What's coming next?

[benlane]

Saw this review from interbike which is intriguing. Wonder when we'll know more?


iBike skipped the show floor for a private suite, where you had to sign a non disclosure agreement to see their newest innovation. It's due out in March 2010, and it has the potential to be a real game changer.

[djconnel]

I introduced this question in this thread.

[rruff]

I guess it's a secret... but aren't we all sworn to secrecy?

[Morocco Mole]

doesn't stop us speculating (dreaming) does it? How about

- GEN IV, new smaller form factor but same screen size.
- Wireless ANT+ built into the unit, no wireless mount required
- Rechargeable built-in battery, 100 hour run-time in cold weather, recharges off the USB port
- Upgraded processor with greater accuracy, full automatic compensation for temperature and barometric pressure changes
- Backlight
- speaker for audible interval start\stop, alerts etc
- Native USB 2.0 support
- Built in GPS for logging (not mapping)

Disclaimer, I know nothing about what is coming out next and have no inside information, just my personal wishlist.

[coachboyd]

Also, the wind port doubles as a cappuccino maker, perfect for those cold weather days.

[lungbuster]

Also, the wind port doubles as a cappuccino maker, perfect for those cold weather days.

Or doubles as a laser canon to remove unwanted vehicles.

[lorduintah]

The iBike shape does look like a "phaser" more than a "tri-corder" -

Seriously, though, what is the best choice to ensure that the face-plate window is properly sealed - aside from dumping water on it? It would seem that air leaks here may be one of the culprits for unstable wind calibrations

Tom

[racerfern]

Seriously, though, what is the best choice to ensure that the face-plate window is properly sealed - aside from dumping water on it? It would seem that air leaks here may be one of the culprits for unstable wind calibrations

I made a tiny mix of dishwashing soap/water mix and put it around the edge of the window. Then I blew lightly into the wind port. No bubbles appeared by the window edge so I have to assume my unit is airtight.

[iRacing.com]

Looking forward to seeing if the ibike will work with these.

http://www.metrigear.com/products/

[ldmitruk]

Also, the wind port doubles as a cappuccino maker, perfect for those cold weather days.

Or doubles as a laser canon to remove unwanted vehicles.

And the upgrade will be free, but shipping and handling will cost $400.00

[Morocco Mole]

Looking forward to seeing if the ibike will work with these.

http://www.metrigear.com/products/

It's ANT+ , so very likely. The bigger question is, who's head-unit will first support the additional data the vector provides over and above the standard ANT+ specification. I know who my money is on

[Björn]

Bump. Anything new about this?

[Morocco Mole]

If your talking about the vector power meter, then this blog is always worth a read http://www.metrigear.com/blog/

[Björn]

No I meant the new innovation from ibike.

[Russ]

Well, lacking any real information and vector summing the various comments of John, coachboyd et al, one must reckon that the cooks are busy in the kitchen . Of course the grand sum vector is called the superposition vector and in QM is clearly affected by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle

Russ

[lorduintah]

Russ -

Does that not imply at least two possible outcomes?

Tom

[djconnel]

It's getting close to March....

My guess is GPS.

[MdC]

I think Morocco Mole has indentified the main items but perhaps they will change the way wind is measured. Instead of one wind port on the unit, maybe there will be multiple positioned on the bike or unit to measure cross-wind better.

I see Velocomp trying to position the iBike as the unit of choice for DFPM users over Garmin etal. If they replace the battery with a USB rechargable, push the ability to measure CdA and provide a nicer screen layout they should be on a winner. It's the ability to measure CdA that distinguishes them from the others.

On another tangent, when I ride home I go past a few rowing clubs and wonder if there is an application for rowers. They measure watts on trainers so perhaps the concept of measuring opposing forces can be applied to rowing. Speed could be measured by GPS (you'd need to differentially correct the data to remove GPS errors with a real-time correction service to get reliable speed), wind is pretty straight forward, use the accelerometer for stroke power and I guess there would be a coast down like method for determining drag in the water.

[NCH1]

This does not apply to me because I use the Edge 705 for such purposes, but it maybe useful to add the following features to Morocco Mole's list, and the Ibike display:
1. current power zone ( zones set according to FTP)
2.% of FTP you are currently riding at
3. average % of FTP power etc etc
4. A back light for those who ride in the dark (it may add to much weight though)

On another note, one of the current Australian cycling magazines has something called a i-GotU GT-120 GPS Travel Logger advertised. It apparently weights only 20 grams. My thinking then is that a GPS data logger would not add a great deal of weight to an ibike unit.

