Here’s what I’ve been up to the last few days!
1) Running with power
Mid-last week my final production Stryd unit arrived. You’ll remember I first discussed it last January when I did some initial testing. Since then they’ve changed the device from being a little clip-on pod, to being heart rate strap integrated. The Stryd unit is effectively a power meter for running. I know some will fiddle on a technicality with the term power meter versus something else since it calculates versus measures strain, but that’s what I’m calling it for lack of better term.
(Side note: I actually preferred the little pod, because I really prefer not to wear heart rate straps. Especially since I find this one cuts into me far more than others. I hope going forward they’ll re-introduce the clip-on pod idea)
I had used it while running some intervals on Thursday, and things worked fairly well and it was interesting to see the intervals play out on power. For my run on Saturday it was more steady-state, and as such, much less variation in power.
A couple of things to note. First is that while Suunto supports power meters while running (within their Ambit3 at least, haven’t tried older units), Garmin does not. So on a Suunto device I can go into my running profile and all is great! But on a Garmin device I have to use cycling, which means you get things in MPH/KPH instead of ‘pace’. To fix that Stryd developed a Garmin IQ data field that shows you pace. A nice little workaround.
But sorta like trying to plug a leak, it breaks other stuff. For example, cadence data doesn’t get recorded from the watch natively. And you’ve got to manually change the activity type – so it doesn’t record PR’s correctly on your watch. Among other things.
It would behoove Garmin to add support here for just recording the power stream. Behind the scenes the platform (Garmin Connect) shows the power correctly while running, just a matter of recording it. After all, Suunto does that just fine today. Second, I’d humbly suggest that they add it to the FR920XT, Fenix3, and Epix…oh, and the FR630. Yes, the FR630.
First off in the ‘benefits for Garmin’ pile, it increases the value of the FR630 as a runners-only watch. With the FR230/235 having so many previously higher-end features, folks are overwhelmingly shifting from the $399 watches down to the cheaper FR230/235 unit. This provides a reason to spend more. On the ‘benefits for the user’ standpoint, it gives you not only power while running – but also gives some cyclist the ability to record power data in a minimalist manner (semi-rare, but occasionally requested).
Now of course we could all just wait until Q1 when Garmin adds this capability to Garmin Connect IQ. But why bother to wait? Well, because again – Garmin could try and nab those sales now, versus have people buy cheaper units and get the same functionality in Q1 on the FR230/235. Sometimes it’s about providing a financial motivation to a company. This be one of those cases.
As for Stryd? I’ve got lots of interesting tests I’ll be doing over the next month or so. It’s one of those devices, somewhat like a cycling power meter, that’s going to take much more time to really understand all the limitations. So expect early-mid December for a review.
2) When not every restaurant is good
I often post about many of the places we eat here in Paris. After all, there are few cities on this planet that have as many incredibly good restaurants as Paris – or such an appreciation for food (all aspects of it). But that doesn’t mean everything is great. Far from it. Many cafés these days here just microwave food to unsuspecting patrons, not even hiring cooks. Even mid-range restaurants are often just reheated boxed desserts.
This weekend we had some friends in town and met up with them for dinner Saturday night. We’ve been slowly working our way through a list of recommended restaurants from a website The Girl follows, and thus far have had really good food. We got a late reservation for Saturday night and arrived.
In theory the menu looked mostly appealing. The dishes seemed to be innovative and potentially quite good.
In reality though…nothing was really good. Sorry Tyler & Heather – sometimes we misfire!
Take for example these scallops below. The theory was that they were cooked/served on a scalding hot stone. You see that big rock there, that’s the stone. They placed the raw scallops directly on the stone and said to wait 30 seconds and they’d be cooked. The shell was added for the heck of it.
They weren’t cooked, they were raw. One side was seared, while the other still raw and stuck up against an unwitting scallop shell.
My fish later on? Also raw. All of our dishes just seemed to miss the mark both on flavors and cooking techniques. Further, they actually charged for water – which for those not familiar isn’t permitted in France. You can always request tap water, they wouldn’t allow that. They said we had to buy bottled water. Water which they then just filled a bottle themselves. Super annoying. Even three-star Michelin Restaurants we’ve been to in Paris happily serve tap water. In fact, some higher end restaurants in the city now don’t even serve bottled water anymore.
