Whether you’re a die-hard XC or CX racer, or looking to improve your performance on local climbs and Strava segments, riding with a power meter can be one of the best investments you can make to improve your riding. We’ve covered why in previous articles, but essentially it boils down to being able to track your performances, and train with intent. 

Earlier this year, I got the chance to test out the Favero Assioma PRO MX-2 power meter pedals. They’re SPD compatible power meter pedals, and they’re super easy to switch out between gravel and mountain bikes. Now, I’m not racing (yet) but I have been looking at improving my performance on the bike, and these pedals have been invaluable in my off-road riding. Let’s dive into why they’ve been so useful, and how riding with power could help improve your performance, too. 

The Favero Assioma PRO MX-2 pedals come with everything to get you set up quickly and tracking your power data

How can training with a power meter influence your performance?

Adding a power meter to your training setup isn’t something only the professionals should be thinking about. For one thing, now that the technology has been around for a while, the price of getting started with power has dropped – especially if you only want a single-sided option. 

And, depending on the type of power meter you go for, the dual-sided options aren’t terribly expensive (in relative terms), either. The Assioma PRO MX power meter pedals come in both options, and are priced £383.93 and £640.52 respectively. 

Power meters can provide you with objective feedback, including real-time data while you’re riding, too. Simply connect your power meter to your cycling computer to log your rides and track your training progress. This does, however, mean that your coach can also see exactly what you’ve been doing power-wise. So no more pretending you went really hard on those sprint efforts when really you were coasting downhill.  

They also make riding specific training sessions much easier – well, in terms of following the plan. You still have to put in the hard work. But they take out the guesswork, so instead of thinking you’re in a steady zone 2, you can see that you are, or in my case, often aren’t and you’re going way too hard without realising.

They’re super easy to install and connect to your riding head unit or watch

Why go for the Assioma MX power meter pedals?

While there are plenty of power meters for cycling, these are among the few off-road specific power meter pedals available. And even fewer that are as affordable and accurate as these from Assioma.

I’ve been putting the dual-sided PRO MX-2 pedals through their paces on a cross-country bike (the Specialized Epic 8) and most recently a Kinesis GX Race gravel bike. I know, it’s blasphemy to talk about curly bar bikes here, but sometimes it’s good to reacquaint yourself with such things to remember why mountain bikes are so much more fun. 

But I digress. The point I’m making is that these power meter pedals are versatile, just like the bikes I ride. One day I could be at BikePark Wales teetering on the borderline of skill and stupidity, and the next I could be being humbled by sloppy Yorkshire “gravel” aka mud. These pedals withstood all of the above, and my legs and talent ran out far before the battery did. 

These pedals feature a rechargeable battery, which can last up to 60 hours between charges. The battery itself is hidden within the sealed spindle, and is recharged using a magnetic system, which also helps to keep water and dust ingress from reaching the batteries. 

Charging is done externally, using the supplied cable which slots over the spindle using a magnetic attachment

Improving on the bike isn’t just a number’s game

So how has using the Favero Assioma PRO MX-2 power meter pedals helped my riding? Well for one thing it’s made me feel far more accountable to my coach, and it’s taken the guesswork out of what I’m doing. Prior to using these, I only had a heart rate monitor for mountain biking, and used a power meter on my road bike. 

But now, I know exactly what power I’m putting out, and I can pace myself better up climbs and on longer rides, because it’s not just me guessing what sort of wattage I’m doing and usually over estimating how much energy I have left in the tank. It’s also helped to keep track of my performances – I‘ve not raced MTB before, but I have ridden some events and kept up the training so I know where I was, and how far I’ve come. I’ve nabbed a few new PRs on Strava climbs, too. 

All the technology is safely housed inside the spindle, so no dirt or water can get inside and cause erroneous data surges or the like

Perhaps counter intuitively, I’ve become more in tune with how I feel at certain zones, and I rely less on the computer screen to tell me what I’m doing. Yes, my heart rate varies depending on the day, how I’m feeling etc., but power output is a variable that is just simply impacted by how hard you press the pedals. And in that sense, it’s been a really useful metric to have to hand while I’m training.

If dual-sided technology might seem a little overkill for what you need, then the Assioma PRO MX-1 may be more suited. It’s cheaper, at £383.93 and is a single-sided option. And if you already have an MX-1 pedal and want to upgrade to the dual-sided option, you can do that too with the PRO MX-UP option. 

Training with power isn’t the be-all and end-all of riding a mountain bike, but it does make it easier to track your performances and identify strengths and weaknesses on the bike. So if you’re looking to make improvements, it’s one of the best things you can spend your money on… besides a new bike, of course.