Favero Assioma Pro RS Review: The Assioma Without the Pods

For most of a decade, the Favero Assioma was the power meter pedal other pedals were measured against, and its road versions had one obvious flaw you could see from across the room: the pods. The Duo, Uno and Duo-Shi all carry their battery and electronics in a small housing on the spindle, between the pedal and the crank. They worked, they were not pretty, and some riders found their shoes caught them.

The Assioma Pro RS removes them. It uses the sealed spindle Favero introduced on the off-road Pro MX in 2024: strain gauges, electronics and rechargeable battery all inside the axle, with the pedal body as a separate part that fits onto it. On the road version, that body takes Shimano SPD-SL cleats. Favero announced it in June 2025. In February 2026 a firmware update raised its stated battery life from 60 hours to up to 160, which changed how it stacks up against Garmin's Rally more than any hardware change could have.

We have not ridden a set on our own bikes for this review. The accuracy picture below is compiled from four independent reviewers who did, and every specification comes from Favero's product page, technical sheet and user manual. Our how we review page explains why we work that way.

What actually changed from the Assioma Duo

The pods are gone. This is the headline and it is more than cosmetic. On the Duo, the battery and radio sit in a pod on the spindle, between the crank arm and the pedal body. On the Pro RS, Favero calls it a "split approach": the spindle is sealed and self-contained, and the pedal body is independent of it. Charging happens through pins on the spindle using a magnetic connector, and there is no port, door or pod for water to find.

The cleat changed. The Duo and Uno use the Look Keo pattern, and Favero's previous route to Shimano cleats, the Duo-Shi, is a power spindle that goes into Shimano pedal bodies you supply yourself. The Pro RS is a complete SPD-SL pedal, with Favero's compatible cleats in the box and Shimano's own SM-SH10, SM-SH11 and SM-SH12 cleats listed as compatible in the manual. For the large share of road riders already on Shimano, it is the simplest route yet to an Assioma.

It got lighter. Favero publishes 124.8 g per pedal for the Pro RS against 151.5 g for the Duo, and road.cc's test pair weighed 247 g. Stack height is the same 10.5 mm on both, and the Q-factor narrows by a millimeter to +53 mm.

The data grew slightly. The Pro RS adds Platform Center Offset, which reports where on the pedal your force lands. What did not change: dual-sensing on the RS-2, single-sensing on the RS-1, ±1% claimed accuracy, IP67 and IAV.

The battery: 60 hours at launch, 160 now

When the Pro RS launched, its weak spot was battery life. Favero's own technical sheet and manual still say "at least 60 hours", and both BikeRadar and road.cc reviewed it on that basis. Against a Garmin Rally 210 quoting 90 hours, it was the one line on the spec sheet where Favero lost.

Then, on February 14, 2026, Favero released firmware 7.11 for the Pro pedals with a single headline change: battery life extension. Favero now states up to 160 hours per charge for the Pro RS, and DC Rainmaker reported that the update applies to the Pro RS and Pro MX but not to the Duo, Duo-Shi or Uno, which use different spindles. He also measured Bluetooth signal strength before and after and found it essentially unchanged, which matters because one easy way to stretch a battery is to weaken the radio.

Three practical notes from Favero's manual. Charging from empty takes around four hours from a standard USB-A charger or power bank, and Favero's product page quotes a 15-minute fast charge for about 15 hours of riding. The recommended charging range is 10 to 45 degrees C, and outside it charging may be blocked, so if the bike lives in an unheated garage, bring the pedals inside to charge. And if the pedals sit unused, Favero suggests charging them at least every three months to protect the battery.

The trade for all that sealing is serviceability. The battery is built into the spindle, so there is no cell for you to replace when it eventually wears. That is true of the Rally 210 as well, and it is the price of never having a battery door leak.

Accuracy, on other people's data

Favero claims ±1% from 0 to 3,000 W, and it claims it with oval chainrings, which is what IAV is for. Every serious pedal meter claims ±1%, so the useful question is whether independent testing turns anything up. Across four reviews, it did not.

DC Rainmaker compared the Pro RS against an Elite Justo 2 indoors and found the two "within a few watts", with the pedals showing a little more wobble in ERG because the trainer smooths its output more. Against a Muov smart bike he saw about a 2-watt difference overall and half a watt on a sprint near 700 W, and after an outdoor ride against a SRAM Force AXS power meter he concluded that the data "looks perfect". BikeRadar ran it against a 4iiii Precision 3+ Pro crankset and a Tacx Neo 3M and reported no dropouts or quirks. the5krunner logged over a hundred rides against a Wahoo Kickr Core, a Kickr Bike Pro, a 4iiii Precision 3+ and a Magene P505, and ended up tentatively using the Pro RS as the reference power source.

road.cc offers the useful counterpoint. Against a Wattbike Atom there was "only a couple of watts in it", but on a seven-hour outdoor ride against SRAM Rival power cranks the pedals read about 5.5% lower overall, a gap that closed to around 1.5% in steady efforts. That is not a fault in either device so much as a reminder that two meters measuring at different points will not agree perfectly. Pick one reference and train to it. Our guide to how accurate smart trainers are explains why the numbers drift apart even when everything is working.

