AeroPod, PowerPod and Newton

I went on my first ride yesterday. I had several questions about it. First, my setup is PowerPod V3 connected to Wahoo speed and cadence sensors via Ant+. The PP is connected to my iPhone using the Wahoo Fitness app via BLE.

1) The PP was not broadcasting speed. It just said N/A on the screen (not —, which is what it said for cadence when I wasn’t pedaling). That said, it was definitely tracking speed, as it showed up in the final ride file. Is this an issue anyone else has had?

2) I used the “Check Calibration” feature in Isaac after the ride. It recommended changes, so I accepted them. How often should I do this? Does this mean my initial calibration was significantly off?

3) There were many times I was pedaling, often fairly hard, while going downhill, and the power reading was showing <20 watts. Is that normal?

4) I tried to merge other data (wanted to merge HR and GPS info) from a .fit file my Wahoo app produced. For some reason, the only thing Isaac would read from the .fit file was speed (which again, is strange because it wasn’t showing speed in the app). Is there some trick to showing the other metrics?

I’ve attached the ride file and the .fit file below (I had to change the file extension to .pdf so I could attach it; just change it back to .fit to view). And before anyone laughs too hard at my power ratings, hr, etc., I know, I’m a weak rider compared to most!

Thank you very much for helping. I appreciate it.

Will

1) PP rebroadcasts speed and cadence signals in BLE format. If your Wahoo app was reading cadence, and if it did not read speed you'll need to figure out what setting isn't correct in the Wahoo app.

2) Your initial calibration was close. If you accepted the changes you shouldn't need to change things again

3) On downhills gravity does a huge amount of the work. Your downhills are pretty steep, so it is not surprising your watts were low.

4) You'll need to export your .fit files in .gpx or .tcx format in order to merge them into Isaac

You did a 33 mile ride with 1500 feet of climbing, that is nothing to apologize about!!

Thanks for the quick response (on a Sunday, no less).

As to the downhill watts, I guess I just felt like I was pushing a lot harder than 20 watts.

I’ll stop doing the check calibration thing now. Thanks for clearing it up.

I’ll try converting the fit file tonight to see if I can then import the HR information.

I appreciate the feedback. Hope you’re having a good weekend.

Will

I decided to give up on trying to use my iPhone and the Wahoo app as my cycling computer. It refused to show either speed or cadence, depending on the day. As a result, I purchased a Garmin Edge 530. I also moved the PowerPod to the other side of the handle bars. As a result, I figured I should just start from scratch. I did a reset (held the button down for 12 seconds). I paired my cadence and speed sensors with the Garmin (via ant+), then I paired my sensors to the PowerPod (also via ant+). Finally, I paired my PowerPod to the Garmin (assuming ant+). Everything seems to be connected fine. I did a calibration ride right after.

I had three questions:

1) Do you mind taking a look at my calibration ride (attached below) to see if anything looks irregular, especially compared to my prior calibration which is attached above? Today's calibration ride is labeled 06_01_2019. I assume the reset also reset the date and time settings. For some reason it's showing two calibration rides modified today. I assume the second calibration ride is my initial calibration ride from last month, but for some reason, the filename has changed (see above file). I attached it, too. It is labeled 09_21_2019.

2) I've read on here that I can setup a page on my Garmin to show PowerPod specific fields (I think it was real time slope and CdA). I'd be very interested in getting the most accurate and real time slope possible. Are there instructions (for idiots) that I can refer to? I've looked around and can't seem to find them.

3) I've seen a lot of people talk about pairing the PowerPod to an indoor trainer. What is the advantage to doing this? I ride indoors several days a week with a Wahoo Kickr Core, which displays power. What is the benefit of adding the PowerPod to the setup for indoor rides?

Thank you so much. This is a great forum, and I appreciate the company's and its owner's responsiveness.

Will

1) Yes, after hard reset the date/time in PP is lost. Once you connect PP to Isaac the date/time is restored in PP memory.

2) Please attach .ibr files AFTER your cal ride. Those will show if things are OK

3) Here is where you can find out how to get slope/wind speed on your Garmin screen (CdA is not available for PP)

https://velocompforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5292

4) If you have an indoor trainer with power measurement, use its readings. There is no incremental benefit to adding PP indoor power readings

Thanks for all the info and quick response!

Are you saying I need to do an additional ride or just attach the other rides it showed when I connected it after the calibration ride? Attached are the other two ride files that it spit out after the calibration ride. The one that ends with 0000_1 is showing in windows as modified the most recently (not sure if that matters).

WNH

You're OK. Rides look normal.

By the way: when you see these funny dates/times, it means you have done a hard reset of your device. When using PP, to wake it up simply click its button. Don't press-hold for 12 seconds.

You should be good to go now.

Thanks, John. I appreciate it.

WNH