A few weeks ago The Girl brought home her new bike, the Trek Speed Concept, which is one of the very few bikes out there that includes the option to add a frame-integrated ANT+ speed/cadence sensor. The sensor kit fits into the frame itself – becoming quite aerodynamic, as well as simply just ‘out of the way’. The goal here is having a speed/cadence sensor that just flows with the bike, allowing you to gather speed (thus distance as well) and cadence data – whether indoors or outside.
Now despite this feature being only available on Trek’s higher end bikes (around $2,000+), it doesn’t actually come with the bike. For that you have to order the separate $59 kit from Trek. The kit is actually made by Bontrager though, which of course makes a variety of bike-related components as well as a few ANT+ enabled products.
Upon realizing that the bike didn’t come with the kit I went ahead and ordered it – I was probably more eager to play with it myself than The Girl was. But of course if you read here often, you probably figured as such. After ordering it on Trek’s site, it came a few days later. Here’s what it looks like in its package:
Before we get all started – I should probably show you what’s in the bike prior to installing the above kit. The bike by default comes with a little plastic placeholder kit. From a distance you might assume this is the real deal, but once you get a bit closer your notice the ‘DuoTrap Ready’ wording – indicating the need to buy the actual kit.
Once I was ready to install the real deal I went ahead and got the package all taken apart next to her bike.
Inside the packaging was the DuoTrap frame sensor, a rubber crank magnet (pretty cool actually), and then a screw and rubber screw cover. In theory it also comes with a small magnet for the wheel (to gather speed), but mine was missing. No worries though, any standard wheel magnet will work – so I just used the one on the wheel from another sensor kit. It’s only a $2 part from a bike store, so I wasn’t about to make a big deal out of trying to get the kit replaced.
And for fun – here’s what the main component looks like up close:
Here’s a general size comparison to the more common GSC-10 speed/cadence sensor:
And finally, here’s a comparison between the real and fake one:
Once I was ready to start I needed to remove the fake plastic DuoTrap. This involves finding the correct hex bit to fit in the tiny screw:
After that’s done you simply unscrew it. Fear not – it only takes one triathlete to unscrew it:
From there you’ll notice that you can actually see through the frame. Like a little window on the world…or rather…the wheel:
This window allows you to slide the speed sensor portion of the kit through the frame, ultimately putting the magnetic sensor portion close to the wheel magnet:
Once you’ve got it slid into the frame, you repeat the same screwdriver process as earlier – this time tightening instead of loosening:
With that, the sensor kit is set. We just need to add your normal spoke magnet onto the wheel. In my case that was all already set (no tools required!), so I moved onto getting the cadence magnet on the crank. However unlike every other cadence magnet ever created on earth – this one doesn’t use zip ties. Nope, it uses a fully integrated rubber band system. Industrial strength rubber though – not like something that rolls up your newspaper.
The only tradeoff with not using zip ties is that you’ll have to first remove your pedal though, to be able to slide it over and down the crank:
Once you do that, you’ll get your mojo on and push this thing down the crank. It’s an incredibly tight fit – so you don’t have to worry about it sliding around. Again, only one triathlete required…though non-triathlete cyclists may need to find a friend that has arm strength.
Once that’s on – reattach your pedals and you’re good to go – kit installed!
The last step you’ll need to do of course is pair up your ANT+ head unit to the speed/cadence sensor. What’s really cool here is that it uses the standard ANT+ device profile of “Speed/Cadence” – which means EVERY ANT+ cycling focused device out there supports it out of the box (as opposed to some of the newer speed-only and cadence-only ANT+ accessories). Just a few devices off the top of my head that work without issue are:
Garmin: Edge 500/705/800, Forerunner 305/FR310TX/FR405/FR410/FR60
CycleOps: Joule
Timex: Timex Global Trainer
Bontrager: Node 1/Node 2 Computers
Phone: Wahoo Fitness iPhone ANT+ Dongle, Android Sony Ericsson ANT+ enabled phones, Enki Fitness iPhone ANT+ Dongle, Digifit iPhone ANT+ Dongle/Case
(And many more of course, these are just the most common)
Here’s what it looks like once it’s paired up (using an Edge 800 as an example) – you’ll see the sensor display connected, as well as during normal operation:
Then you simply bike like normal. The speed/cadence information is transmitted wirelessly via ANT+ to your head unit.