As for dessert? Not so much either.
Win some, lose some.
3) One Ride, So Many Devices
Sunday I headed out for a bit of a ride with a ton of stuff. I had many devices I was trying to gather data on, either passively or actively. For me, an active device is something I’m monitoring during the run/ride an actively using as part of that training effort – an example of this would be the Edge 520’s – I’m watching those constantly during the ride. Whereas passively is something I’m just collecting data on. For example I had BSX with me on that ride, and it was paired to a FR920XT to capture what data looks like there (plus its own recording on the BSX itself).
In that case I wasn’t paying attention to that data during the ride, but just capturing it for later. Similarly, out of the four Garmin head units I was using (3xEdge 520, 1xEdge 810), I was looking casually at the differences during the ride – but really it was about capturing the data for later analysis.
I was also wearing numerous heart rate sensors. I had the TomTom Spark on my left wrist, and a Microsoft Band 2 on my right. Then a Scosche Rhythm+ on my upper arm…and finally a Garmin HRM-TRI on my chest. Again, all mostly for just capturing HR for later analysis.
On this ride, neither the TomTom Spark or Microsoft Band did well for optical HR. They’ve done better inside though, fwiw.
As for the ride – it was another beautiful fall weekend here. Rather warm weather, sunny skies.
And lots of riders out around the loop at Longchamp.
4) Enjoying A Sunday Stroll
Sunday after my ride (and her run), The Girl and I (and Lucy) headed out for a bit of a stroll around Paris. Mostly on many of the closed roads.
This road will be permanently closed next summer, which we’re hugely looking forward to.
Along the way we got distracted and stopped for a crepe. Our normal crepe place is closed on Sunday’s, so we had to make do with just some random place.
Nothing special, but it hit the spot!
5) Went to Cirque du Soleil
Finally, Sunday night we headed slightly out of the city to go watch Cirque du Soleil. For those familiar with the Las Vegas shows of Cirque du Soleil it’s essentially the same thing, except the productions aren’t as big and they travel around. This one was held in the park:
Big tents and all! You aren’t allowed to photograph inside the tent, so nothing there. Instead I give you photos of a truck out front:
Great show. It just opened up on Thursday though (and is here for a few months), so you could see there’s still some imperfections in the routines. Imperfections you rarely see in the Las Vegas shows (for the 3-4 I’ve seen there). Nonetheless definitely worthwhile going.
Oh – and yes, we valeted our Autolib. There isn’t really a good way to get to this locale via Metro (closest is 1.9KM away), so Autolib it was! Still cheaper than an Uber would have been too!
The valet kinda laughed (since there is no key to give, just a keycard), but otherwise didn’t see any problem doing so.
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With that – thanks for reading all – and have a great week ahead!
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Ray,
I keep asking as to if you know if Garming can get Varia radar to send a vibration to the Fenix 3 if car comes just like the sound on the edge 100. Can you possibly help to make this happen?
Yeah, I’ve kept on asking but haven’t received any response on that one.
bonzour mes zamis runners . ze capte que dalle à ce que vous disez mort de lol . trop puissant ce que ze dis . REmort de lol
signé: picsou, coach, bon coach, un avis sur tout et surtout un avis
Thank you really, appreciate that.
so this STRYD strap is uncomfortable? is it unique and don’t fit on polar or garmin straps? BTW – according to STRYD forum polar v800 also shows and records power ( in bike mode).
After 2 runs it’s cut up my chest nicely.
It would fit on Garmin straps, but ultimately would have the same problem. The reason why chest straps cut people is actually because the pod pushes the edge of the strap into your skin. In fact, this is one of the things that the new HRM-TRI/SWIM alleviate, albeit with a sorta-weird pod design.
Good to know on bike mode compatibility with V800, getting that to be compatible with power meters has been a huge PITA, so nice to see it works on the first go around.
