than that, it works quite well.

You can tell when the unit died…. 😅

As for battery usage, the battery that came with my unit (4iiii also supplied an additional battery, very cool) lasted until Mid-Spring of 2019 (albeit, I ride my road bike on a weekly basis compared to daily riders, WEEKEND WARRIORS 😤). It was quite strange, the battery level on the app & my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt displayed either at 90% or 4 out of 4 battery bars, but my power meter suddenly stopped reading during a group ride. Devastated at the possibility of a dead PM; I rushed home to assess the possible water ingress or fried electronic innards. To my relief, a new CR2032 coin-cell battery resurrected the unit. I have to admit I also thought the frigid cold weather of the early Canadian Spring had got to the battery (ever had your phone just shut off in the blistering -15°C weather? [Sorry, Metric only yo, stinky Imperial losers! 😡] I’m told it’s because the battery just can’t handle how cool I am 😎).

COOL GUY DISCOUNT B)

All in all, this was a very good experience. So good, that I just sent my Ultegra R8000 drive-side crank in for a Factory Install! We dual-sided now boys, so all my qualms regarding the single-sided compensation wonkery are now null if this all goes as intended. Come check it out when it arrives at my doorstep!

TL;DR

Pros

• Logical step if you already own a Shimano or any other compatible Crankset
• Fast Transaction if you’re in Canada
• Quick, seamless installation & calibration
• Works great on both the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt & my phone for TrainerRoad
• 4iiii Customer Support has been amazing with me, thank you!
• Cost is quite low, great value compared to other PM units
• Very light

Cons

• May be a hassle regarding shipping fees, customs & import duties if you’re situated outside Canada or North America (although this is more of a concern if you are sending in your own unit for a factory install, if you’re buying a ride-ready unit, you could look for a more localized dealer that’s affiliated with 4iiii)

Unknown Factors

• I’m not a qualified enough athlete nor do I have another PM to compare its accuracy, though I am aware of my FTP and utilize the unit in order to realize when I’ve reached my limit during rides
• I have not tried the iOS app so I can’t comment on it’s usability, nor have I used one in conjunction with a Garmin, Lezyne etc….