ibike final

After several months of frustration and concerns about reliability, I'm finally convinced that the product WORKS!

Ok, let's recap. Early on, I had problems with the coast down calibration. That problem was solved by selecting a different location to perform the test.

Then I had problems with power readings while I was on the flats or going downhill. Soon after, I began to have problems with temperature readings. It was at this point that I thought the product was wacked despite online reviews that reported otherwise. Somewhere in there, I had problems with corrupted data files too.

In my last bout of frustration, I emailed John Hamman at ibike sports seeking a refund if the problems weren't resolved. As I've mentioned before, John has confidence in the product and really wants to see this thing succeed so that all cyclists ride stronger. He took his time to help me go through my calibration process and reviewed my ibike ride data. He narrowed the problem down to the battery.

As it turns out, the ibike is acutely sensitive to battery voltage. Once the battery power gets below a certain level (270-275), all bets are off. If you own an ibike, check the battery power before each ride by going into the setup menu. Future firmware versions will have a battery warning so that the data remains reliable.

(The current firmware is version 1.07. I highly recommend that you go to www.ibikesports.com to download it. It adds some message screens and takes care of some processes in the background. )

I installed the new battery and updated the firmware before my Saturday ride. The ibike worked like a dream. I've ridden the computrainer enough to know my wattage ranges and the ibike readings were definitely within an acceptable range.

Here's another plus. Cyclingpeaks 2.1 accepts ibike files. Now I can download my ibike power files directly into Cyclingpeaks for analysis. That's a huge improvement.

Here's my final thought: Yes, the ibike is worth the money. Just like the other power meters, it has it quirks. Just make sure that you get a good calibration and you keep the battery power within acceptable limits. Also, keep you firmware up to date. Just as with an new product, the updates provide critical improvements that make the product work better.