I wore the Stryd this past weekend during a 50k. I was wearing a Salomon race vest as well. The chest straps from the vest would sometimes end up on top of the Stryd sensor and start to push it into my sternum (uncomfortable) but this tends to happen with any chest HR/vest combo. I would say that the Stryd sensor was only a tad less comfortable than the garmin but mostly because it pokes out further causing more pressure from the vest.
My stryd cut up my chest after a really short run. I posted on their forums and the company responded saying they are working on a new strap.
I wish it was a clip on pod too.
Ray, I had the same issue. My first run with Stryd and it put a nice slice across my chest. The edges on the pod seem to stick out a bit and have an edge. I have only ran once more with it and pushed it high up on my chest. That seemed to help. You would think this would have been found in the earlier testing with their elite runners and earlier testers, maybe a production version issue. May have to tinker with the edges or tape over them to save another slice on the chest.
Yeah, I think I’ll probably just do the band-aid trick in the meantime.
Here, for those that haven’t seen it before: link to dcrainmaker.com
Interesting so many people have had it cutting into them. I’ve been testing the device for last couple of weeks and have not experienced this problem. The only issue I had originally was getting the HR to pair with my Fenix 2 so for the first run I went out with both the Stryd and the Garmin HRM straps on. Which felt like someone had wrapped an elastic band around my chest very tightly!
Looking forward to more info from Stryd as to how one can use this data to train with. And of course for it to appear in Strava (on a run setting).
Si
I have allergy to Garmin 610 HR strap. When I use it, my chest gets injured. For this reason, I bought Garmin 225, with its new optical sensor. However, in my case, although my skin is very white, It constantly miscalculate heart rate. As I am considering going back to my old heart rate strap (Garmin 305 model), maybe Stryd is a better alternative.
I’ve recived STRYD yesterday. Just try to put it on. Yes – it’s a problem – pod design is not “comfortable” with body.
I’m used to polar (10+ years) and wahoo (1y), but this pod is REALLY uncomfortable. I’ll try run today…
Just clip it onto your in strap.
have the same issue with Garmin straps. Especially the one that came with my HRM-Run monitor. I since gone back to using just the Polar strap with the Garmin HRM run monitor. works great. Of course both Garmin and Polar told me it wouldn’t work.
Robert from Stryd here.
It looks like some combination of the shape of the Stryd device, the
shape of the chest strap, and the athlete’s build results in serious
irritation for some athletes. Most (90+%) don’t run into problems, but
we want to make things right for *all* our supporters. So… we
redesigned the chest strap and are producing them as rapidly as we can.
Customers having trouble with their straps can go to
link to stryd.com
so we can send out the new version. Of course, we are doing this free of
charge.
For those who are partial to a particular strap, you can use Stryd with
any Garmin or Polar compatible chest strap.
Regarding the clip-on design: we may be offering the power meter in
another, non chest strap mounted, form in the future. We’ll update our
supporters when we have news. However, for the next several months,
Stryd will remain chest strap mounted, and will provide both power and
heart rate data.
I’ve had no problems with the Stryd HR belt so far – it looks exactly the same as the Suunto Movesense belt but with a different connector. It wouldn’t surprise me if they came from the same factory.
I’ve also been using my Stryd on the Garmin HRM3 belt because I find they last longer and give a slightly better HR reading.
Like the look of the 920 xt in the black/grey model ?
Me too. I could definitely wear the black/grey as an everyday watch. Since I’m injured I haven’t used the black/blue version I purchased yet. I might hold out using it for a while to see if the black/grey is offered as a stand-alone watch (not part of the Tri pack). I don’t dislike the black/blue as a workout watch just not an everyday watch.
Garmin seems to have a history of releasing ugly color combos first.
Hi Ray,
since i’m expecting your thoughts on the BSX can you please write an update for the new / updated version
many thanks
Yes, I’m hoping for later this week, but it’s possible it could slide till early next week. We’ll see.
Right now I have a solid handle on the technical side of how it/well the device works – but less so on some of the sciences of how to actually practically use the data I’m seeing day to day.
