Drivo II - ERG control extremely slow

[scoob]

Hi all.

I’ve been puzzling over why the best trainer there is at changing power levels seems to be the slowest I’ve experienced.

Nothing else having changed (same desktop, same ANT dongle, same house location) I’ve had a Real Turbo Muin, which changed pretty darn fast and I always liked it
It failed and was replaced with a Neo. Also changed pretty darn quickly.
The Drivo II is supposed to me the fastest ... 3x faster than the previous incarnation.

It is taking me 10-12s to change power on intervals. Including a drop on the way even. That is destroying some workouts that were fine with both previous trainers.

Wonder if it’s firmware.

Elite - any comment?
Anyone else experience this?
As it say works fine on other trainers. A quick google showed up two other people with the same issue.

My primary training app is Sufferfest.

[benjamin.debray]

Ya that's pretty much a known issue with the Drivo 1 and 2. No one knows why. I just put up with it now and turn erg off when there are short intervals (below 30s). I was trying to do 10s sprints the other day and it was impossible because by the time the trainer got to 700 watts, the interval was over.

[scoob]

Oh dear - I have just been looking round the forums on other platforms.

This seems to be a wide issue, not use my trainer. Trainer Road forums reporting the same issue, Zwift forums reporting the same issue.
Elite Drivo II and ERG doesn’t work for many.
*Drivo II* / *ERG slow* / *Drivo II ERG slow* / *Drivo II ERG doesn’t work* / Drivo II Elite customer service*

Elite - this looks like it’s an issue with the trainer overall - is it? There’s no way it should take 12s to ramp up power.
Obviously there will be people using the trainer who won’t notice this - not everyone will ‘care’ or perhaps won’t notice until they spend lots of time learning workouts and using the various platforms (at least that would have been me a year ago) But there are many of us who do, and a formal response as to why this has been designed this way is important to me.

I believe there are two choices here:
1. It has been designed to be this way (which goes agains the 3x faster claim because I’d suggest it’s the slowest trainer of the three I’ve used - approx 4-6 times slower.
2. It’s a fault

Anyone else had this issue and care to add to this thread (appreciate not necessarily many will know this forum exists)

Which one is it?

[okhn]

Anyone else had this issue and care to add to this thread

I am facing the same issue. I understand it is fault related to ERG mode only. People that are using it with Zwift (unless workouts) will benefit from the faster reponse.

Using it in ERG mode will show this fault. It seems that it can be fixed: https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/07/eli ... nt-3065022

[scoob]

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

[scoob]

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”

[scoob]

Hi everyone. I’m about to gather in to one place everyone who has a problem with both their Drivo and their Drivo II specifically with respect to ERG use - where the trainer takes a long time (compared to the claimed capability) to change its resistance levels, whether up or down in power.
If you’d rather use a pseudonym obviously that’s grand.

When we’ve gathered a set of names for Elite Drivo and Drivo II machines that don’t operate correctly, we can make it visible as a group problem really clearly. It might help. Feel free to append your name to this list in either thread. And we can campaign for a group response from Elite.

Starting with two of us who ended up on the same thread on another forum. These are people with exactly the same issue
Drivo II performance way below par.

For Drivo II:
Me (scoob)
Dave Yeomans
Estidoh (TR forum)
Arsian (TR forum)
jmvcolorado (TR forum)
Updated 4/2
+2 more from the DC rainmaker review site. One of whom had theirs fixed through remote access by Elite.

That’s seven I’ve found in last few hours.


For Drivo:

[r.lafferty]

Hi Scoob

Greetings from Edinburgh

I have the same issue with original drivo. I have given up on some Zwift workouts that involve short bursts of power( under 30s) as the interval has passed by the time the power has changed. Unlike you I have never used anything else so I am unsure how other machines react. It seems strange as in all other respects its a great trainer. One thing I have noticed is that is that , as you say , you must keep cadence the same going into the interval otherwise it really confuses it.
Good luck getting any response from Elite on this forum, I've been waiting on a response about the fabled firmware update since Nov!!

[Nemysys]

Hi Guys... whether or not the same issue...

I've had my Drivo II since the New Year 2019. It was a replacement for an Elite Qubo Smart Digital B+ which failed after 18mths.

Didn't use it in January (stuck with Rollers) but have reinstalled.

Don't know if it the same problem - but in ERG mode the power output registering is wild...

If I am trying to put out 120watts - and have a constant cadence, the registered power swings wildly between (say) 270 watts and 98 watts - it takes ages to settle down (over 30sec) and even then there is no consistency it still fluctuates.

I almost can't get it to settle on the required power output.

Using Zwift with ANT+ FE-C

Any thoughts...?
Paul Ashbury

[scoob]

Hey. Thanks for posting though. It’s good to get more evidence of the problem that Elite Drivo and Elite Drivo II machines are defective for many of us
And hey - greetings from Edinburgh

Hi Scoob

Greetings from Edinburgh

I have the same issue with original drivo. I have given up on some Zwift workouts that involve short bursts of power( under 30s) as the interval has passed by the time the power has changed. Unlike you I have never used anything else so I am unsure how other machines react. It seems strange as in all other respects its a great trainer. One thing I have noticed is that is that , as you say , you must keep cadence the same going into the interval otherwise it really confuses it.
Good luck getting any response from Elite on this forum, I've been waiting on a response about the fabled firmware update since Nov!!