AeroPod, PowerPod and Newton

After using my PowerPod for over 3 months and 60+ rides, I experienced my second erratic 0-watt failure of the unit.

Powerpod was all charged up, started ride as normal, green light solid, paired with Garmin 520, start pedaling and see Power readings as 0w or fluctuating between 2-11w for 30 minutes. I then did the 10-second PP reset-same issues. Then about 45 minutes into the ride after a brief stop at a traffic light, it mysteriously started reading watts that “appeared” normal, but soon it became clear they were all wrong- then started dropping out again. Yes, the unit was charged,and I spun up speed and cadence first, then powered on the PP, got solid green light, and saw it pair successfully with my Garmin Edge 520. I have ridden with it on over 60 rides, so I am well versed in how it “should” work.

This is the second time this failure occurred and there is only one 5-step solution to get it working again. 1. Connect to Isaac and perform a Complete Factory Reset, 2. Reload my rider profile in Isaac, 3. re-pair with my speed and cadence sensors, 4. re-pair with my Garmin and 5. perform a calibration ride. It’s like you are starting all over again from scratch. That whole process is a pain. I did all that and it is working fine again on last night’s ride. If you experience this, you may want to try the same- it has worked for me twice.

So, I would say I still love the PP “when it works”. But I would now sum it up as having 2 annoying issues: 1. speed sensor dropout issue with 0/erratic watts I and others have seen (fixable only by having a speed sensor mounted on front wheel hub) and now 2. the “erratic 0w failure” (fixable only via the 5-step Factory Reset)

The real issue with #2 is, if you do what you have always done, properly turning on/pairing the PowerPod and riding, you won’t know until you’re on the road that the unit has failed, needing the 5-step Factory Reset. And since you are already on your bike, you can’t fix it with your PC and Isaac so you end up with no Power readings for the entire ride.

Sadly, the Garmin 520 is having its own release issues as I and many riders are seeing, so even the biggest tech companies can have product launch issues. Hopefully, as John the PowerPod team develop future versions they can address these issues.

Please provide a .ibr ride file so we can try to figure out what is going on. A hard reset should have no effect on the problems you are reporting, so it seems like something else is going on.

For whatever it's worth, one of our biggest customers, who sells nearly ALL power meter brands, says that our failure and return rate is a fraction of the other guys.

John- I did not save any ride files before resetting it before my next ride- there was no time for that. If it happens a third time, I will ensure I save the last ride file to share with you. As noted, this is my second time this happened and all is good now, so it cannot be blamed on the speed sensors anymore as I have already been through all that, and my current front-hub mounted Garmin works flawlessly- even sending speed to my Garmin 520 when sitting on a stand. After the reset it was fine on the subsequent 15 mile ride I did- with no changes to the Garmin sensors or Garmin 520. It seems to be something with the PP itself. I completely understand that to provide a deep dive answer, the ride file is critical.

And one other note: I like others really like the PowerPod, iBike and you. But...when we point out an issue trying to be "good citizens helping you improve", we get rewarded with some good advice, mixed with defensive quips like "our failure and return rate is a fraction of the other guys". I never said I was mad, going to return it, or ever compared your issues to those of other Power Meters. I am simply sharing facts about my real-world experiences with the PP. I frankly don't care about the PP "compared to PowerMeter Brand X"- I only care about my PowerPod. I might suggest you not be so defensive and stay open to the free tech support we are providing you- polite, constructive feedback should be like gold to any company.

So, with that said, is there anything I can do to "reset" the PP so it works again WITHOUT going through the time-consuming 5-step process I outlined? The 10-second "button-press-reset" did nothing to fix it.