How to use dual sided power meter?

[chrisq]

I’m having issues with my setup and it feeling like TR isn’t picking up on the power meter and my Kicker Core not providing the right resistance.

My setup is the following:

I left the Stages left side power meter on my bike, took the right side Stages power meter off my gravel bike, and combined them together for my training setup.

Kicker Core
TR via my Android phone
Polar BT HR monitor
And Zwift on an Apple TV

I usually pair the Apple TV and Zwift to the Kicker Core for power and cadence, unchecking the controllable box start the ride, then start TR. When in TR I pair the app to the Kickr Core in BT mode in ERG mode with power match, pair it to my left sided power meter, and HR strap.

Sometimes when I start the warmup and it’s 100w or so warmup the trainer seems to spin like there’s no resistance, even trying to put out some power that feels like it’s way over 100w it reads like 30w, but at the same time Zwift will be reading 100+.

I paired the left and right side power meters in the Stages app, and it says they’re paired, but I heard in TR all you need to do is connect it to the left meter and it’ll do both, even though in TR it lets me pair to each?

What’s going on, am I just screwing something up royally? Do I need to pair both sides of the power meter in the TR app?

Thanks.

[Bryce]

Hey @chrisq,

One thing I’d like to mention is that combined L+R power is only supported if you’re pairing via ANT+, so if you’re pairing via Bluetooth you should just pair the left crank arm, and we will double the value. At the moment, we are not able to pair to both power meters at the same time over Bluetooth, and if you have both paired at the same time in the Devices Tab, that will throw off your readings making the behavior unpredictable.

For further setup info, I’d recommend reaching out to our Support Team. They deal with tricky hardware setups day in and day out, so they are an excellent resource when looking for technical support. You can reach the team at support@trainerroad.com, and they’ll get back to you as quickly as they can.

Best,
Bryce

[chrisq]

I didn’t even think there would be a difference between BT and Ant+! Thanks for the info!

I’ll use ANT+ next workout and see how it goes!

[the1gofer]

Is this still the case? I am trying to get everything set up fir the first time and would love to be able to utilize both sides.

For what it’s worth, Cyclemeter seems to have able to use both sides via Bluetooth so it’s technically possible.

[IvyAudrain]

Hey! We can only get combined readings for the Stages power meter via ANT+ unfortunately.
Supporting combined readings via BLE is something are planning on for the future, but we don’t have an ETA at the moment for integrating that feature.

If you need help getting set up or have specific questions about your devices and compatibility, it wouldn’t hurt to reach out to support either by emailing support@trainerroad.com or submitting a request online, they’d be happy to help you out!

[bbarrera]

Hi Ivy,

I’ve got a gen3 dual-side Stages and the TR mobile app absolutely receives total (L+R) power via BLE. Maybe 6 months ago I documented this in a reply to Bryce in another thread.

-B

[IvyAudrain]

Oh whoa I had no idea! Thats good to know! You’re sure its not just reading one and doubling value? Are your readings pretty stead/predictable?

This is awesome!

[the1gofer]

So I’d have to spend 100 on dongles or get a head unit…

[bbarrera]

@IvyAudrain

Oh whoa I had no idea! Thats good to know! You’re sure its not just reading one and doubling value? Are your readings pretty stead/predictable?

100% positive that TR mobile app receives total power. Here you go:

Stages LR power ceiling while connected via bluetooth

Just went outside for a two minute test… at 40 seconds I unclipped left shoe and pedaled with only right foot as seen here in Garmin Connect: [image] ^ that was recorded on Garmin Edge 530 Now lets see what TrainerRoad app on iPhone recorded… I pressed record on Garmin at same time as starting TrainerRoad… and TR has 5 second countdown and so its 5 seconds behind: [image] Both are showing 116W at the same time, and there is no power being applied to left pedal. Conclusion: TrainerRoad is…

Last night I was outside doing a workout and then did some single leg drills. It definitely takes at least 10 seconds for the Stages to recognize that I’m only pedaling with the right leg and start sending power/cadence data (to my Garmin 530). Believe the post above also shows (BLE to TR app) a delay from the time you start pedaling right-side only, and the time the Stages starts sending power/cadence data.

Garmin 530 recording from last night’s 5-minutes of single leg drills, where it took ~5 seconds to unclip and switch legs:

Notice the long pauses without power/cadence? Its like the Stages “gets confused” and takes a short amount of time to realize I’ve gone right side only. Annoying.

[IvyAudrain]

This is so great! Thanks for providing that information! Im curious if its just Stages that can now be read via BLE for both left right. The team will for sure have to do some more digging on this to see what other devices are now compatible.
Thanks again! You’re great!

[bbarrera]

From memory I believe threads have shown total power working via BLE for Assioma and Vector 3. For Assioma you need to configure a setting. I’ll bet other devices work too, per my (non-practicing engineer) speculation in the post just below the one I linked to above.

[NickZambeck]

Bumping this, I just added my RS stages to my bike, along with LS. I have linked them together in the Stages mobile app. For reference, pairing the two linked meters together on Garmin, you only need to pair the Left Side Identification.

this is all a bit confusing on what is working, I’ll report back today after my ride.

the best way to solidify if this is working is by doing some single leg pedaling I imagine?

[bbarrera]

Yes, do some single leg drills. In my experience when switching from left leg to right leg, the right side PM takes ~20 seconds before reporting power and cadence. So don’t switch legs, see no power reading for 10+ seconds, and decide its not working. Keep pedaling right leg only until power shows up, which should be about 20 seconds.

[NickZambeck]

update - works! bluetooth connected to one PM on the TR app, both power meters linked on the Stages app.
no issues. other than i think my right side power meter reads crazy low