(Normally I’d suggest placing the display near your handlebars, and not the rear cages, but it made for an interesting picture back here. And more importantly – The Girl was away…so I had to crank, watch and shoot all by my lonesome…on a bike small enough for a circus clown).
You’ll want to configure your wheel size on the head unit – thus allowing accurate distance and speed measurements using simple math calculations. Also note that the unit uses a standard coin cell battery, which is replaceable just by removing the DuoTrap and unscrewing the battery compartment.
While overall the DuoTrap is indeed more expensive than the more commonplace Garmin GSC-10 sensor (at $30, compared to the DuoTrap at $60) – I feel that if you’ve got yourself such a nice bike, you might as well pay the little bit extra and have it be fully integrated. Additionally, because there’s no adjustment arms – you don’t have to worry about the occasional never ending re-configuration issues with it moving over time. It just works.
Nice. I’m getting a speed concept and was wondering about that. I’m sure I’ll end up getting it because….why not?
What has the battery life been like?
Actually, the wheel magnet is never included in the set.
I just want the cadence magnet!
That’s cool. I’ve got the Garmin GSC-10 and have lost count of the number of times I swore at the thing because it had moved yet again. I’ll wait until that baby is available for affordable bikes, though!
On a completely different note I can’t quite believe you just called your wife-top-be a circus clown!!!
“You’ll want to configure your wheel size on the head unit”.. On the Garmin units I think it computes the wheel size (and hence speed) once you’ve ridden about on it for a bit with a GPS fix.. certainly I’ve never set the wheel size on my 310XT.
Matt.
It does – that’s true, though I generally recommend just simply setting it manually – as it’ll be a touch bit more accurate…and more ‘absolute’.
what did The Girl do with her old tri bike? I am also the size of a circus clown and interested in not spending my life savings on a new tri bike. Let me know if it is for sale and the details. Thanks!
First you call me a squirrel and now you’re calling me a circus clown??? Oh, you’re soooo doing wedding dance lessons now!
I have the Madone 6.2 and I love the duotrap. I bought a wheel solely for trainer use and whoops –I forgot the magnet.
are there any problems getting everything lined up say if you were using longer or shorter crank arms, or deeper wheels since the sensor is basically stuck in one location?
The story I was told is that Bontrager provides the magnet with the Node computers instead of the DuoTrap. None of the packages at the store had the magnet in them. This is completely backwards to me, but fortunately Trek/Bontrager was nice enough to mail out a black snap magnet which fits perfectly on the flat spokes of the race lite wheelset.
With regards to battery life, I haven’t had to replace mine in the 9 months I’ve had it.
With 172.5mm cranks, I have about 13/16″ of space between the pedal bolt edge and the edge of the cadence magnet band, so I don’t think there would be much of an issue. I’m not sure about the depth of the rims.
Performance Pedal Wrench, and you bought the Duo-Trap online. Do you ever leave the house to support your local bike shop? (other then to buy the fastest tri bike out there) … Oh, PS … Trek is the ONLY bike brand that currently allows you to have integrated speed/cadence sensors that are ANT+ compatible on the market. Support your local Bike Shops! – Disclaimer: I’m not an employee of Trek or any bike shop. Just a passionate cyclist that supports their local business’s.
Hi Sara-
RE: Her old bike
She’s keeping it…she loves it very much and would be sad to see it leave the family. Sorry!
Anon and others-
RE: Magnet
Completely agree it’s backwards they didn’t include a magnet. Like selling an icemaker with your Microwave instead of the fridge. Thus far the Garmin GSC-10 magnet works, though getting it ‘just right’ was a PITA. I have a magnet from Wahoo that seems far stronger that might be better. Looking forward to seeing how it works long term.
Anon-
RE: LBS
I actually have two pedal wrenches – one from Performance and a nicer one from an LBS. Prefer the LBS, but it took me 25 minutes for some reason to find either, so I wasn’t going to waste any more time trying to find my nice one.
The bike itself was bought from a LBS here in the DC area.
Thanks all!
Does it get in the way of the computrainer cadence sensor? I’m looking to get cadence sensors for my wife’s and my Quintanaroos, but I’m not sure where they would go not to interfere with the computrainer sensor.
Thanks!
What area on the DuoTrap is the cadence magnet supposed to line up with? Through some trial and error it seems like it should go inline with either of the tiny dots that are above and to either side of the mounting screw. It seems like you line it up with either dot – but NOT centered between the dots. Anyone know for sure??
