The purpose of the parameter Power smoothing in MyETraining app and Drivo

[michaelwestergaard]

Please can lease you explain the purpose of the parameter Power smoothing in the advanced configuration of the MyETrainings app?

What values are valid to enter for this parameter and how should different values change the way the Drivo hometrainer behaves or feel like?

The reason I ask is that I suspect that my Drivo stops very quickly if no force is applied whereas the "road feel" becomes more natural at speed.

So far I have the feeling that I have to work much harder both when going uphill or downhill when using the Drivo than what i do on the road. I have used the calibration feature on the app., but it does not change anything.

I have also tried to attached a Quarq powermeter to the bike one time and can also put a Stages powermeter on the left arm at the same time if I want to. The power values I get from these devices are not way off either with respect to each other or with respect to the power values I get from the Drivo itself so that seems to be ok. At least not to a degree so I feel there is anything wrong.

For instance:

If I compare a nice steady climb I did on Teneriffe some years ago for real I have the following real values: Dist.=6,8 km, time: 36:10, avg. speed approx. 11,3 km/h with Pavg =227 W and NP= 231W

If I do the same climb from a MyRealvideo I have obtained the following data from the Drivo / MyETraining app. Dist=6,83 km, time: 36:39, avg. speed approx 11,2 km/h with Pavg =219W and NP=222W.

The climb has slopes around 6-9% most of the time and does not change too much all the way. In fact some Pro Tour teams use the real climb for test purposes.

As the MyRealvideo does not start at exactly the same point where I meassured the climbing part of my real ride there could be a good reason why there is this difference between the real and simulated data. Another fact is that my real data was obtained with an SRM powermeter I had at that time, hence the powerdata from the SRM are not obtained from the rear wheel and would be expected higher than my Drivo data due to loss in the chain / cassette system.

But the feeling I have is that when riding uphill using the Drivo is that It becomes rather hard and unnatural to maintain a steady low pace compared to the real world. If I speed up to a higher pace the feeling becomes more natural.

For instance if I want to climb this course I wrote about with 10-11 km/h I only have to slow down a little bit before it is very hard to get up in speed.  And with slopes in the +12% region it quickly becomes unnatrual and nothing that feels like the real world.

It is as if the cadence / speed gets low it almost feels like a standing start on a track bike doing a 4k pursuit or something like that.

The same "quickly brake / stop" feeling occur if I ride a course going downhill. If that is the case it is all most impossible to obtain speeds above 40km/h even if the gradient or slope is - 5 to - 6%. And anybody who have tried to ride down a real -5 % slope knows that you easily get above 50 km/h without doing much work.

Hence I wonder if this behaviour relates to the Power smoothing parameter.

Best regards /

Michael

[AndrewAdamson]

I for one would be keen on observing your more drawn out review on your involvement with the direto, since it is new and there are not a great deal of buyer audits yet. I haven't seen vibrating, yet mine is on a froth cushion over best of hardwood over best of a concrete floor. write my assignment for me

[scoob]

Hi. I have this same question. I find it odd that the manufacturer has not responded with an answer to this question (unless I’ve missed it). What is the power smoothing setting and how does it affect a Drivo II ?
Could Elite comment possibly for everyone’s benefit?

[scoob]

@Elite Admin S @Elite Admin M - can you comment please.

[scoob]

Having completed some searching I believe it may be the ‘number of pedal strokes’ that are averaged to give a power output. What’s not clear is if the trainer is sending power every fraction of a second and power smoothing is maybe only for displaying on the Elite Application purposes.
So for example if the trainer is transmitting power every 0.1s (I have no idea if that’s true just creating an example)
Then:
Every appl could then be deciding what to display, taking instant or average results depending on app settings.
In which case elite myETraining is smoothing power displayed based on the power over a given number of pedal strokes to even out the cyclists different power on each stroke.
(in theory then every appl must do similar)

Anyway - back to the Drivo II - So I have just run a test using elites myETraining app on my Drivo II using a really easy ‘interval’ set. Nothing as variable like what we’d use in real training so as to give the trainer an easy test.

The test example is used was
110w for 2 minutes
30s at 100w
30s at 180w
30s at 100w
30s at 180w
I set the elite power smoothing setting to zero so I could see actual/instant power.

Results:
The first two minutes were broadly enough correct as I settled into 90rpm at 110w. Same for next 30s at 100w. So I’m pedalling consistently now and everything looks fine with power around the expected number (ovciousltnsubject to my own pedalling power being variable, no one expects the number to be exact it’s instant power after all)
Then the first 180w kicks in. It takes around 8-9s for the trainer to start increasing resistance. It completes the change in resistance to push me to do 180w after 20s. I have maintained cadence during this.
Then when returning to 100w the reduction starts 7s or so after the interval change and completes around 17s
Back to 180w and similar. Starts the ramp up after about 7s and completes it by about 17s.

That can’t be correct behaviour from a leading edge trainer can it?
Other trainers take a fraction of the time and the Drivo II is formally advertised as the following:
“You’ll adjust resistance in the blink of an eye - It’s powerful, quiet and fluid, just like pedaling outdoors on your bike”

[georgefaulkner]

In my opinion, the issue is related to interferences, do my assignment for me to be sure of this do you have the possibility to make a test in the same place and in the same condition where you have tested the Drivo?