So waiting for the review..thinking of buying one and want to see what your thoughts before I take the plunge. Of course I will discuss with my coach if he can do something useful with the info…..need to find that out first. :)
Hoping you get around to giving your thoughts on the Microsoft Band 2. I’d feel much better buying one after hearing your thoughts on it!
I’m curious where you are putting your Stryd data for analysis? I’ve currently only been collecting data to the stryd site. But the analysis there is pretty weak. I think it will totally screw up my bike metrics if I put it on Training Peaks. (Bike FTP ~230, Stryd FTP ~290). Can Sport Tracks handle running power separate from cycling power?
What I’ve been doing is sync to TP, but then change the activity type to running. :)
SportTracks handles running power perfectly – including zone and segment analysis, all the normal overlay charting – everything. We have several users tracking with the stryd. We may do a blog post on this soon.
There seems to be a bug in the Stryd sensor that causes cadence doubling. We’ve contacted support about it. It’s not a total deal breaker, but it’s fairly annoying, as cadence is an important part of the picture.
I am not a runner but wouldn’t the PowerTap PowerCal produce a power calculation similar to the Stryd? What are the differences? Or is that a question that will be answered in the in-depth review?
Similar, potentially. I did use the PowerCal a long while back for some running tests – kinda interesting. PowerCal does it’s calculations from HR, whereas Stryd is based more on physics.
It’s on my list though to try them side by side for fun. :)
If Stryd uses physics, could you put the strap over clothes?
Yes, however keep in mind that there’s a chance the unit might go to sleep unless it detects some electrical signals – because that’s how it ‘wakes up’ right now (standard for chest strap). So it’s basically just using that contact to wake-up the device.
I’ve had a couple of runs with the Stryd so far. I use it with my Garmin strap without issues, but then my body has generally been compatible with most HR straps and pods I’ve used so far.
One annoying thing I found with the custom data field for the Fenix3 is that it shows pace in min/mile with no obvious way of changing it into metric units. I wish Garmin would just add support for the power stream in run mode. Like the also absent HR support for pool swimming, it’s just a software toggle after all.
Well, sad to hear about your “gastronomic” misadventure. Even if you don’t want to make a scene, remember that in France, we use to say that “le client est roi”. Anything that goes against this saying should kind of raise a flag. So, don’t hesitate to ask the waiter to send your dish back to the kitchen if you find that your meat/fish is not cooked enough. Now about the water, a quick search on Google gave me this link : link to economie.gouv.fr which states that a restaurant is entitled to serve you a free carafe d’eau to go with your meal. Next time you go to this restaurant (I hope you won’t actually), give the waiter a little reminder of this last point.
Ray, From what I understand, Stryd just released an update to the device that allows Ambit2 devices to get concurrent HR and power over ANT+. The iOS TestFlight (beta) version will allow you to get the update. I haven’t had a chance to try out my Stryd yet because I have an Ambit2 but the beta app isn’t currently compatible with the only iOS app functioning in my house right now (iPod Touch). Bummer about the strap, and hoping I don’t have the same issues. Have you tried the Stryd pod on polar or garmin straps? I’m curious if their compatible.
Looks like a MS Band 2 review might be coming soon? I look forward to it if so.
Yeah, been wearing it. Horribly battery life, and still really bad display when fingers are wet.
HR has been less than ideal. Ranging between so-so and bad for cycling, and fairly mixed on running (the battery died a few mins into my long run, so only have interval run to judge on).
Ruh-roh – I was looking forward to the MS Band 2 after being so tempted by the first one, but this doesn’t sound good :-(
How come you are wearing the Tomtom Spark on the inside of your wrist when cycling?
I had it on the outside of my wrist the first portion of the ride, and the HR data sucked. So I figured I’d swap it to the inside of the wrist to see if that helped. Kinda seemed to be a wash either way.
Hi Ray,
Any chance you could try the Stryd using a Vivoactive in either riding mode or running mode (but overriding the cadence data)? I haven’t found any info out there on using the Stryd with the VA but I believe it is technically possible and you can download the same ConnectIQ app.
Also, It there anything stopping you from using the Stryd just clipped on to your shorts or using the band around your waist?