Couple things I can add
I have a Madone 6.5 and a Speedconcept 7.2. Both have duotrap.TTYe cadence sensor should line up with the large circle on the sensor. Also an FYI for anyone who was wondering about a really deep dish wheel and duotrap. I’m running a zipp 1080 rear wheel, ya have to have the magnet all the way down near the spoke nipple, but it works great, no magnet issue.
Bryan
I would like to use my Garm Edge 705 with DuoTrap but is there any way to have a running odometer reading for my bike?
Within the bike settings there’s an odometer field (on the Edge 705) that you can both set an initial value and track future mileage.
I wish I had found this site before I installed mine. The spoke magnet does NOT come with the kit. You would THINK they would throw in a $2 magnet for the $60 you spend. The spoke magnet obviously lines up with the little blade. The cadence magnet LOOKS like it would line up with the big “C” on the unit (for Cadence?) but it doesn’t; that is where the battery is. I spent one ride thinking it was my Garmin not sensing. No: the magnet was over the “C” and not picking up. Move it towards the pedal until the green light flashes when it goes by. It was a pretty small area AFT of the “C”, between that and the round black area for the screw. At least on mine. The red light flashes when the spoke magnet goes by. It is now in sync with my Garmin 305. Looks very slick. I LOVE the crank magnet band. Others should follow suit. More as I use the unit.
just bought the trek speed concept, and im so glad you have a post on this because i am about to buy the duotrap stuff!
ray, do you know if the duo trap is compatible with a garmin forerunner?
Yes, fully compatible with all Garmin Forerunner and Edge devices (it uses the same ANT+ device profile as the Garmin GSC-10 – so it looks identical to it).
Enjoy!
I have a speed concept. I’m running zipp 1080′s on the back. I had a heck of a time syncing the wheel magnet due to the depth of the rim. I had to rig something that extended the magnet laterally so it was closer to the magnet. Anyone have suggestions on a magnet that would work?
Nice writeup. For NormG, re:moving the magnet laterally. You can get rare earth magnets from many places, and just ‘stack’ an extra one on top to get closer to the frame. They are so strong, no worries about one flying off. I got some extras at Rockler Woodworking for other projects.
One other note. To get the cadence magnet to work, it’s gotta be between the “c” and the screw.
I took my to my local bike shop to get it all installed since I hadn’t read this site yet. I am really surprised at the crappy piece of plastic spoke magnet that bontrager throws in there. For a $140 computer, give me something that doesn’t look like it will fly off within 1 week. The plastic magnet didn’t even work that well, it had to be angled, like that will work. The shop tech put on a new magnet, something more industrial that sticks out a lot more and get’s read every time. I suggest finding one and picking it up, it looked similar to this: link to ebike.org.uk
FYI, it seems Giant now has a (somewhat) integrated speed/cadence sensor in some of their new 2012 frames as well, dubbed RideSense.
I have a 2012 Giant Defy Advance 1 with RideSense by Garmin. The unit came as part of the bike, no charge. I’ve had the bike since early september and now have about 1,400 miles on it. Yesterday my RideSense crapped out on me. This is not new to me. I had the standard issue Garmin GCS-10 on my previous bike and I went through 5 seners in two years and 10,000 miles.
The problem, as I have determined it, is the sensors might be modestly water resistant, but are by no means waterproof. I live about 30 mile south of Seattle, so I bike in pretty wet conditions.
When I popped open the battery door there was a tiny bit of water on the battery. I’m pretty sure water got inside and shorted the cicuitry and drained the battery. I put in a new battery, but it lasted about 30 seconds before it shorted. I’ll put a drop of isopropel alchol in there and let it dry out for a day or two and see if the circuit is totally fried. If yes, I’ll put it with the CSC-10s and order a new RideSense from Garmin. If it’s not, I’ll use some clear silicon in an attempt to seal it and have another whack at it.
Giant Defy guy here. I thought you may be interested in my follow up to the broken RideSense sensor.
First, I don’t know who makes it and neither does my LBS. Second, it is, indeed, broken. Most likely because of water intrusion. My LBS (Tacoma Bike, Tacoma, WA) gladly replaced the broken one without hesitation.
I’m going to smear silcon seal all over the new one and hope for the best.
