Planning to buy a new pair of Assioma power pedals

[Ming the Merciless]

Off the back of this thread I just picked up dual sided mtb versions.

As there is a Sigma Sports shop not far away; i was able to order for next day pickup.

The first thing I did was put them on charge using supplied cable. Whilst that was going on; I removed my old broken left power meter crank and put the original crank back on.

Crank on. Installed the Faverro app on my phone. Select new pedals and it will walk you through setting them up. Seems first thing you need to do is put them on charge, as they are put into what is called travel mode at factory. So did that already!

Then removed right pedal from bike. Some grease on Faverro pedal threads. Then screw in pedals by hand. Check the right pedal nub with led clears chain by at least 4mm with chain in big ring. Plus also clears chain stay by same amount. Use one or two of supplied washers if not. Did not need washers, so straight to snugging up pedals with pedal wrench. Nothing stupid, just nice and snug.

Then in Faverro app search for your pedals. Then fill in form in app and submit to activate them. This also starts warranty period.

After activated, pair with your bike GPS (under sensors on Garmin). On paired go into sensor settings in your GPS and set the crank length. Set cranks vertical and do the calibration / zero offset option.

Add power data fields on your GPS. Go for a pedal. After about 20m or so the fields will start showing values. The first pedal strokes the pedals do some further internal calibration.

Having bought dual sided I was amused to see.

Though there are lots of other useful metrics such as how much of the pedal stroke I am applying positive power through for each leg. Plus peak power phase etc.

Plus only a recovery ride today. Will see how balanced it is for my VO2 max session tomorrow.

Nice to have power data back.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Oh and after my ride whilst looking around the Faverro app. It had a firmware update to apply. That update is the one that takes them from 60 to 160 hours between charging. On the mtb pedals it moved to version 7.10 or similar. The app also gives you a bar showing current charge state of each pedal. Mine are at about 75-80% charge.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

On my VO2 max today I see a difference between left and right. Means my single sided would have been underestimating my power output. Money not wasted 😁

Not surprised as mountaineering accident damaged left leg a little over 20 years ago, and would not expect them to be same.

 

[super_davo]

On my VO2 max today I see a difference between left and right. Means my single sided would have been underestimating my power output. Money not wasted 😁

Not surprised as mountaineering accident damaged left leg a little over 20 years ago, and would not expect them to be same.

View attachment 813247

i had a single sided power meter for ages (4iiii) and I never truly trusted its figures. Once I had a set of Assioma's found out my L/R balance is weighted towards right side, but it varies a fair bit from ride to ride (worst I've ever seen is 40/60 but its usually around 46/54). I have no obvious reason why this is the case as no accident or injury to explain, and whatsmore, I'm left handed and left footed when I played football when younger.

Dual sided Assioma's are the gold standard and what I use on my best bike but I have an AliExpress £70 Thinkrider spider power meter on another bike and that gives me far more trustworthy figures than the 4iii ever did.

 

[Pblakeney]

i had a single sided power meter for ages (4iiii) and I never truly trusted its figures. Once I had a set of Assioma's found out my L/R balance is weighted towards right side, but it varies a fair bit from ride to ride (worst I've ever seen is 40/60 but its usually around 46/54). I have no obvious reason why this is the case as no accident or injury to explain, and whatsmore, I'm left handed and left footed when I played football when younger.

This is normal. Anywhere above 45/55 is to be expected. Someone achieving 50/50 over a sustained period is extremely rare.

 

[Webbo2]

I have found since having a power meter I’m burning less calories. When my Wahoo was basing my calorie expenditure on my H/R weight and age rather than my power, weight and age. I was burning nearly twice as many calories.
I might have sack off this power thing.🤣🤣🤣

 

[Dan Lotus]

Damn that technology!

I've also noticed on my 4iiiiii crank equipped bike, it appears to be over reading.
I'd like to carry out a test where I have power pedals attached at the same time to carry out a comparison, but am I correct in thinking I would either need two head units, or could connect one to my phone running strava for example?
I could borrow my partners 540 but I think the phone route might be easier.

I'd rather keep the 4iiiii on the bike it is on, so will look to see if there is some way in the app, to turn the measurement down to let's say 0.9 of what it is now for arguments sake, if it appears to be over reading by that much.

EDIT: It appears that is available as an option.

I've just clocked, as it's on my wrist, that I have a Garmin Epix Gen 2 watch I could use to connect PM number 2 to.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I have Brexit legs. 48/52.

Oh no. I'll get the thread closed for that!

Oddly enough the stronger leg is my left which is (a) non dominant and (b) the knee that I wrecked and had to have major surgery on in 2006.

 

[Norry1]

Damn that technology!

