Whats the hold up on power meter standardisation - cant we all just get along and make our lives easier, or is that just too much to ask from the likes of Shimano, SRAM, and Garmin?
Think about it, weve got ANT+, Bluetooth, and a plethora of other protocols, but somehow, we still cant seem to get a universal standard that lets us seamlessly switch between power meters from different brands. Its like the Wild West out there, with each manufacturer doing their own thing and leaving us to deal with the compatibility headaches.
And dont even get me started on the so-called open standards that are supposed to make our lives easier. Newsflash: they dont. We still need to worry about firmware updates, compatibility issues, and the inevitable this device is not supported error message.
So, heres the question: what would it take for the major players in the power meter market to come together and create a true, universal standard that lets us mix and match devices without worrying about compatibility? Is it a matter of ego, profit margins, or just plain old-fashioned stubbornness?
Imagine a world where you could swap out your power meter from one brand to another without having to worry about whether itll work with your head unit or not. Its a nice dream, but is it just that - a dream? Or can we actually make it a reality?