Funny, the name of the restaurant owner Jean Francois Piege translates into Jean Francois “trap”
I guess, it was a trap to you guys :/ Refusing to serve tap water is actually against the law in France…
Thanks for the heads up on the Stryd chest strap. I got mine but haven’t run with it just yet. Not too thrilled with losing my bike’s power meter since the Fenix2 can only remember one PM at a time, but I guess I only ever look at my Edge 500 when cycling so maybe losing it on the Fenix2 isn’t a big deal.
Ray,
Just curious why you would use 3 x edge 520, love them so much?
I love them, but not enough to ride with that many normally.
In my case I’m recording multiple streams of power data.
Edge 520 #1: PowerTap G3 Hub
Edge 520 #2: PowerTap P1 Pedals
Edge 520 #3: PowerTap C1 Chainring
Edge 810: 4iiii Precision
I actually have a fourth Edge 520, but just didn’t have it charged. I also record data with the WASP, but I find with iOS and the WASP app lately, things are a bit finicky. So this is my backup method.
Does this Stryd thing calculate things differently than for example the SportTracks Power Runner plugin (link to zonefivesoftware.com) that takes elevation data, speed and body weight into account? If so why wear a strap? Still not sure what to do with this metric as a runner anyway, especially in real time. I guess it will always correlate more or less well with a chart that shows heart rate and elevation, no?
Full disclosure: I’m with Stryd.
Stryd is actually doing 3-D motion tracking of the runner’s body. Not just running speed, but the motion patterns that occur with every step. Knowing heart rate and elevation beats just knowing pace, but Stryd has some advantages. For one, it responds to a change in exertion within seconds instead of minutes. It accounts for running incline, but also considers the impact of running form on exertion. Did I answer your questions?
I used to use the cyclops for running and riding (MTB and road) to track power across them all and to track into training load (TSS and TRIMP).
It was handy for trending, seeing improvement. I wouldn’t give any recommendations either way on what the numbers relate to or mean but trending “felt” on par.
It will be interesting to see how the Stryd stacks up and if it correlates with the Cyclops at all (for running).
I am another who wishes that the stryd design had stuck to the original. I have a scosche rhythm plus that I prefer for HR. The ideal solution for me would be a belt clip that the Stryd sensor clips on to, and a software toggle to turn off HR data.
I can see why they thought the idea was a good one, I wish that they had maybe surveyed the kickstarters first to gauge reaction. When they first announced the strap based format I emailed them, and to their credit they offered a refund. I thought I may have been a lone voice, but by the sound of it quite a few people do not like the strap.
I haven’t done a lot of analysis with it yet, just recording numbers.
Hi Ray,
I really struggle to see how “power” could be used for running. I know you plan to do a more comprehensive review later on, but any hints?
Also, I’m shocked to see a French restaurant preventing you from getting free tap water, especially a “high end” one – the only time I’ve seen that is in one very average place near St Michel, where the waiter bullied some spanish tourists into buying water. That is disgraceful.
I think we’ll eventually see power in running evolve much like that in cycling. Meaning that in cycling if the world were flat and without wind, you could essentially use speed or HR as an indicator. But with variability, it becomes more challenging. Wind for example (head wind) means you work more but don’t go as far. Same for a hill.
The same would be true running into a headwind for 26 miles during a marathon. By using power, you can better approximate stability than straight pace would. On the flip side, so would HR. Though HR will rise over the course of a marathon – so you have to step-block those on your race plan. Versus power you can just say: Keep 250w, or so on.
Full disclosure: I’m with Stryd.
Although you didn’t explicitly state that Stryd handles wind properly in its power calculations, some might get that impression so I want to make sure the current status is clear. Stryd considers the impact of incline and running form on power. We have a plan to account for the impact of changes in wind speed but we don’t have testing results on this yet. We’ll follow up here and at http://club.stryd.com when we have more information.