What it does in a pain cave

If you already own a smart trainer, a power pedal can look redundant. It is not, for one reason: it is the only measuring device in your setup that also comes outdoors. Your zones, your FTP and your training history then come from one source, whichever bike you are on. That argument is made in full in smart trainer vs power meter.

Indoors, the usual arrangement is to pair the pedals as your power source and let the trainer control resistance. Zwift and most other platforms support that, and our Zwift setup guide walks through the pairing. It is also the cleanest way to run a proper FTP test, because the number you set indoors is the same number you will pace to outside.

The pedals broadcast over ANT+ and up to three Bluetooth connections at once, so a trainer app, a head unit and a phone can all see them. One detail from Favero's technical sheet is worth knowing before you pair anything, though. Over Bluetooth the pedals send power, cadence and left/right balance. The rest (Platform Center Offset, Power Phase, Pedal Smoothness and Torque Effectiveness) needs ANT+ or Favero's own app, and Rider Position is ANT+ only. For Zwift that makes no difference, because Zwift uses power and cadence. It matters if you bought the RS-2 for the advanced metrics and your head unit only speaks Bluetooth.

Before you buy: the fitting checks

Pedal power is the easiest kind to install, but Favero's manual sets out a few limits that are worth checking against your cranks first.

Crank thickness. The plastic end of the spindle, which holds the LED and the antenna, has to stick out at least 1 mm beyond the crank thread for the radio to work. That rules out cranks thicker than 15 mm at the threaded area, and cranks without a through-hole at the pedal eye.

No extenders. Favero says the Pro RS must not be used with pedal extenders, crank shorteners or anything else that alters the crank setup. Its FAQ says extenders are strongly discouraged. If you run extenders for a wider stance, this pedal is out, so check the fine print on any alternative before buying. Favero supplies washers for one legitimate case: if the spindle cap sits closer than 4 mm to the chain or frame.

Tools and setup. Fitting needs a pedal wrench, not a hex key, because the status LED occupies the spindle end, and road.cc named that as one of only two cons. Favero specifies 30 to 40 Nm. Tell your head unit your crank length, because an incorrect value produces incorrect power. A manual calibration is needed at first installation and whenever you move the pedals to another bike, and after that the automatic zero-offset takes over. Our calibration guide covers when a manual zero is worth doing anyway.

Rider weight. Favero's manual gives a maximum cyclist weight of 120 kg, and it says anyone above that uses the pedals at their own risk.

RS-2 or RS-1?

The RS-2 has a sensor in both pedals and reports real left/right balance. The RS-1 measures the left and doubles it. Both claim ±1%, and for tracking fitness the RS-1 is enough, because training follows repeatability and most riders' balance is stable from one ride to the next.

The RS-2 earns its premium in three situations: coming back from a one-sided injury, where watching the asymmetry close is the point; a known, large imbalance; or a coach or fitter who actually works from the balance and pedaling-dynamics data. Outside those, balance is a number you look at once. The catch is the upgrade path. On Favero's own list prices the RS-1 plus the upgrade kit costs noticeably more than the RS-2 bought outright, so decide now rather than planning to upgrade later.

Pro RS, Pro RL or the Duo?

Let your cleats decide. If your shoes carry SPD-SL cleats, buy the RS. If they carry Look Keo, buy the RL or the Duo. There is no measurement difference between the RS and RL. Favero states that all Pro models share the same spindle, so a Keo or SPD mountain-bike body can go on the same sensor, which is how the RS-2/MX sets on Amazon work. If you ride SPD indoors, the Assioma Pro MX is the same spindle in an off-road body.

Between the RL and the Duo, the question is whether the redesign is worth paying for. The RL is lighter, has no pods, runs roughly three times as long per charge and has a replaceable body. The Duo claims the same ±1%, costs less and has the longer track record. If you already own a working Duo, nothing here improves your training. Keep riding it.

Pro RS-2 vs Garmin Rally RS210

These are the two dual-sensing SPD-SL pedals most upgrading riders end up choosing between, and the spec sheet now favors Favero. The Pro RS-2 is lighter (247 g against 312 g the pair), states longer battery life (160 hours against 90), and costs less. Both are sealed, rechargeable and claim ±1%.

Garmin's remaining case is the ecosystem. Pedal IQ prompts you when calibration is worth doing, Cycling Dynamics appear natively on an Edge, and the RS, RK and XC bodies have been part of the Rally system from the start. If a Garmin Edge is the center of your setup, the Rally is still a very good choice. If not, the Favero is the better buy, and our Assioma vs Rally comparison goes through the brand decision in more depth.

Who should buy it

Buy the Pro RS-2 if you ride SPD-SL, want dual-sided power that moves between bikes with a wrench, and would rather not think about a battery for months at a time. It is the strongest all-round road power pedal on sale, and the price makes it hard to argue for the Garmin on anything other than ecosystem grounds.

Skip it if you run pedal extenders or unusually thick cranks, if you ride Keo and already own a Duo, or if you want the cheapest trustworthy watt, which is the Duo or the RS-1. And if you do not own a smart trainer yet, buy the trainer first. Indoors it measures power on its own, and a pedal meter is the second purchase, not the first. Our power meter pedal roundup ranks the whole field by cleat system.