Looking for general thoughts/feedback on the Velocomp PowerPod. Are the numbers believable? Thoughts? Thanks!
Hi @nick.stayner - I have not heard of the Velocomp Power Pod - can you share some info/links with us here to see?
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Don’t waste your money on this product!
It measures airflow through a pitot tube like an aeroplane. It has proven to be very unreliable in use.
Hi Frank, here is link to the product: NEW! PowerPod V4 – Velocomp | PowerPod | AeroPod | Accurate, Affordable, Portable Power Meters
…and a link to DC Rainmaker’s review/side by side comparison: NEW! PowerPod V4 – Velocomp | PowerPod | AeroPod | Accurate, Affordable, Portable Power Meters (this is an older review, but the technology in newer units is similar).
I bought one (the “Lite”) out of curiosity from someone local last fall and have been using it on my gravel bike all spring and summer to train for the handful of events I’ve done. I was a completely new gravel rider in 2020- I didn’t follow much of a structured plan and used heart rate data to guide my “training”, but enjoyed the heck out of the events I did and realized I wanted to get smarter, faster, and follow a plan. I started riding zwift on a Wahoo in the off season and became fascinated with power data.
Unfortunately, thanks to covid bike scarcity, the only gravel bike I could find in 2020 was a Diverge with a low-mid range component build, utilizing Praxis Alba cranks which do not seem to be compatible with any of the Stages options. I went with the powerpod because it was available, cheap, and at the time it seemed like the quickest way to start riding with power. The power numbers have seemed to correlate decently with my numbers on zwift, and seem to be consistent based on the 20min test segment I’ve done a number of times this summer.
Anyways, all that being said I was just looking to see if anyone on here had any real world experience using the PowerPod compared to a more conventional power meter.
Kbolks1957, did you use it yourself or was it proven very unreliable by someone else you know?
Thanks!
Hello Nick,
It was used by a teammember, who had continuing problems with irregular data depending on weather, ambient temperature, head or tailwind, etc.
All problems were related to changing conditions and the way the powerpod calculates poweroutput.
He became frustated after a month or four and switched to a crankbased powermeter.
Note; this was an earlier version, but the problems he encountered were system prone I gues.
Aha - yes, I see now.
Unfortunately to truly measure power output you need to use a strain gauge.
This product is basically v2 of a product that came out around 2005 I recall and is a good idea but inherent with problems like wind and drafting,
Its the same technology used with airplanes but the application doesn’t work so well with bicycles at much slower wind speeds.
Stick with strain gauge powermeters is my recommendation (Stages, Quarq, SRM)
Thanks guys. I would like to, but like I said, stages doesn’t seem to be an option currently with my drivetrain. Upgrading drivetrain to something compatible with a stages is seemingly out of the cards for a few months. Short of buying a new bike, what is my best bet for now? New Garmin power pedals?
Why is your drivetrain a limitor?
You replace your left crank arm with Stages
Hi Frank- I emailed stages and am waiting to hear back, but on their they don’t list anything as being compatible with the praxis Alba cranks I have unfortunately. Other praxis cranks are listed, just not the Alba. Hoping an email will provide more insight, but if this is the case what are your thoughts on the new garmin rally SPD power pedal? Thanks for your help
You may have to replace the crankset then to use Stages.
It’s a pia but worth it.
Mtb or road , what kind of bike are we talking about here?
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We are talking Specialized Diverge gravel bike with Praxis Alba 48/32 cranks
Pull those off, slap in an Ultegra bb and get yourself and Stages Shimano crankset (left and right)
Poof
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I got one and it was not easy to set up and get working. The one I got the battery did not last very long. I returned it and got a 4IIII left side. My first power meter is a Power2Max Type S and that is on my other bike that is mostly use on the indoor trainer and still works great.
Paul