Power Meter w/Cyclemeter
 

Does anybody know of a Power meter that will work directly with the Cyclometer app? I'm specifically looking at the Pioneer Dual Power Meter, and I'm having a hard time finding any information on 3rd party apps.
Thanks

***Cross Posted***

What app are you talking about. The only ones I could find on Apple Store or Google Play by that name doesn't say anything about integration with ANT+ or Bluetooth Smart.

Cyclemeter should work just fine as long as the powermeter is Bluetooth compatible. Cyclemeter cannot talk to an ANT+ power meter without some device to do the intermediate translation. The device profiles (power meter, cadence, speed etc...) are standard Bluetooth profiles so unless it's proprietary format, it should not be a problem.

J.

Abvio | Cyclemeter

That's exactly what I found John. Pioneer specifically uses ANT+ exclusively, and I would need that very outdated dongle plus an adapter for my iPhone 6S to work properly. It's back to the drawing board

There are other meters that use BluetoothSmart but couldn't you use a Wahoo RFLKT+ as an intermediary for ANT+? I am just asking to learn something about iPhones in general. I use android phones that already have built in ANT+.

Pioneer is ANT+ only, so you'd either need a ANT+ dongle (clunky) or a RFLKT+ to bridge to the iPhone. Stages would work, but it's left-only. Powertap C1/P1 is dual Bluetooth/ANT+ IIRC.

Also I'll note that with the Pioneer you can only update the Firmware on it with their own head unit.

Has anybody tested this "through a translator" system for data consistency? I'd want to know how much data (if any) I'm going to lose through dropouts before spending $1,000 on a sensor and however much more on things to translate a signal from ANT+ to BT to be able to record it. I don't know what the answer is, I just know that more parts in the chain mean more opportunity for things to go wrong.

If your power meter is Ant+ only, the RFLKT+ (iPhone only) is only $99.00 and will work with most of the popular iPhone cycling apps like Cyclemeter, Strava, Map My Ride, Ride With GPS and a few others, including their Wahoo Fitness app. The RFLK+ does an excellent job of converting Ant+ to Bluetooth. I used it for almost a year until I started having issues with the used Ant+ sensors I had and replaced them with Bluetooth sensors.

That's really unfortunate that sensor manufacturers that are not wed to a computer protocol don't supply both. It's an easy deal and Nordic Semiconductor makes a chip that does just that.

The RFLT+ will bridge sensors. I used one for a long time just this way with Cyclemeter and the Garmin speed and cadence sensors. My wife's bike is still set up this way. The RFLKT+ really helped the battery consumption with the smartphone display Also with the iPhone 6, unless I got a new mount, the phone was near being hit by my knee with a stem mount. Quad Lock now has a mount that puts the phone in front of the bars. That would work better from the mount perspective.

There's also a heart rate monitor from 4iii that does the Ant+ to BT bridging. I've never used it, but it may be helpful.

J.

I ran across the Pioneer with an Ultegra crank and chainring via Craigslist for super inexpensive. That's why I started the thread. RFLKT+ is nice, but still needs phone, so it's a silly purchase at this point in the game. I have the Elemnt, but as I said, when I'm on the back trails I'm listening to Podcasts. That means I'd have both the iPhone and Elemnt mounted, which is cumbersome to say the least. In the end, I'm returning the Elemnt in favor of Podcasts (iPhone). Someday, when I "need" a power meter, I'll be on the lookout for one with Bluetooth, because realistically ANT+ is probably dying sooner than later.
Thanks everybody for chiming in.

Sorry, but that is not going to happen sooner or later.

If you already have the Elemnt and you're taking the phone with you no matter what, why don't you just take it off the bars and put it in your jersey pocket? That actually would make it easier to listen to podcasts. (Maybe I'm missing something here?)

Probably won't happen. Seems each side of that equation has power players that have chosen to die on their particular side of the mountain (bluetooth or ANT+). If it's an issue, get one of the ones in the middle that do both.

Podcasts are generally 30-60mins, how is it easier to take it out of the jersey every hour just to play another one, as opposed to having it within reach? Even if it were, it adds a need for a second device. Can anybody think of a single reason besides battery longevity, and weight, that would make a bike computer better? Assuming you're not a racer where grams matter, and carrying a phone doesn't. I really can't think of one.

well, i'd see having the headphone cord to the handlebar as a problem. listening with the speaker of the phone is dubious.

to have them play sequentially, you can set up any number of podcast apps to do just that - you can play hours without taking it out of your jersey pocket.

Adding a small device is not a huge deal. Some of the phones (i.e. iPhone 6) are getting too big for bars. But YMMV.

J.

They make wireless headphones now.

Here's what I use when I want to listen while riding:

Trekz Titanium - AfterShokz

No impact from wind noise and complete environmental audio awareness. Perfect for cycling.

J.

If you read a lot of threads from people who got power meters, one theme that keeps popping up over and over again is that some people have trouble with reception. Some meters are better/worse than others, some head units/watches/phones have trouble, there are combinations that are particularly bad, etc. I would be wary of putting another moving part in the chain.

We've not had such difficulties. Been using RFKLT+ for a couple of years with a mix of sensors that are BT and ANT+. FWIW, using the Wahoo RPM on the crank and the Garmin speed sensor on the hub - both moving sensors - have been super solid. The RPM does both ANT+ and BT and it in about the same position as the electronics on a lot of power meters so one would think the performance would be the same.

That said, it's all still based on radios and RF so things can get weird but I think it has a lot less to do with the movement than weak BT receivers/transmitters. For example, I have very few issues with my current iPhone 6 except when using the MIO wrist HRM that I have. That thing is just a crap transmitter.

J.