Does anyone know what size battery the duotrap uses? I think mine is getting low becuase I am not getting a reading on the speed sensor but I am getting a reading on the cadence sensor. I can’t get the magnet to even get a light to go off on the speed sensor.
Great article – thanks!
I have a 2011 Trek Madone 5.2 and am planning to install the Duotrap sensor.
I understand that Wahoo (and maybe other people) now sell a ANT+ antenna for the iPhone.
Question: is anybody using this setup with an iPhone app? If so, which one?
I’d be very interested in viewing my bike data via a Iphone-based GPS app.
Thanks,
SM
The Duotrap uses a 2032, which could be a CR 2032 or a DL 2032 depending on the mfg. I also had trouble with the duotrap losing pairing, and changed the battery. The problem has continued. To give more background, and address another question, I am using my Duotrap with the Wahoo iPhone bike mount, and then Cyclemeter is the iPhone app I use. If this set up works properly i highly recommend it. But, I m having problems with the pairing. that is, the setup works for a while and then the connection is lost. The last two rides the connection dropped after 7 minutes! i could not get it to pair back up. Am going to check the battery again. The biggest challenge is to figure out what is causing the problem, the duotrap or the Wahoo receiving case.
I have the Speedtrap (front fork, speed only) on my Madone 3.1 and was amazed that it worked perfectly with about a 2cm gap rather than the normal 2-3mm on most computers. It is also clicks each time the wheel passes. Am using a Bryton GPS cadence sensor on the back and a Bryton HR sensor and they work perfectly with the Node 1 computer.
This is all really useful stuff as I am just about to purchase a speed concept 7.5.
I intend on still using my road bike with my Garmin Cadence sensor. Can I use my Forerunner on both bikes or does it have to be specific to one sensor?
Yup, just create a new bike profile for the second profile and you’ll be good to go!
Great write up. I just ordered my daughter’s bike from the local Trek dealer and was wondering how the Duo Trap worked.
Thanks!!!
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Do both lights illuminate (red/green) – meaning, does the wheel magnet passing the sensor cause the light to illuminate?
In case if one decided to switch from Trek to a different brand, how feasible is it to ‘jimmy-rigging’ the duotrap to fit another bike??
Unfortunately not. Well, not without a lot of duct tape. The challenge is that it’s designed to sit in that little well, and without it, it would just be hanging around. Yes, no doubt, in a pinch you could make it work – but I’m guessing eventually it would fall off, fly into the spokes, and blow up into a million little pieces.
many thanks for the tutorial about the fitting of the duotrap, I was just wondering how it was fitted on my bike a madone 5.2 , it is an expensive kit, since I bought the node 1, then the heart band, and I am still waiting for the sensors , they are out of stock when I bought the bike.
Excellent tutorial. I just purchased the sensor and the Bontrager computer and thought that I had lost my mind when I could not find the wheel magnet. The LOCAL store did not inform me that I had to buy one which tells me that they had no idea that it was not included. I am also peaved that the unit does not include a user manual, which I found online.
Hi DC loving the posts and hope Paris is going well.
I’ve got a duotrap and using it in conjunction with a Garmin 910xt. The cadence is being recorded just fine but the speed isn’t (link to connect.garmin.com) and I’m only getting the one light on the duotrap.
Would you say this is faulty or would am I missing a magnet? (I have this one link to lh4.ggpht.com)
Regards,
Rob
Hmm, it definitely sounds like a magnet is missing/not close enough. You did install a magnet on the wheel – right?
If so, grab a fridge magnet (or any other magnet), and swipe it past the back side (nearest the wheel) and see if you can get it to light up. If you can’t (but the front side (cadence) does), then something’s amiss. But if both sides lightup with kitchen magnet, you just need to get a bigger/stronger/better magnet for the wheel (unless it fell off – in which case you’d just need a magnet).
Enjoy!
Joel said…
What area on the DuoTrap is the cadence magnet supposed to line up with? Through some trial and error it seems like it should go inline with either of the tiny dots that are above and to either side of the mounting screw. It seems like you line it up with either dot – but NOT centered between the dots. Anyone know for sure??
March 30, 2011 2:24 PM
Rumpole said…
One other note. To get the cadence magnet to work, it’s gotta be between the “c” and the screw.