Did Lucy get a bite of that crepe? Love the side-eye in that photo :)
Nope! We generally try not to feed her human food, simply because we can’t have her getting addicted to French meats and cheeses! That’d get expensive quick!
bonzour mes zamis runners . ze capte que dalle à ce que vous disez mort de lol . trop puissant ce que ze dis . REmort de lol
signé: picsou, coach, bon coach, un avis sur tout et surtout un avis
I bought Stryd on the basis that it was not a heart rate strap – I was very disappointed to see the change. I have a number of optical heart rate sensors which I much prefer. The strap is less comfortable that the garmin one and the unit is bigger.
‘(Side note: I actually preferred the little pod, because I really prefer not to wear heart rate straps. Especially since I find this one cuts into me far more than others. I hope going forward they’ll re-introduce the clip-on pod idea)’
We just sent you an email so we can figure out how to fix the problem.
Do you have any idea what it means on the Garmin 225 when you’re in the NO HEART RATE ZONE? Am I having a heart attack and I don’t even know it?
First Question: are you a vampire or other member of the undead community?
Second Question: if the answer to Q1 is no, are you made of tin and are you friends with a lion, a scarecrow, and a little girl with red slippers?
Third question…err..statement.
It’s just because you’re in an area not defined by a zone. :)
For example, my Z1 starts at about 140ish for running, so below that is sorta a null/empty land. Thus no zone. You can stretch your base zone if you want down low to make up for it.
Or, you’re a vampire.
Would you be able to share your HR zones? I had a check at historic posts (I tried!!) and could only find a reference to a Z2 back in 2014 and I guess it may have changed since!
Will the Stryd device output power data if HR data is unavailable? (i.e. you block electrode contact with skin)
Yes, it’s supposed to. I’ve got a few tests designed to validate that theory.
Full disclosure: I’m from Stryd.
Actually, the current version of Stryd only activates when it comes into contact with your skin, so it won’t work if it is worn over a shirt. However, we could potentially make design changes that would enable over-the-shirt use. I would personally like to use Stryd that way, and the change wouldn’t require any new hardware. However, it is somewhat technically challenging (time consuming) and we have a lot of other features we would also like to provide, so we need to prioritize. If over-the-shirt power is high priority for you, please tell us over at http://club.stryd.com or email us at stryd@stryd.com .
Hi Ray,
how did you manage to see the BSXInsight data at the Garmin 920XT?
Best,
Fabio
That’s actually Stryd data on the 920XT for running. That said, you can see BSX data using Connect IQ, or, by funneling it over the speed/cadence channels.
I’m using my Stryd with an Edge 520 secured to a Velcro strap using the standard plastic mount and rubber straps. It’s working quite well and is easy to read. The main downside is that it doesn’t display pace, which doesn’t really matter as I’m running to power targets anyway. With the 520 I just have to change the sport from ‘Cycling’ to ‘Run’ in Golden Cheetah. I also need to do the same in Strava. When I export the file from Golden Cheetah to Training Peaks it comes up as a run.
As for the strap, it hasn’t caused me any discomfort yet.
Also the Stryd can apparently be used with Garmin or Polar straps.
Hi Ray,
when do you plan to release the Stryd Pioneer’s reviews?
I’m thinking about a Christmas present ….. for me!
Thank you for the great work.
Andrea
As of the new 2.0.45 firmware for the Ambit 3 Peak, my Stryd is working seamlessly with my Suunto. Even before the update I just paired by Stryd as a Bike Power Pod and it worked ok – now I don’t even need to do that and I don’t need to wear two HR belts.
Apparently it also works well with the Ambit 2 even without a firmware update as you can pair via ANT+ to the Stryd as both a HR pod and a Bike Power Pod at the same time (one win for ANT+ over BLE).
Finally managed to do a first run with my Stryd today. Looks like an interesting tool to check for the most efficient way to run uphill as the response is immediate. A pity that the Fenix 3 does not support it natively unless the Bike mode workaround is used. Screws up averages and metrics in Connect, as well as calorie calculations. At least the power graph is still visible in Connect after changing the sport to running. Rubitrack has no issue with showing the power data for running.
Hi Ray, an engaging and informative post, as always :)
When should we expect the release of the full Stryd review?