I've also noticed on my 4iiiiii crank equipped bike, it appears to be over reading.
I'd like to carry out a test where I have power pedals attached at the same time to carry out a comparison, but am I correct in thinking I would either need two head units, or could connect one to my phone running strava for example?
I could borrow my partners 540 but I think the phone route might be easier.

I'd rather keep the 4iiiii on the bike it is on, so will look to see if there is some way in the app, to turn the measurement down to let's say 0.9 of what it is now for arguments sake, if it appears to be over reading by that much.

EDIT: It appears that is available as an option.

I've just clocked, as it's on my wrist, that I have a Garmin Epix Gen 2 watch I could use to connect PM number 2 to.

Connect one to Zwift and one to your Head Unit. Zwiftpower then allows you to do a comparison - or DC Rainmaker has a tool for that.

 

[super_davo]

The issue with left only really is consistency.

You can measure and find out you are 52/48 then adjust with scaling but will that be the same on every ride?

I've got enough data on myself after years of using OG Assiomas to know how much mine bounces around, and given the way left sided PMs double the output it only takes a small change to introduce a big % error into the power readings.

 

[Dan Lotus]

Connect one to Zwift and one to your Head Unit. Zwiftpower then allows you to do a comparison - or DC Rainmaker has a tool for that.

I use Rouvy, but alas this crank is on a thru axle bike that has never seen a trainer, and I have the trainer set up with a dedicated 21 year old QR bike, so wouldn't really want to go through the rigmarole of changing the adapters etc etc.
I think both meters and two head units (Or one head unit and my Garmin watch) is the way to go, and then try and get my head around that DCR tool - I've seen it used MANY times by the likes of GPLama, so hopefully nothing too taxing.
I appreciate this is not the right way to do it, and that yes differences will be magnified, BUT critically if it gets it much closer than it is currently is that would still be a big win.
In fact, thinking about it, I have a replacement factory modified 4i crank to go on this bike instead of the current one, but I'd still like to see how it compares with the pedals which I understand are considered the gold standard for measurement.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

Been using the pedals for about 6-7 weeks now and the other day realised that the app has a setting for crank length (I am generally lazy and just fit something without running through all the app configurations). My cranks are 160mm but the app had been at the factory setting of 172.5mm. Having corrected this my power has now dropped significantly (around 10-12%). Having done a bit of basic research I can see that the pedals will adjust the power accordingly, as the crank length is a central factor in this.

I have come off a 170mm crank based pm which I have used for years so I know my numbers. The Assioma are also giving power readings well below this (based on the 160mm crank length). My cadence is exactly the same BTW.

Surely crank length is not going to make that great a difference to power? I know that having had several crank based 170mm systems that my numbers are accurate so are the assioma's massively undercompensating in the algorithm with a shorter crank length? Surely the power you are putting through the pedals is your power, it should not be altered by crank length?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Been using the pedals for about 6-7 weeks now and the other day realised that the app has a setting for crank length (I am generally lazy and just fit something without running through all the app configurations). My cranks are 160mm but the app had been at the factory setting of 172.5mm. Having corrected this my power has now dropped significantly (around 10-12%). Having done a bit of basic research I can see that the pedals will adjust the power accordingly, as the crank length is a central factor in this.

I have come off a 170mm crank based pm which I have used for years so I know my numbers. The Assioma are also giving power readings well below this (based on the 160mm crank length). My cadence is exactly the same BTW.

Surely crank length is not going to make that great a difference to power? I know that having had several crank based 170mm systems that my numbers are accurate so are the assioma's massively undercompensating in the algorithm with a shorter crank length? Surely the power you are putting through the pedals is your power, it should not be altered by crank length?

No, you put force through through the pedals, which creates torque which when multiplied by cadence gives power. Power is calculated, not something you inherently measure. The torque is force x crank length. Reduce crank length and torque goes down, as does calculated power.

 

[Norry1]

The power is proportional to crank length, so your recorded power will be about 8% lower when you correct your crank length to 160mm.

If you have shorter cranks, you would expect to increase cadence.

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

No, you put force through through the pedals, which creates torque which when multiplied by cadence gives power. Power is calculated, not something you inherently measure. The torque is force x crank length. Reduce crank length and torque goes down, as does calculated power.

Interesting. I am not a physicist so bear with me if I ask dumb questions? So if torque reduces with crank length, and I am cycling at the same cadence on say 160mm and 170mm cranks (assuming same gear, bike etc.) then would I not be applying greater force to the pedals with the shorter crank in order to achieve the same cadence and therefore wouldn't the torque actually increase and result in a higher power calculation? I appreciate my logic may be way off but I am genuinely interested in this stuff.