September 23, 2011 9:27 PM
I appreciate Rumpole response, but am not sure… I second Joel’s question–where EXACTLY is the cadence sensor? Thank you for your time, Rainmaker!!!
i just installed my duo trap for use with my garmin 500. mine did come with a magnet, so i guess they’ve made that change.
something i didn’t see on yours was… on my frame (domane) there was a rubber stopper/plug that was placed on the inside of the frame from factory. so, in short, it was there with the ‘fake’ sensor.
when placing the actual unit in there i couldn’t get it through the hole without removing the rubber piece. is this correct?
figured it was nice to have to stop water, buildup, etc.
thanks in advance.
I just bought the Timex Ironman Global Trainer GPS watch with HR monitor and I’m having a hell of time getting it to pair with my DuoTrap.
Any suggestions on getting it to pair? I get lights on the DuoTrap, but the Timex scans and then nothing. No speed. No cadence.
Just had the DuoTrap installed on my Madone. I use a Garmin Edge 500. The Garmin recognizes the Cadence Sensor, but will not display any RPM’s on the Garmin. This has been a common issue with other riders in my cycle group. Do you know if this is a battery issue with the DuoTrap or a connection issue with Garmin. Thanks, James
I know this sounds like a silly question – but did you install the magnet on the wheel?
I only ask because more often than not when I hear of Duotrap speed issues, the magnet was never installed on the spoke.
Do you know how to calibrate the speed using the timex global trainer? It always shows me traveling around 22kph when I am pretty sure I am going at high 20+kph or even 30kph. In fact, is the speed shown based on the GPS or speed sensor?
My Friend, I’m getting upset with the Bontrager NODE 1.1 display and the duotrap sensor. This is my situation:
Pairing Sensors…
Sensors found 2.
But then…..just the distance, no speed, no cadence.
And of course I’ve installed the magnet for the speed and the rubber strap on the crank for the cadence.
Ideas are welcome.
? by the way, what does it mean the red/green light on the duotrap? They should be always on, just blinking or what?
After purchasing my trek the shop fitted the cadance and set up my edge as part of the service all works perfect…until I put the bike on the cycle ops trainer and realised there was no speed readout, no magnet fitted to the wheel! So I fitted one and it was perfect again, I think?
How do I set the wheel size, do I need to?
I am getting speeds and distance reading but how close to actual I don’t know?
Great kit though and great report!
Thanks guys
You’ll configure it within your Edge unit under bike profiles. Or, if you go outside, after riding about 1/3rd of a mile, it’ll pop-up and say ‘auto configured by GPS’.
Has anyone tried paring with a Garmin Oregon 450 (or any other model of Oregon gps)?
What is your experience with pairing and whether it reports cdence and speed.
The Garmin Oregon 450 will only report cadence, not speed. But it will indeed pair with the Duotrap, since it’s just a GSC-10 in effect.
Detail about cadence-only:
link to buy.garmin.com
RE: Garmin 305 Compatibility- Rainmaker you list that the sensor is compatible with the Forerunner 305. I don’t think the 305 is ANT+. My GSC-10 sensor is dead and I wanted to upgrade to the Duo. Are you saying that the 305 will pick up the cadence/speed via whatever non ANT+ frequency the 305 receives?
This would be sleek.
The FR305 is absolutely ANT+. It won’t connect to any other sensor type besides ANT+. You can see pictures of the FR305 with the GSC-10 in that review.
Bought a Garmin Edge 510, added a Duotrap, I get speed but not cadence, peddled by hand for awhile but it didn’t pick up. I installed the crank magnet just as you show. Any suggestions?
Does the light blink when it goes around? If not, then remove the magnet and pass it right in front of the sensor. If it still doesn’t blink – then something is wrong with the sensor. If it does blink, then it’s a positioning/distance issue.
Thanks for the reply. I have the bike mounted in my trainer. When I moved the crank magnet further away from the pedal and I finally saw the green light blink, red blinks for the speed magnet. Unfortunately even with the 510 still showing me the speed cadence sensor was found, when I pedaled the bike by hand it still only registered speed, not cadence. I will continue to toy with it, hoping this isn’t just a case of operator error.
Once again, I appreciate your expertise. In the end, my problem got solved by resetting the 510, moving the crank magnet then pairing the duo trap speed cadence sensor. Then wahhlah! It works! Thanks again.
Thanks a million for providing this information on how to set it up. The instructions the duotrap came with were not very clear and you made the process simple. Thanks. I am using it on Trek Domane 4.5 and with a Bryton Rider 50.