Favero Assioma UNO - Power Smoothing

I’m having issues with my Favero Assioma UNO combined with my CycleOps Fluid 2 using ANT+ connection on a Macbook Air. The pedals appear to work fine, however, regardless of what power smoothing I set it at, it still changes the power numerous times per second, sometimes 10-20 watt jumps. I’ve tried the default 3 seconds all the way up to 15 seconds without any luck.

Anyone else have a similar problem or recommended solution?

Hey @TrevRob! This is pretty common but not something to necessarily worry too much about, let me explain why:

  1. Power smoothing in the app actually only affects the target power bar (the one that changes colors depending on whether you’re on target). Power smoothing doesn’t change the power numbers displayed or recorded.
  2. Pedal-based power meters like your Assioma are going to be much more variable than a crank or wheel-based power meter since they’re closer to the application of force. We usually see pedal power meters have slightly “jumpier” power readings, but this is normal and may be even more accurate than power meter more removed from your power source (legs/feet).
  3. Since your Assioma UNO is a single-sided power meter, it’s only getting half the picture. The power reported from the one pedal is doubled, which means that any variation is equally inflated, making your data twice as erratic as it really is.

I would recommend setting power smoothing anywhere from 10-15 seconds with these pedals so you’re not constantly adjusting your effort when reported power goes off target slightly, and then just continue training as normal. If power readings ever get really jumpy, you should calibrate the power meter, replace the battery, and as a last resort try to pursue a warranty.

2 Likes

Thanks Larry. That makes much more sense now. I was under the assumption that the power soothing would slow down the drastically changing power number displayed. I was using ERG on old trainer so I was spoiled by the steady number.

1 Like

Steady numbers or not, as long as you’re training within an acceptable range of your power target, you’ll still see improvements! Best of luck with your training!

1 Like

I’ll add to this.

I also use Favero Assioma (DUO), and TR on a Macbook with ANT+ dongle. Been doing so around 9 months now.

I’ve found that it’s best to put power smoothing on the same interval as my head unit (a trusty Garmin 500). That unit only allows 3s or 10s smoothing (doesn’t have 5s), so I’ve chosen 3s and set TR to the same.

Yes, the power can be “jumpy” at that interval but I would recommend persisting with it. It’s made a huge difference to my pedaling technique and over time the “jumps” have become very minimal. I can ride to within a +/- 8w range from target power pretty consistently. Think of it as technique practice.

Also, with ANT+, you can have your head unit listening to the same broadcast as your Macbook. Psychologically that is useful - you’ll be looking at the head unit when outdoors, and if you’re familiar with those numbers on that unit you can measure and control your ride that much better…

2 Likes