Using with iPhone is inadequate
Posted: Fri Apr 24, 2020 2:14 pm
I have sadly concluded that my moving from Newton to PowerPad has created much frustration for me and was a mistake. I switched to PowerPod induced by the ability to use my iPhone 11 Pro as a bike computer, but now I believe that PowerPod is intended for racers using a bike computer.
The Powerhouse app is a pain in the ass to use. Part of the problem is that it requires navigation through several screens just to pair the PowerPod, and each screen can only be accessed by app buttons in the CORNERS of the screen. Most lightweight phone straps for bike use secure the phone in the corners, so the straps have to be pushed out of the way and then reset each time. (Pairing before putting the phone on the bike is too risky, because in setting the straps you risk turning off the screen, and then having to start over again.) Whoever designed the app did not take into account how most people use phones on a bike. A rigid phone cradle/clamp is a weight penalty I’m not willing to make.
If you take break for more than five minutes, the app disconnects from the PowerPod, and you have to end the ride, re-pair as described above, and start a new ride. There is no way to re-pair a disconnected PowerPod in the middle of the ride.
The Powerhouse app does not display elapsed time in a useable way. First, it is in tiny type that no one under 45 can read without reading glasses, and certainly not while riding. Second, it is in the upper right corner of the screen - under a rubber strap that holds my phone to the bike. Third, it only displays total elapsed time, not time on the bike. I would pay for an app that put actual riding time on the display where I could see it.
The Powerhouse app does not display heart rate. I know about the arguments that real racers do not need to see it. But, I’m over 65 and I want it.
Use the Wahoo Fitness app? Lord knows I’ve tried for months. It simply will not display speed and distance from PowerPod. I contacted Velocomp and was told to contact Wahoo. I contacted Wahoo and was told to contact Velocomp. For a time, I tried just getting speed in the app directly from my speed sensor, but now in that setup the Wahoo app just stops recording at random points in a ride, and then mysteriously starts again a while later. I cannot use GPS for speed because I ride in forests and deep canyons where I lose GPS at times. And the Wahoo app wildly over-calculates elevation gain. Contacting Wahoo support got a response that it is a known issue and in their queue to fix - sometime.
Starva? Starva stopped supporting third party sensors last year.
I welcome suggestions, but at this point I’m probably going to go back to my Newton - if it still works.
The Powerhouse app is a pain in the ass to use. Part of the problem is that it requires navigation through several screens just to pair the PowerPod, and each screen can only be accessed by app buttons in the CORNERS of the screen. Most lightweight phone straps for bike use secure the phone in the corners, so the straps have to be pushed out of the way and then reset each time. (Pairing before putting the phone on the bike is too risky, because in setting the straps you risk turning off the screen, and then having to start over again.) Whoever designed the app did not take into account how most people use phones on a bike. A rigid phone cradle/clamp is a weight penalty I’m not willing to make.
If you take break for more than five minutes, the app disconnects from the PowerPod, and you have to end the ride, re-pair as described above, and start a new ride. There is no way to re-pair a disconnected PowerPod in the middle of the ride.
The Powerhouse app does not display elapsed time in a useable way. First, it is in tiny type that no one under 45 can read without reading glasses, and certainly not while riding. Second, it is in the upper right corner of the screen - under a rubber strap that holds my phone to the bike. Third, it only displays total elapsed time, not time on the bike. I would pay for an app that put actual riding time on the display where I could see it.
The Powerhouse app does not display heart rate. I know about the arguments that real racers do not need to see it. But, I’m over 65 and I want it.
Use the Wahoo Fitness app? Lord knows I’ve tried for months. It simply will not display speed and distance from PowerPod. I contacted Velocomp and was told to contact Wahoo. I contacted Wahoo and was told to contact Velocomp. For a time, I tried just getting speed in the app directly from my speed sensor, but now in that setup the Wahoo app just stops recording at random points in a ride, and then mysteriously starts again a while later. I cannot use GPS for speed because I ride in forests and deep canyons where I lose GPS at times. And the Wahoo app wildly over-calculates elevation gain. Contacting Wahoo support got a response that it is a known issue and in their queue to fix - sometime.
Starva? Starva stopped supporting third party sensors last year.
I welcome suggestions, but at this point I’m probably going to go back to my Newton - if it still works.