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Have you ever wondered why the Stages SB20 smart bike doesn’t have a gear display? When I took the bike apart to help people understand internal components, I found an extra USB power connector. I always thought this was intended for a gear display. Around the same time, I started thinking about creating a dedicated LCD display - controlled by a small Arduino processor - for something like $200. Then it occurred to me: how about using an old iPad or iPhone? For less than $100, you would have a better display with the ability to show other metrics like cadence, power and heart rate. I started writing related app software earlier this year. I’ve been using this app as a dashboard to augment Zwift since early February. I am happy to announce the GearView dashboard for the SB20 is now available on the Apple App Store for iPad and iPhone. You can find out more at: GearView.online THE FUTURE OF GEARVIEW - PIVOT TIME I initially planned to support other smart bikes and trainers with virtu

  BattView  is an iOS app that  tests battery levels  for all your Bluetooth fitness related devices.   You can now get  battery level estimates  for devices like heart rate monitors, Zwift controllers, speed sensors and power meters  before starting a workou t. No more opening multiple apps.  Start scanning with a single button. Battery level and signal strength are displayed in seconds.  BattView is easy to Use  ⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯ BattView  for  iPad  and  iPhone  is available in the Apple App Store.  Download BattView

If you use Zwift long enough, you have seen the following: Since January, I've been writing a pair of iOS apps to monitor and control the SB20. While doing my testing, I saw the above behaviours just about every day. The reasons became fairly clear from my developer's perspective. Why does my Bike Disappear from Zwift? The SB20 bike can have at most 2 Bluetooth connections. After this limit is exceeded, the bike is not visible to apps like Zwift. Each Stages power meter crank can have at most 2 Bluetooth connections. After this limit is exceeded, the PMs are not visible to apps like Zwift. Sounds easy to manage, right? Not always . The hidden culprits are apps on your phone. It is common for an app controlling something like a TV or speaker, to connect to the SB20 and PM cranks to see what services they provide. To do this kind of "feature interrogation", one of the two available Bluetooth connections will be used. If the app developer is not careful, that connec

If you ride an indoor bike long enough, you will need to replace your bottom bracket. Sweat, grit and worn bearings eventually win the day. Let's see how to replace an SB20 smart bike bottom bracket . When to Replace Bad bottom brackets are pretty easy to identify. They will exhibit one or more of the following behaviours: Grinding that feels like sand in the bearing when rotated slowly. Excessive play when pushing the cranks in and out. Wobbling when riding - especially when pushing hard. What is NOT bottom bracket failure Clicking noises.  Instead: Check pedals and look for loose crank bolts. Rubbing noises.  Instead: Look for problems around plastic covers. Noises that get loader as you pedal faster . Instead: Check the flywheel.   Tools Needed Car mechanics can rejoice. You have most of the required tools. Tool Summary: Heat gun for loosening red Loctite that holds drive side bottom bracket fastener (alternative: hair dryer). NLGI #2 automotive bearing grease (alternative: bik

Free Riding is Easy Let's start with the relationship between resistance , cadence and power (watts) when doing an indoor free ride (sometimes called sim mode ). Free riding follows a simple formula:  Power in watts  =   How hard you push   ⨉   How fast you pedal   Your indoor bike offers constant resistance when you stay in the same physical or virtual gear. Pedal at a constant RPM and you get a consistent number of watts. If you then pedal 10% faster, you produce 10% more watts.  Pedal 10% slower, you produce 10% fewer watts. 📣 Free Riding Summary: When simulated riding conditions stay the same, pedalling faster produces more watts. Pedalling slower produces fewer watts. And don't forget: There is one way to go faster in Zwift.  Produce more watts 💪.    If only indoor riding was always this simple... Erg Mode When doing structured workouts, Erg mode is popular. It allows you to produce a desired number of watts whether you pedal fast or slow. It's very useful fo

In my last post, I described why Erg mode is not always optimal:   What is Erg Mode and Why Can it Suck?   In this post, I describe how the Erg mode works on a Stages SB20 Smart Bike .  SB20 Erg Mode The  Stages SB20  bike is different than other smart bikes or a trainer. It uses crank-based power meters and  not flywheel speed  ⨉  resistance  to determine power levels. This simplifies the power calculations but adds some Erg mode wrinkles. A simple  SB20 Erg mode  flowchart looks like this: The SB20 is measures cadence and power at the cranks rather than calculating power based on flywheel resistance and RPM.   On paper, this method should provide a very responsive erg mode. The reality is: it is one of the slowest erg modes to stabilize after cadence and target power changes.   Why so Slow? The Stages power meter cranks send readings to the SB20 processor once a second. Due to limited processing capability in the cranks, raw readings are transmitted. This data needs to be  filtered  

Contrary to what marketing departments suggest: Indoor Smart bikes are really first generation products.  They require some  early adopter rationalizations like dealing with Bluetooth and ANT+ wireless connections. It's also reasonable to expect that repairs will be needed. The Stages SB20 The Stages SB20 smart bike is mostly a first generation product . Initially released in 2020, it has remained essentially the same for 3 years. The SB20 shares some of its design with Stages studio bikes  that have been used in commercial gyms for over a decade. As such, the frame, seat post, bearings, drive belt and cranks are well proven. The main computer and electronic brake flywheel is unique to the SB20. 🔬Note: Stages Studio bikes have aluminum frames. The SB20 has a steel frame. Stages Support Organization Stages has different support channels, depending on where you live.   Many countries have retail distributors or contractors who handle SB20 warranty repairs. UK owners speak well o

SB20 Dream Dream provides equally spaced virtual gears across the SB20's Resistance Range .  Define a configuration with 10 gears and you get 10 equally spaced virtual gears. Create 25 gears, and you get 25 equally spaced gears.  How does this compare to traditional 2X gearing with its 2 front chainrings and rear cassette?   Let's find out. What are Virtual Gears? First, let's understand  virtual gears .  How do they differ from an indoor trainer and why are virtual gears often considered better? Smart bikes and trainers expect apps like Zwift to control electronic brake resistance.  This allows the indoor bike to simulate riding conditions like flat or hilly terrain along with different riding surfaces like dirt or asphalt.  Trainers use the attached bike's physical gears to add the resistance that represents the effort needed to move a bike over the simulated terrain.  Smart bikes accomplish the same by simply increasing the electronic brake resistance. You get

Welcome to 2024 I did 52 bike related posts on PedalSmart.blog in 2023. 40 of these posts apply to the Stages SB20 Smart Bike .  Here are the 5 most popular SB20 posts based on views by my readers . 5. Comparing SB20 with another Power Meter  Many of us are concerned about power meter accuracy. ZwiftPower users can easily do comparisons. Comparing Power Meters with ZwiftPower One Downside: Zwift keeps track of all these comparisons. They may use these tests to disqualify you in the future. For a totally private test, consider:  Comparing Power Meters using a Spreadsheet   4. Top 10 SB20 Modifications and Upgrades Here are the 10 biggest improvements I've made for better indoor riding. My 10 Indoor Bike Improvements   3. Zwift Power Sources What's best way to connect Zwift to the SB20? It depends. How to Pick a Zwift Power Source   2. Measuring SB20 Power Meters  Comparing the SB20 with the power meters is a good first step. But how do you know if the other other power meters