Cheers, Mike
Working on it. Up first this week (should be), the Apple Watch for sport review, followed by the Fenix3 HR review.
MIght be able to slip it in next week, we’ll see.
Many thanks for taking the time to reply Ray. You do such an amazing job!
The Fenix 3 HR review will be interesting, particularly how its accuracy and HR response time compare to the Fenix 3 with HR strap in interval workouts and fartleks and any difference noticed in this in run vs ride. I am also interested how its Run Dynamix compare to those of the strap as RD are something Garmin has made such a big deal about having, and whether the Fenix 3 HR allows customisation (natively or via app) of the ‘always-on’ sampling frequency (for accuracy in min HR and HR variability etc.), etc.
I am looking forward to reading the Stryd review when you have the time :)
Cheers, Mike
Just in case you didn’t see it – the Fenix3 HR review went up yesterday!
Hi Ray,
I have been looking around but I just can’t seem to find the full Stryd review you were (or are?) working on in November 2015 (as mentioned in this 5-random-things post). Could you link it here or update about how that review is coming along? I’m not buying it until I see what you think… and I may just wait until it goes back to being a clip-on pod. I’d also like to see better garmin support (with my 920XT).
Cheers,
Eric
regarding stryd: the way I understand it’s technology, it is actually calculating the power, not measuring it by any means (i.e. cycling power meters are power meters, measuring power at various points, be it crank, pedals or hub), so eventually it’s not a power meter but power estimator/calculator.
And since it’s taking into account pace, grade, athlete specifics (body weight / height) and/or other input, it can be easily calculated without this specific device… saying that I searched through suunto’s app zone and found very interesting apps from user danielp27 (link to movescount.com). His algorithms are quite impressive and take into account quite a number of variables. Also, some users seem to have ran with both stryd and the app (link to movescount.com) and comparison is also quite impressive… I will give it a try myslef
As DC Rainmaker said last July:
“The pod itself is effectively not much different than your average modern running footpod, similarly with some accelerometers in it. In many ways, the magic here isn’t the hardware. It’s the software. It’s the algorithms that enable the company to see through all the noise of running and produce something that feels and looks like regular power meter data that you’d see while cycling.”
As Kevin “Mr Wonderful” O’Leary has said over and over… “There’s nothing proprietary about cupcakes”
:)
We loves us some Shark Tank.
And yup – my singular concern for Stryd as a company is that it’s based on just algorithms. No doubt, good algorithms, but algorithms that aren’t really patentable, because the logic has been presented numerous times before in various ways. Perhaps there is an edge case they could patent, but I’d worry that’d be tough.
Full disclosure: I am on the Stryd team.
The Stryd Pioneer measures the 3-D motion patterns of the runner’s center of mass step by step to determine the power being applied by the runner’s own muscles. Is determining power by measuring metal deformation “measurement”? That is what most cycling power meters do. So either both running and cycling power meters are “measuring” or both are “estimating”. What matters is whether they are providing information that aids in training and competition.
There is more to power than grade and speed. Form, for example.
Stryd is the equivalent of the PowerPod (cycling power meter using accelerometers & pressure gauges) for running.
All estimates are a combination of sensor measurements filtered by a model of what is expected. The more reliable the sensor, the less there will be dependence on algorithm magic. Strain gauge cycling power meters have highly reliable sensors that can compute power with a basic algorithm.
Stryd is using sensors that correlate to only a certain level with running power, even if the actually sensors themselves were of high quality. Thus a model is relied upon heavily.
Models make assumptions that aren’t always right. That can be a problem. Even Robert is essentially admitting this, as he is making assumptions about what is good running gait is and how it relates to power. This is reverse to how it should be. The ideal power meter should be providing answers to hypotheses about what types of running gait are more efficient, just like in the cycling literature.
When I hear some running company making claims that they know what running gaits are best for people (just like Lumo Bodytech), I become hesitant because I know they don’t.
That doesn’t mean the device doesn’t have value, but be practical in expectations.
when will be the giveaway or it is without a specific time ??
Typically giveaways happen once a month, often on Friday’s, but not always. Just keep an eye out on the Homepage for them.
Enjoy!