Questions & pre-ride feedback

[Patterson]

First of all, thank you for such an innovative and affordable product. I'm happy to have been one of the Kickstarter backers.

However, I have a few questions and issues that need solving:
1. I thought I followed the [very simple] pairing and calibration process, but somehow I don't think it worked. My Garmin 520 has recognized the PowerPod, and it did the thing where it counted the watts up from 0-100 (skipping a few, and jumping around a bit, but eventually getting there - 5 min), and then the power displayed.
2. The figures were huge and obviously wrong, to start. I thought it would adjust and settle down.
3. Then I went for a ride (the next morning - today) and the figures were all over the place, again, with often zero being shown when I was pedaling, and in the hundreds when coasting for prolonged periods. My cadence and speed sensors are working normally. There is nothing obstructing the device, and it is mounted securely with the square side flush to the mount (BarFly).
4. When done with a ride, do I turn it off? When I start do I turn it on?

Here is my ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/458991222 Go to Analysis on the left, and mouse-over a point where the power is zero and you'll likely see that my cadence is not zero. Conversely, mouse-over a section where the cadence is zero and you may see that the claimed power is up. Again, I know that my cadence sensor is working properly. Also, notice how the power figures are super high at first, then start leveling out a bit. Maybe it's still setting up/calibrating?

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Some feedback on the unboxing:
1. I backed the Kickstarter option that includes two units. However, the invoice states "Qty 1". Then it lists the price. I wasn't sure if this was the price per unit or if the "1" was a mistake. Then I realized the "1" referred to the package of two units. A bit confusing.

2. Two sets of instructions would have been useful. The other unit is for a friend, but we only have one set of instructions. A simpler way would have been to include a URL to instructions online within each box. Then you can update the instructions if needed, over time, and not have to print anything else.

3. There were some very tiny cosmetic blemishes on both the units. On the first one, I noticed a large one on the side, then saw that the second one has this dot too. Separately, there are other very minor finishing flaws. They don't bother me, though.

4. The PowerStroke upgrade is available, but I only received my PowerPod yesterday (I'm in Singapore). I need more than 48 hours to test and use the PowerPod before deciding on buying this upgrade - can that be extended for people like me that only just received their PowerPods?

5. I downloaded the Isaac software on my PC fine, but on my Mac, I can't get it to unzip. I can download, but when I try to extract it using Archive Utility, it says, "Unable to expand "Isaac_for_Mac.zip" into "Desktop". (Error 2 - No such file or directory.)

Thank you.

[Velocomp]

Wow, lots of questions!

Please email us at technicalsupport@velocomp.com and we will respond to everything promptly.

It would be extremely helpful if you installed free Isaac software and then downloaded your ride to Isaac. It will provide much more detail than Strava.

If you have questions about how to install Isaac please include this in your comments.

[Velocomp]

We will certainly extend the PowerStoke option for you. Just email us if you want to proceed.

Just after calibration PP numbers may be huge; give them about a minute to settle-down.

Watch out with the Barfly mount; they are made from plastic and tend to be a bit too flexible.

PowerPod will turn itself off whenever speed = 0 for 5 minutes. You don't have to do anything.

To turn PowerPod on, just click its button.

Please post a .ibr ride file so we can look in great detail at your ride.

[Patterson]

Thanks for the reply. Allow me to post an .ibr file (is that generated by Isaac?) and post it.

Maybe I should get a K-edge mount. The quality of the mount supplied with the PP is clearly superior to the Barfly but I like the dual option the Barfly offers (Garmin on top, PP on bottom).

[Patterson]

I still haven't been able to get it to work properly.

I rode this morning and for the first 15 minutes no power figures showed up. It felt like it had stopped working. It was still paired, however.

Then, suddenly, numbers started appearing, sometimes very high and often very low - with no apparent correlation with how much effort I was exerting or my leg movement/cadence.

Overall it feels like it does not work, except when it wants to, and even then, it's clearly off.

Attached is the .ibr file - the speed, cadence, and heart rate all look accurate. The rest are not.

By the way, I moved the PowerPod to the mount that came with it - not the BarFly anymore.

Andrew

[Velocomp]

I think you may have a problem with your unit.

Please email technicalsupport@velocomp.com for next steps.

[Patterson]

I sent my ride file directly from Isaac on Jan 2, and received an autoresponder saying I'd hear back, but haven't heard anything.

Please let me know how to resolve this issue.

Kind of disappointed that I've had to stop using the PowerPod.

[Velocomp]

I sent my ride file directly from Isaac on Jan 2, and received an autoresponder saying I'd hear back, but haven't heard anything.

Please let me know how to resolve this issue.

Kind of disappointed that I've had to stop using the PowerPod.

Please resend your ride file to jhamann@velocomp.com

[Patterson]

Sent.

[Fostex]

3. There were some very tiny cosmetic blemishes on both the units. On the first one, I noticed a large one on the side, then saw that the second one has this dot too. Separately, there are other very minor finishing flaws. They don't bother me, though.

The large cosmetic blemish you mention isn't one but rather that static port for the airspeed sensor. I'm a pilot as well as a cyslist and all aircraft have something similar as well. To measure airspeed you need to know dynamic and static pressure. Dynamic pressure comes from air entering the aperture at the front of the powerpod, static pressure from the hole on the side. It isn't just a bad injection moulding point!

Have to say I am very pleased with the Powerpod, I am riding it alongside my Powertap and once I had entered my weight accurately and tweaked my CdA and Crr a bit it is pretty close to the Powertap. I plan on using it when travelling and I want to hire a bike to train on but cannot bring a bulky powermeter with me. The Powerpod will fit in my pocket.

The one thing I think it could really benefit from John is the BLE pairing with a smart phone. Having an app that would confirm the current status of the Powerpod, e.g. pairing etc. would be really useful. Hopefully that will home when you get the BLE/ANT+ version the market.

Allen