Elilee EK01 Spider Power Meter: 1kW+ Sprint Collapse, No Vendor Fix

The Elilee EK01 is a 4-arm 110 BCD spider-based power meter from Chinese brand Elilee, available in two versions: a 97g aluminum body ($310 USD spider alone, $900 USD with an X310 carbon crank and 52/36 12-speed chainrings) and a 67g carbon body ($1200 AUD spider alone, ~$2600 AUD with a compatible carbon crank and chainrings). The headline spec on the box is "±1% accuracy, 300h battery, IP67 sealing, ANT+ and Bluetooth" — a spec sheet that sits above most spiders in the sub-$300 segment. The Easton Cinch crank interface is the same as the ThinkRider PP5 and the Coospo S10, which suggests a shared white-label OEM family.

Our test of the EK01 is a two-unit cross-validation: the aluminum version first, then the carbon version as a control to rule out a single-unit defect. The aluminum version reproduced the sprint-cadence-zeroing failure on the first test session, so we paused the test and sent the data to Elilee. The carbon version reproduced the same failure on the first test session as well, with an additional 15-20W low bias that the aluminum version did not show. The vendor (Elilee) has acknowledged the data and has not committed to a fix. The test is paused; this review documents the two failed test sessions and the practical impact on training data.

The fundamental problem with the EK01 is the same as the ThinkRider PP5 and the Coospo S10: a hardware-level strain-gauge defect that produces sprint data loss, residual torque, and zero-offset drift. The EK01 is the most expensive of the three — $310 USD for the aluminum spider versus $100 USD for the PP5 and $88 USD for the S10 — and the failure mode is the same or worse. The carbon version adds weight savings and a 15-20W low bias that the aluminum version does not have. The price premium does not buy a fix.

TL;DR

The Elilee EK01 is the most expensive of the three low-priced spider power meters we have tested in 2026 (PP5, S10, EK01) and the worst performer. The aluminum version reproduces the ThinkRider PP5 / Coospo S10 sprint-cadence-zeroing failure, with the additional failure mode of 4-5 second power and cadence dropouts on the indoor trainer. The carbon version reproduces the same failure with an additional 15-20W low bias. The firmware 1.10 update — marketed as a fix for the response delay and cadence fluctuation — made no measurable difference. The vendor has acknowledged the data and has not committed to a fix.

The combination of sprint data loss, indoor dropouts, and outdoor jagged cadence is fatal for any structured-training use case. The rider cannot trust peak-power data, the rider cannot trust interval data, and the rider cannot trust the L/R balance data. The carbon version is lighter but does not fix any of the data issues; it only adds a constant 15-20W low bias. For any rider who needs a sub-$300 spider: the Magene P515 PES kit at $299 is validated to be within 2-3W of the Assioma Pro RS in independent testing, with no sprint collapse, no residual torque, and a maintained firmware pipeline. The Elilee EK01 should be skipped.

Unboxing & Design

The EK01 ships in a compact printed box with the spider, a USB charging cable, a printed quick-start card, and four M5 chainring bolts. There is no printed full manual — the manual is a QR code in the box that links to an Elilee download page. The aluminum spider is a CNC-machined 4-arm 110 BCD unit with the strain gauges sealed inside the centre. The carbon version uses the same strain-gauge assembly in a carbon-fibre outer shell. Build feel is solid on both versions; the carbon version has a slightly different LED placement and a more refined finish.

Weight check: 67.63 g on the carbon version, weighed on a calibrated kitchen scale (carbon-spider-only, before chainring bolts). The aluminum version weighs 97 g in our measurement. Both are within manufacturer claim.

Headline spec list as shipped on the box: ±1% accuracy, stability, dual-protocol Bluetooth + ANT+, magnetic charging, temperature compensation, 300h battery, IP67, 97g (aluminum body), and broadcast of power (W), cadence (RPM), and L/R power balance (%).

Magnetic charging detail: the carbon version uses a contactless pogo-pin arrangement on the spider body, paired with the included magnetic USB cable. No port cover to lose, no rubber flap to tear, and the spider itself is rated IP67 — so washing the bike, riding in heavy rain, or training in a sweat-soaked pain cave is not a problem.

Notable specs: 97g measured (aluminum), 67g claimed (carbon); 300h rechargeable battery; IP67 sealing; ANT+ and Bluetooth dual protocol; ±1% claimed accuracy; Easton Cinch crank interface. The claimed cadence range is not published, which is a red flag for a power meter at any price. The 1-year warranty is below segment average — most spider power meters ship with 2 years.

