4iiii Innovations, Inc., is one of a handful of startups bringing more affordable power meters to market, and it looks like their the first of the bunch to make it to the top levels of our sport. This isn’t the first time we’ve featured 4iiii’s power meter.
Etixx Quick-Step reveal new left/right device.
Bike technology company 4iiii Innovations Inc. named 2016 official supplier of power measurement for Belgian pro cycling team.
It’s a fresh new year and we’re as committed as ever to bringing you relevant, timely and, hopefully, interesting information to you on a regular basis. Today, we have a great story from our main man with Team Etixx – Quick-Step.
Lightweight power meters help cyclists keep track of their energy output in gruelling races.
The Holiday Season is upon us and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. Your feedback and loyalty fuel our relentless motivation to develop novel sports technology. Thank you.
Watt kind of cycling data do you need?
Today we bring you a review link, and a perspective about choosing a single side crank-based power meter.
DCrainmaker’s in-depth PRECISION review is live. In true DC style it is as extensive, detailed and informative as ever, gives an account of everything from PRECISION set up to performance. The last line of the summary ends with: “….it (PRECISION) takes the KOM for the least expensive direct force power meter on the market – and one that’s just as accurate and easy to use as ones that cost significantly more.”
Investing in a power meter is an important decision – one that’s bound to transform your riding experience and advance your cycling performance. It can also be a pricey venture with many power meter units running close to $1000 and others well over $2,000.
Through our commitment to high quality data for all cyclists, we’ve focused our early developments on a left-leg device and kept the price under $400 USD.
Here is some background in choosing direct force, single sided crank-based power meters.
A direct force power meter can be theoretically located in any part of a bike’s drive chain. A bike’s drive train can include any component that transfers energy from a rider to the point of contact on a bike. As such, any one of the following components can be considered a part of the drive train: pedal, crank arm, crank spindle, crank spider, chain, wheel hub, wheel spokes, wheel rim, and tire. The farther the meter is located from the rider, the more losses are absorbed by the bike before getting to the power meter and the less detail about the rider’s cycling style can be discerned.
The 4iiii PRECISION power meter is a crank based left side power meter. It is unique amongst other crank arm power meters in that it combines a proprietary strain gauge design with sophisticated software algorithms to provide superior accuracy and deep stride analysis. (Left leg pedal smoothness and torque effectiveness are included as a permanent features until January 15th)
The PRECISION power meter doubles the very accurate power measurement from your left leg to give you a single, very close estimate of your total wattage output.
While we all have cycling leg imbalances, the single-leg power meter methodology has proven to deliver highly accurate data to empower cyclists with the information needed to advance their performance. To this effect, PRECISION delivers a left leg accuracy range of 0 to 4,000 watts at +/- 1% error, and records a cadence range from 10 to 170 RPM. And, if you know of existing leg imbalances, our latest upgrades allow you to manually adjust your scale factor for an even closer estimate of your combined power output.
So what does this mean to you and your investment in a PRECISION single-leg power meter?
With left-leg only data, PRECISION is an accurate and dependable tool you can count on to gain new insights into your relative power. Even our own resident elite triathlete chooses to train and race with left only power. In her words “because it’s reliable”.
By adding this new dimension to your cycling, you can gain relevant information to guide your day to day training, as well as valuable information to compare your performance from event to event – all of this at the most competitive price in the market.
And for those who want the highest level of data sophistication, rest assured! 4iiii engineers are already hard at work on implementing the same level of accuracy already offered as part of the left-side solution to a future dual leg system. And yes, we’ll remain committed to delivering future solutions at leading prices.
That’s it for us this Friday. Remember to ride hard and smile often. If you are somewhere warm, take it in!
‘Tis the season for Fat Bike Snow Angels!
As you may have noticed, we included two, early-adopter Christmas presents in the recent PRECISION power meter firmware upgrade.
These two cycling dynamic features – Left-side Pedal Smoothness and Left-side Torque Effectiveness – are exclusively available if you have already purchased PRECISION or if you purchase a PRECISION by January 15th, 2016.
Here’s how these features can take your cycling to new heights:
Pedal Smoothness measures how uniformly force is applied to the crank during a pedal revolution. For example, an output of 100 percent would indicate that you’re able to deliver the same amount of force all the way around the pedal stroke. This is nearly impossible since the human leg delivers far more force on the down stroke than on the upstroke. Knowing your pedal smoothness can be an effective way to improve your pedal stroke throughout the entire pedal rotation – not just on the down stroke.
The second, time-limited PRECISION feature we are sharing with you is Torque Effectiveness. This feature measures how much of the torque you deliver per pedal stroke actually helps to move your bike forwards. For example, a Torque Effectiveness of 80 percent would indicate that 80 percent of the torque you are applying is moving your bike forward, while 20 percent of the torque you exert on the pedal is actually working against you or wasted as heat or noise. Similarly to Pedal Smoothness, this is a great metric for helping you grow more mindful of your stroke and its impact on your energy output and efficacy.
Both of these features are single, left-side only implementations. While not the full dual-sided picture, this is a unique opportunity for you to test drive developments percolating at 4iiii.
As for PRECISION purchases made after January 15th, 2016, those units will come equipped with the same base product features designed to keep you ahead of your game:
To take advantage of this offer and incorporate both Pedal Smoothness and Torque Effectiveness into your cycling regime, order your PRECISION power meter before January 15th, 2016.
Place an order now or for more product information, CLICK HERE.
This Holiday, ride hard and ride smart with PRECISION.
Your responses to the upgrades have been very positive and it appears that many of you are well immersed in the new features. We live to hear your comments and suggestions as they really do inspire us to innovate.
For anyone not seeing your device information as you upgrade, do not fret. It may only be a case of having to clear your Bluetooth cache. If you want help, just send us an email to support@4iiii.com and we’ll walk you through it.
Now, onto something that is a true fusion of our winter season and passion for biking (and maybe a little post Thanksgiving relief for some?): Fat biking!
Equipped with over-sized tires 3.8” (97 mm) and wide rims 2.6” (66 mm), fatties (as the bikes are affectionately known) are designed for low tire pressure and soft unstable terrain such as snow and sand. Today’s enthusiasm for year-round biking adventures has seen a fringe curiosity turn into a frenzy for the modern fat bike. ( Men’s Journal recently published an article on this increasingly-popular ride option and outlined a number of riding tips that cover everything from clothing to tire pressure.)
Our own crew has had some ‘fantastic fun’ riding fatties under the blue Alberta skies.
Here’s to the start of a healthy and happy holiday season!
We’re excited to report that the Firmware Upgrades for PRECISION, Viiiiva and Cliiiimb were released this week. If you have not yet seen an email from us, or had prompts on your phone, you can access the over the air feature upgrades here. Here’s what you’ll gain with the latest upgrades:
4iiii App
Version 1.16.0 on iOS / Version 1.2.0 on Android
Viiiiva Heart Rate Monitor (HRM)
Firmware version 2.0.0
PRECISION Power Meter
Firmware version 0.3.0
And now, as we share this much-anticipated release, we wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our US neighbours who will celebrate next week. While you’re all prepping for turkey and the trimmings, we offer you a wintery toast with our hometown’s world famous McKay’s Ice Cream.
Cheers!