Nik

[Morocco Mole]

This does not apply to me because I use the Edge 705 for such purposes, but it maybe useful to add the following features to Morocco Mole's list, and the Ibike display:
1. current power zone ( zones set according to FTP)
2.% of FTP you are currently riding at
3. average % of FTP power etc etc
4. A back light for those who ride in the dark (it may add to much weight though)

On another note, one of the current Australian cycling magazines has something called a i-GotU GT-120 GPS Travel Logger advertised. It apparently weights only 20 grams. My thinking then is that a GPS data logger would not add a great deal of weight to an ibike unit.

Nik

I have one of the i-GotU GPS Travel loggers, which is where I got the idea on my original list

[kylef]

I don't think power zones and percentage of FTP are particularly important to view during a ride. The display does show Intensity Factor (IF), which can cover some of your use cases. The instantaneous Intensity Factor isn't all that relevant (or useful). It's based on Normalized Power and it'd require a 30 second rolling average. Even then viewing NP data for durations under 20 minutes is somewhat meaningless. How would knowing your current IF change your ride versus knowing your current wattage?

More useful display information would be your 5 second, 1 min, 5min, and 20 minute max power numbers. The instantaneous max power number isn't very useful other than bragging rights. Then again, this data is easy to get post-ride anyway. I can't think of a whole lot that I need in a display that would influence my actual ride or training.

This does not apply to me because I use the Edge 705 for such purposes, but it maybe useful to add the following features to Morocco Mole's list, and the Ibike display:
1. current power zone ( zones set according to FTP)
2.% of FTP you are currently riding at
3. average % of FTP power etc etc
4. A back light for those who ride in the dark (it may add to much weight though)

On another note, one of the current Australian cycling magazines has something called a i-GotU GT-120 GPS Travel Logger advertised. It apparently weights only 20 grams. My thinking then is that a GPS data logger would not add a great deal of weight to an ibike unit.

Nik

[NCH1]

Well, I don't do 20 minute efforts, they are usually of a one hour duration, and I prefer to know that I am roughly in the percentage range of FTP I have chosen for this session. Personally, I don't really want to compute in my head whilst riding hard whether I'm in that range. Having said that, I do have the two screens, the ibike and the Edge 705. The ibike showing the instantaneous wattage etc, and the Edge displaying FTP data.

Nik

[R Mc]

I don't understand a lot of this desire for more numbers.

The more I ride with power, I find I want one number most: current power. If I'm doing intervals, two numbers: current power and time to go.

If I've got my ftp tested correctly, and, if the workout is designed correctly, those are the only two numbers I need to look at.

And . . . once I get a sense of what my body feels like at those wattages, I can do something radical . . . like look out at the world beyond those instrument screens.

That said, I am really interested in what's going to be announced.

[NCH1]

Well, each person has his own preferred method of training, or has a training plan, and the options or features you do not need or want to view maybe what others are looking for in their training regime. In terms of advancing the ibike, additional features, possibly through configurable data fields is a viable option.

There's nothing radical about looking out at the world around you, except of course if you are in the basement on your turbo trainer

Nik

[Morocco Mole]

Well, I don't do 20 minute efforts, they are usually of a one hour duration, and I prefer to know that I am roughly in the percentage range of FTP I have chosen for this session. Personally, I don't really want to compute in my head whilst riding hard whether I'm in that range. Having said that, I do have the two screens, the ibike and the Edge 705. The ibike showing the instantaneous wattage etc, and the Edge displaying FTP data.

Nik

As a workaround, you can do a trip reset whenever you like, eg, at the start of each interval , be it 5min, 20min , 1hour etc You will then be able to view the NP,IF, TSS for that trip (interval) and tell if you are in the correct range for your ftp. Later on in the iBike software you can then join the files so you have a single ride file, each point where you have joined will me marked as a lap. Works really well actually.

I also have a very small printed chart stuck on my bars under clear contact which shows my Power Zones.

[Landim]

Any news yet?

[Björn]

Is there even coming an new ibike or what this new invention is in the near future. I have been waiting to buy an ibike because I don't want to buy one and find out that an new version is coming out next week. Have anyone from velocomp comfirmed that something new is going to be released.