There is described a method for determining the torque applied to a pedal axle (210) under load. The method comprises measuring the strain experienced by the pedal axle (210) as a result of the load, determining the orientation of the load from the strain measurement, determining the magnitude of the load from the strain measurement and determining torque from the orientation and the magnitude. There is also described a method for determining the orientation of a pedal axle (210) under load. The method comprises measuring the strain experienced by the pedal axle (210) as a result of the load and determining the orientation of the load from the strain measurement.