PedalSmart.blog

Two bikes with Different Resistance Consider these common scenarios. You have: Bought a new indoor smart bike / trainer.   Two bikes / trainers of the same brand and model. Moved a trainer from one bike to another Something is wrong . The same physical or virtual gear does not feel the same as your other bike. If you take a single set of power meter pedals and measure the power produced by each bike at a given cadence for the same virtual gear, you can easily confirm different power readings. Why is Resistance Different? Imagine for a moment, all the indoor trainers and bikes available on the market. When doing a race or free ride, each bike/trainer is controlled by an app like Zwift in the same way. Zwift will say to the bike: "Produce the appropriate resistance to simulate a 70 kg rider going up a 5% incline on an asphalt road surface" where 70 kg is the rider weight set in Zwift, and incline and road conditions are determined by Zwift according to the riding conditions i...

The SB20 smart bike has dual power meters. They work together to give you accurate left:right power measurements. Here's a  dual power meter example with Zwift: Right Crank measures power and sends it to the Left Crank . The Left Crank adds its measurements and sends a single message with consolidated L:R data to any connected apps ( Zwift in this example ). Apps like Zwift support a  Power Source  connection to: The Stages Bike or Directly to the left crank. When both power meters are working correctly, both  Power Source connection methods provide similar performance. For more information, see  How to Pick a Zwift Power Source . What if One Crank Fails? If one cranks fails, the other crank can work independently, when you do the following : Remove the battery from the defective crank.  Use the Stages Bike as the Power source.  Here's an example with a malfunctioning Left Crank in Zwift . In this example, Left Crank is malfunctioning. Its battery ...

Are my Power Meters Accurate? One of the most common complaints on cycling social media is: "My power meters are inaccurate." Reasons include: 1. Riders perform better in different environments. Whether it's outdoor or indoor, many cyclists see higher power in specific scenarios. 2. You’ve done a dual meter comparison using something like ZwiftPower ( Comparing Power Meters with ZwiftPower ). 3. The power meters are actually bad ( opinions vary so please keep reading )   Here's the problem:   Comparisons can be misleading. Indoor and outdoor riding environments differ significantly . The resistance and acceleration vary greatly, causing many power meters to struggle with accuracy in one environment versus the other. Riding style is also a factor; smooth riders often see different average power measurements compared to those who vary their cadence and acceleration. With dual power meter comparisons  it is impossible to know which power meter is correct when only two a...

Summary Stages Cycling LLC in the US filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June 2024. SPIA Cycling Inc ., a subsidiary of Giant Group , made an initial bid of $20 million for Stages Cycling's assets in July 2024. The acquisition was  finalized in September 2024 for $20.1 million. The assets purchased by SPIA Cycling Inc. include Stages Cycling's intellectual property , manufacturing facilities, product lines, and limited inventory. The terms of the purchase agreement included Giant Group dropping its lawsuit against Stages for $14 million in unpaid invoices and paying $500,000 to Norwegian software companies TekSport AS and VismoX AS. Additional Details Giant Group bought Stages US intellectual property and trademarks in September after Stages filed for bankruptcy earlier in 2024. The status of Stages' European operations remains unclear. Many countries have local distributors who offer sales, parts and service. These organizations are not directly affected by the US bankr...

SB20 owners occasionally report that their bike is producing resistance  that is too high or low. Here's how to verify that your bike's resistance is correct. What is resistance and what causes it to change? Resistance is the pedal tension that you push against to generate power. The faster you pedal against a given amount of resistance, the more power you produce.  Note:  Erg mode  behaviour is different. Here's a description if you are interested:  What is Erg Mode?    This discussion focuses on  free ride/race/sim mode  resistance. What about Power Meters? Power meters  measure  how hard you are pushing against the bike's resistance. Pedalling faster against this resistance, increases power (watts).  Pedalling slower, decreases power. Power meters do NOT affect resistance. They only reflect increased resistance if you choose to pedal harder against it 💪. Example: Zwift Resistance Here's how resistance is set in a ...

The Stages Cycling app is normally used to set the Stages SB20 crank length .  It is a quirky process. Many people complain: The crank length changes after they set it.  They aren't necessarily seeing things... Here's how to set crank length correctly every time Start by opening the Stages Cycling app and going to the  Stages Bike > Devices > Power Meter  tab. 1. Before attempting any crank configuration, make sure the cranks are awake . Things get messy when they go to sleep or get disconnected . 2. Take Note: The Stages Cycling app sends the last setup configuration changes made in the app to the SB20 bike each time you restart the app . Examples are: gear settings ( Custom or Dream Drive ) and shifter button layout ( Campagnolo, Shimano or Custom ).  Summary: The Stages Cycling app saves bike configuration settings and updates the SB20 bike each time you start the app. If you have more than one copy of the app on different devices, the SB20 bike ...

Just about everyone who rides indoors will eventually hear clicking or scraping noises. Some noises are inconsequential. Others can represent a serious issue.  Let's take a look at some of the most common noise complaints with the Stages SB20 smart bike. Parts Before getting started, here are some key SB20 part names : Flywheel Rubbing against Plastic Cover Manufacturing variances, heat and wear can cause the right plastic cover to make rubbing noises as the flywheel spins. These noises persist after pedalling stops. You can eliminate the problem by trimming the right plastic cover as shown above. Flywheel Cogs Rubbing against Front Cover Fastener Adjusting drive belt tension can move the front axle forward causing it to rub or scrape against the metal fasteners holding the front cover in place.  To verify: Remove the front cover. Look at the front cogs. Do they rub against the front cover fasteners when pedalling . Note: Removing the front cover can cause noises to stop. Th...

When your Stages SB20 smart bike is working normally, the built-in power meter cranks provide power and cadence data to apps like Zwift . Behind the scenes, they also provide the data that lets the SB20 regulate resistance when running in Erg mode. Some riders also add 3rd party power meter pedals .  They can work very well.   It surprises many people that Erg mode requires the built-in Stages power meters even when 3rd party power meters are in use.   For more information on SB20 erg mode , see: Erg Mode with a Stages SB20 Smart Bike . Question of the Day 📣 Question:  If my Stages crank power meters fail a nd I have another set of 3rd party power meter pedals , can I still use my SB20 bike?  The Short Answer: You can still do free rides and races in Zwift and other apps. You will not be able to use Erg mode.  ------------------- Urban legend: Erg mode still works with 3rd Party Cranks   Some people report that Erg mode still works when they use ...

Bottom Bracket Cartridge Removal A few months ago, I showed how to remove and replace an SB20 smart bike bottom bracket cartridge: SB20 - Replacing the Bottom Bracket Replacement versus Servicing Getting replacement parts is more difficult after the Stages shutdown in the US . Some people in Europe and the UK can still get parts. Not so in other places.  For those who can't get parts, servicing your bottom bracket may be your only option. Fear not . Cartridge disassembly is not as difficult as you might think. July 25, 2024:  This vendor has SB20 BBs in stock:  Stages Bottom Bracket - Part No. 000-3758 .  Get 'em while they last  😁. Bottom Bracket Servicing This post and video shows how to disassemble and reassemble the SB20 bottom bracket cartridge. What's Inside the SB20 BB Cartridge? The SB20 BB cartridge consists of: A pair of retaining cups that secure the bottom bracket cartridge to the frame. Drive and non-drive sides are different. 2 sealed bearing wit...