Notable omissions: there is no published L/R balance methodology, no published operating temperature range, no published IP test depth (IP67 is the standard claim but no third-party test data is published), and no published cadence range. The lack of basic spec-sheet transparency is consistent with a white-label product that has not been engineered for the market.

Setup & Installation

The EK01 requires an Easton Cinch-compatible crank. The spider drops onto the Easton 30mm spindle and locks with a centre bolt. Aftermarket 110 BCD 4-bolt chainrings fit as expected. Installation is a standard bottom-bracket and crank swap — no specialty tools beyond an 8mm hex for the spider pinch bolts and a torque wrench for the centre bolt (specified at 40 Nm).

Pairing requires the Elilee app (iOS and Android). The app is functional but rough: it discovers the spider, prompts for ANT+ or Bluetooth, and walks through zero-offset calibration. App quirks noted: the live-data view updates at ~1Hz (acceptable for set-and-forget use, slow for a sprint check), and the firmware-update flow requires the app to stay foregrounded for the full ~3-minute flash. The app does not log zero-offset history, so the rider cannot see the cumulative-drift behaviour after the fact.

Firmware update 1.10 is the most recent at the time of testing. The release notes cite "optimised response delay and cadence fluctuation fix". The 1.10 update did not produce any measurable improvement in our test data: the 4-5 second indoor dropouts, the jagged outdoor cadence, and the sprint power loss were identical before and after the update. The vendor (Elilee) was sent the test data; the vendor has not committed to a fix.

Real-world Data

Our indoor validation protocol uses a Tacx Neo 3M as the trainer reference and a Favero Assioma Pro RS pedal PM as the secondary reference. The EK01 was installed on the same bike, recording the same trainer sessions, with the head unit broadcasting to a data logger. Both ANT+ and Bluetooth were tested in parallel.

Aluminum version — steady state. 200W steady-state on the trainer, fresh out of the box, firmware 1.05: Assioma 200W, Tacx 200W, EK01 ANT+ 201W. Within 1W, well inside the ±1% spec on paper. Initial impression: a $310 USD power meter that meets the spec on steady state. This is the part of the review where most budget power meters pass.

Aluminum version — indoor sprint. 10-second all-out sprint from a 30-second threshold hold: Assioma 1247W, EK01 ANT+ data went to zero at the 4-second mark, dropped out for 4-5 seconds, then recovered to 1102W. The peak power was reported as 105W — the cadence sensor had zeroed out under the >1000W load, and the power calculation (torque × cadence) followed the cadence to zero. This is a fatal failure for any interval or sprint training.

Aluminum version — post-sprint drift. After a >1000W sprint, return to 200W steady-state: Assioma 200W, EK01 ANT+ 210W (a 10W positive shift). Manual re-zero of the EK01 brought the reading back to 200W. Subsequent sprints in the same session produced cumulative drift identical to the ThinkRider PP5 / Coospo S10 behaviour: after the second sprint, EK01 ANT+ 218W; after the third sprint, EK01 ANT+ 226W. The drift is reproducible and the only mitigation is to stop the ride, manually re-zero, and resume.

Aluminum version — outdoor cadence jagged. On the outdoor road, the cadence data was a sawtooth pattern: the reported cadence jumped up and down by 20-30 RPM every second, completely uncorrelated with the rider’s actual pedalling. The power calculation (torque × cadence) followed the cadence noise, making the power data on flat road equally noisy. This is a different failure mode from the indoor dropouts; the outdoor cadence jagged behaviour is present on every ride.

Aluminum version — power rise/fall delay. On both indoor and outdoor tests, the EK01 power data showed a noticeable delay in both the rise (when the rider increased effort) and the fall (when the rider decreased effort). The delay is approximately 1-2 seconds. The delay is independent of the indoor dropout and the outdoor jagged-cadence failure modes; it is a separate, reproducible behaviour. The 1.10 firmware update did not improve the delay.

Aluminum version — between-test drift. Two 200W steady-state tests, performed one hour apart with the same bike, same trainer, same rider: Assioma 200W in both tests; EK01 ANT+ 201W in the first test, 193W in the second test. A 7-8W shift in one hour, with no sprint in between, is a different failure mode from the post-sprint residual-torque effect. The EK01 baseline drifts even on set-and-forget steady-state riding.

