Calibration and wind conditions

[smpratt02030]

I have tried to do my bike calibration 2x today with bad cal results both times. I've seen reference in a couple of posts to wind conditions and max speed but I see no guidance about this in the documentation. I've tried to do a relatively flat ride but there is a descent/ascent of about .2 miles. It's hard to get something totally flat where I live. Is this a necessity? Also the wind is fairly strong today, about 18-20 mph gusting to 30, but this is March in New England, so that's also hard to avoid. Any tips on how to get the calibration to work? Very frustrated with the lack of user-friendly documentation on the site and in the manuals!

[lorduintah]

Flatness is not the issue you are having trouble with - it is the 30 mph winds --- the wind scaling portion is not going to do very well unless you can pick a time of day or a day with that in the 5-10 mph max range.

If you choose to go the coast-down route - then the calibrations work better if you get up to speed and coast on a gentle incline, if you don't have a flat spot - and you use the same section of road in one direction for all CDs - which should be + slope and not a tail wind, if possible. You need to get up to 20 mph and the CD measuring starts at about 18 mph and continues down to 8 mph.

The key with this and the Isaac software is to get a reasonable wind scaling - which can be improved with additional rides and the software - but you don't need to keep checking the calibration after every ride either. - especially whyen the software informs you that there are only minor changes.

[smpratt02030]

Thanks for the reply, but I have to wonder why this guidance isn't ANYWHERE in your user manuals. Why do you make people have to dig for it and post to forums after wasting their time trying a calibration ride in conditions that won't work???

[Velocomp]

Thanks for the reply, but I have to wonder why this guidance isn't ANYWHERE in your user manuals. Why do you make people have to dig for it and post to forums after wasting their time trying a calibration ride in conditions that won't work???

We used to have all kinds of qualifiers about cal rides, coast downs, etc. What we found is that most people ride in moderate conditions, so that our warnings were not necessarily helpful, but instead needlessly scary.

We might have gone too far in the "simplicity" direction, and you make a fair point regarding the cal ride, so have corrected this. Doing cal rides in extremely windy conditions won't work well, as you have discovered. Our updated instructions now emphasize this. You can find them here:

http://www.ibikeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2394

We DO say that, if you do coast downs (something that isn't really necessary any more) that you should do it only in calm wind conditions, on level to uphill roads.

[smpratt02030]

OK, I just tried to do the cal ride again today. Wind less than 10 mph. Two more BAD CAL rides! Please help. I'm just about ready to give up and ship this back for a refund. By the way, the link you gave me was to the instructions I used, which say NOTHING about wind conditions or anything else particularly useful.

[Velocomp]

OK, I just tried to do the cal ride again today. Wind less than 10 mph. Two more BAD CAL rides! Please help. I'm just about ready to give up and ship this back for a refund. By the way, the link you gave me was to the instructions I used, which say NOTHING about wind conditions or anything else particularly useful.

The instructions were updated yesterday (3/23/13) and reposted, here:

http://www.ibikeforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=2394

If you downloaded them you will find new information on the Cal Ride in both the Quick Start and Newton