Questions from new user

[kaevin]

Hi,

First of all, I am excited to receive my Powerpod. I just received my powerpod a few days ago before today's first ride.

Didnt know about the Issac software, I followed the instructions shipped with my Powerpod, without changing the height/weight settings etc in Issac.

After that, I took my bike and head for a ride to do the first calibration ride and the number steadily go to 100W and looks OK.

Then I dismounted briefly for like about a minute and drink some water. Afterwards I started to ride again and see my power shot up to 1000W+. Didn't know what to do I just keep riding, and later it returned to something like 180W.

I continued and it gave me power reading from 180 to 250W that looks responsive to wind direction as well short slopes. But then somehow my Garmin reads 0W suddenly. And I kept riding, after a while it gave me something like 10 to 50W.

After the workout, I used ISSAC to download all files. Somehow it seems the slope data right after I dismounted and start again has all messed up.

iBike_04_18_2016_1032_19_Miles.ibr

1st part of ride

(207.51 KiB) Downloaded 327 times

And for the 0W reading, the powerpod seems stopped working and later on started another file afterwards.

iBike_04_18_2016_1143_23_Miles.ibr

2nd part of ride

(51.59 KiB) Downloaded 282 times

The TCX file for the activity with Garmin 510 (with baro):

edge_activity_1237262616.tcx

tcx from garmin

(2.67 MiB) Downloaded 430 times

So my questions are as follow:
1. Do I need to change my profile (height/weight/bikeweight) to give accurate display?
2. Do I need to re-calibrate my powerpod? If so, how?
3. Why would I get a 0W reading and a separated file mid ride? It didn't look like it was out of battery considering it was the first ride I have with it.
4. What caused the power shooting up? I didn't move/touched the powerpod, but the mount comes with my powerpod seems to be able to move/rotate up/down a bit even with screw tighten.. What should I do?

Thanks

Kevin

[kaevin]

This looks like the calibration ride:

iBike_04_18_2016_1027_1_Miles.ibr

(17.15 KiB) Downloaded 377 times

[Velocomp]

What kind of bike are you riding? Please show a photo of how your PowerPod is mounted on your bike.

[kaevin]

It is a road bike, a CAAD 10, one cable was getting in the way and I used some tape to tape it to another cable to stop it from covering the wind port

[kaevin]

Hi John,

Any update on this?

Kevin

[kaevin]

By the way, I have moved the powerpod to a new combo mount and updated the profile (bike and rider weight, position, riding position). I also tried to keep the "powerpod" letters on the side to be parallel to the ground this time. Do I need to recalibrate? And if so, how do I trigger a recalibrate?

[Velocomp]

In the photos you posted your PowerPod was pointed too high. That would cause the problems you are experiencing.

It sounds like you have fixed this problem with the new mount.

During the first 8 minutes of riding with your new mount the PP will automatically recalibrate itself. So, you don't have to do anything extra.

[kaevin]

Thanks John. Now it gives consistent readings for 3 rides. Only thing is it seems hard to charge without slightly moved the angle, so every time it takes the first few minutes to adjust.

One question though, it seems to me the "first few minutes" if ride with a speed too slow e.g 20kph, it cannot adjust itself correctly until I ride at a speed which I maintain most of the time during the whole ride e.g. 30kph, once I ride with the high and low ends of the speed for a while, the reading seems "settled". Does my observation make sense?

[Velocomp]

When you reattach your PP, push it forward gently until you feel it hit the stop on the mount. Then, tighten the bolt. I find this works very well for me.

The speed at which you ride has no effect on the recalibration. During the first 8 minutes of the ride PP will correct itself.

[kaevin]

Sadly the combo mount I have is a fourier garmin-gopro combo which does not have the same "stopping-piece" as the powerpod mount. It would be hard to keep it horizontal when hitting a "stop" without modifying the view angle of the garmin. I can live with re calibrating first 8 mins of each ride though.

Thanks.

[Rob_B]

At the moment I have just one mount for two bikes, so I have to move the PP over complete with the mount.

To get it back in the same spot I use a spirit level app on my smartphone.
I use the PowerPod logo on the side as a guide. With that horizontal I know it is back in the same place as it was during the last ride. Or at least close enough.

[Velocomp]

At the moment I have just one mount for two bikes, so I have to move the PP over complete with the mount.

To get it back in the same spot I use a spirit level app on my smartphone.
I use the PowerPod logo on the side as a guide. With that horizontal I know it is back in the same place as it was during the last ride. Or at least close enough.

That would work quite well!

[kaevin]

It is working great for me now.

Just a thought, if the powerpod could support a "align command" it would be great, e.g. place bike horizontal, send the command via pc/some keypress, then once the powerpod detect it is aligned horizontally it reports so via light/pc screen prompt. It should be hard to do since powerpod itself has the sensor needed already but it would help those who constantly swapping between different bikes.