Carbon version — cross-validation. After the aluminum-version data was sent to Elilee, the carbon version was installed on the same bike, same crank, same chainrings, same trainer, same protocol. The carbon version reproduced the sprint-cadence-zeroing failure on the first test session. The carbon version also showed a constant 15-20W low bias across the test window: Assioma 200W, EK01 ANT+ 182W. The low bias is a new failure mode not present on the aluminum version. The carbon version’s 67g weight does not fix any of the data issues; it only adds a constant offset.

Carbon version — same outdoor jagged cadence. The carbon version showed the same sawtooth cadence pattern on outdoor riding as the aluminum version. The 1.10 firmware update did not improve the cadence data on either version. The vendor (Elilee) was sent the carbon-version data; the vendor has not committed to a fix.

Long-term Use & Drift Behaviour

Across the two-unit test, the EK01 was installed on a single road bike for ~8 hours of mixed indoor and outdoor riding. No battery degradation was observed. The 300h battery claim is plausible based on the test data; the USB charging cable is included in the box and the connector is industry-standard USB-C (a small improvement over the proprietary magnetic cable on the ThinkRider PP5 and the Coospo S10).

The two failure modes that are unique to the EK01 (indoor 4-5 second dropouts and between-test drift) are present on every ride. The cumulative-drift behaviour after sprints is the same as the PP5 / S10 family. The carbon version’s 15-20W low bias is a new failure mode that compounds with the sprint failure mode. The vendor (Elilee) has acknowledged the data and has not committed to a fix.

App and firmware: the Elilee app is functional but rough. Live-data view is slow (~1Hz). Firmware update flow requires the app to stay foregrounded for the full flash. There is no support for structured-workout export. The app does not log zero-offset history, so the rider cannot see the cumulative-drift behaviour after the fact. The 1.10 firmware update was not effective at fixing any of the documented issues.

Competitors

Same hardware family. The ThinkRider PP5 ($100 USD spider) and the Coospo S10 ($88 USD spider) are the most likely OEM siblings: same Easton Cinch interface, same white-label hardware family. The PP5 reproduces the same residual-torque defect but does not have the 4-5 second indoor dropouts. The S10 reproduces the same residual-torque defect and adds a 1-second data delay. The EK01 is the most expensive of the three and the worst performer on data quality.

Sub-$300 spider segment. The Magene P515 PES kit at $299 is the right answer for a sub-$300 spider with validated data. The 4iiii PRECISION 3 at $279 (left-only) or $579 (dual) is the established low-cost reference. Both have published independent-test history with data within 1% of the Assioma. The EK01 at $310 USD spider alone is the same price as the P515 PES kit; the data is unusable for training.

Pedal segment. The Favero Assioma Pro RS at $750 is the gold-standard pedal PM. For a rider who wants a power meter that works on day one and stays accurate across the lifetime of the device, the Assioma Pro RS is the right answer. The pedal PM is also easier to install and easier to move between bikes than a spider PM — the Elilee video mentioned that pedal PMs can be installed in minutes, which is a real point in favour of the pedal segment for any rider who does not want to do the compatibility research that spider PMs require.

White-label OEM concern. The shared hardware and firmware behaviour between the EK01, the PP5, the S10, the XKD S10, and the Sugay S10 strongly suggests a single OEM selling to multiple brand-label customers. The buyer has no way to verify the underlying engineering, the firmware quality, or the long-term support commitment of any of these brands. The safest assumption is that the next firmware bug will hit all five brands at the same time, and the vendor support response will be the same slow or non-existent response across all five.

Final Verdict

The Elilee EK01 is a power meter that fails the data-integrity check that a power meter exists to provide. The 4-5 second indoor dropouts, the jagged outdoor cadence, the residual-torque effect after sprints, the between-test drift, and the carbon version’s 15-20W low bias combine to make the EK01 unusable for any structured-training workflow. The aluminum version at $310 USD is the same price as the Magene P515 PES kit at $299, which is validated in independent testing. The carbon version at $1200 AUD spider alone does not fix the data issues; it only adds weight savings and a constant 15-20W low bias. The vendor (Elilee) has acknowledged the data and has not committed to a fix.

For any structured-training power meter in 2026: the EK01 should be skipped. The Magene P515 PES kit at $299 is the right answer for a sub-$300 spider with validated data. The Favero Assioma Pro RS at $750 is the gold-standard pedal PM. The ThinkRider PP5, the Coospo S10, the XKD S10, and the Sugay S10 are the same white-label OEM hardware as the EK01; all four are skipped for the same reason. Until Elilee (or any of the other white-label brands) publishes a firmware fix that resolves the sprint-cadence-zeroing defect and the residual-torque effect, the EK01 should be skipped.