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Bike+ Resistance

19713 Views 24 Replies 15 Participants Last post by  Virgoinferno
Have had our new Bike+ for a few days (had the previous model for ~3 years) - my output on the Bike+ is much lower than the older model. I used to train with a minimum resistance of ~50 however '50' on the Bike+ is MUCH MUCH harder - a new '50' is like an old '70'.

Has anyone else noticed a difference in resistance - I have re-calibrated twice with no change.

Thanks, Dennis
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YES!!!! We have had the new bike for a little over 2 weeks and I feel like I'm riding in mud. I thought my calibration was off. I requested a service call. I actually got someone to come out in about a week. Once he got here he said he no one had been trained on the new bike and no one told him he was coming to look at the Plus. He told me they would order me a new bike. I got the link, but when I click on it to set up delivery I'm told there are no deliveries available. I have sent multiple emails and no response. I'm actually on hold right now to speak with someone again at Pelton. It is SO frustrating!!! I just want this one fixed, I don't need a new one. Why would you send out the new bike if no one is trained to work on them yet?
I thought new bikes auto calibrate when you start them up, i just got mine and numbers have definitely dropped but from the comments I’ve seen that’s very common because now it’s actually calibrated correctly
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I thought new bikes auto calibrate when you start them up, i just got mine and numbers have definitely dropped but from the comments I’ve seen that’s very common because now it’s actually calibrated correctly
Reading the first paragraph of this . . . sounds like it does auto calibrate.
The old bikes output was based on calculations vs. actual measurements.

Your old bike was calibrated on the “easier” side, hence the lower output on your bike+.

I would trust the bike+ readings since it is auto-calibrated and reads from the load sensor. Reviews have shown that it is very accurate compared to power pedals.

The bike+ is the reason why they now allow you to reset your PR’s; for those who owned bikes that were not properly calibrated.
Strange, mine is the opposite of these comments...my Bike+ is much easier, for the same effort I'm getting about a 20-25% higher output than the old bike. Almost feels like cheating!
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Your old bike was probably calibrated too hard - or maybe you've just suddenly become 25% faster! Allegedly the Bike+ is much more consistent.
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I have same issue on my bike plus. They are sending me a new one. 50 feels like 80, and output is very very low. I used to hit 400 plus on output with a good resistance but i cant even hit 250 without killing myself. I hope the replacement is better.
At the retail store the rep told me they suggest resetting your PRs when you get a Bike+ because they are generally harder based on the auto calibration.
I have same issue on my bike plus. They are sending me a new one. 50 feels like 80, and output is very very low. I used to hit 400 plus on output with a good resistance but i cant even hit 250 without killing myself. I hope the replacement is better.
Please update when you get the replacement bike.
Bike+ is typically going to be harder with metrics lower, because of the digital calibration. i.e. more accurate. How much of a difference from the original Bike, depends on how well original Bike was manually calibrated.
Please update when you get the replacement bike.
Definitely will.
Bike+ is typically going to be harder with metrics lower, because of the digital calibration. i.e. more accurate. How much of a difference from the original Bike, depends on how well original Bike was manually calibrated.
Yeah but the difference here is drastic. Lets see how the replacement works.
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Have had our new Bike+ for a few days (had the previous model for ~3 years) - my output on the Bike+ is much lower than the older model. I used to train with a minimum resistance of ~50 however '50' on the Bike+ is MUCH MUCH harder - a new '50' is like an old '70'.

Has anyone else noticed a difference in resistance - I have re-calibrated twice with no change.

Thanks, Dennis
Yes, it was annoying at first, but my zones were fine, it was just the number on resistance. Sounds like the consensus is that this is more accurate, so I guess I will just retest, which I need to do anyway.
Yes, it was annoying at first, but my zones were fine, it was just the number on resistance. Sounds like the consensus is that this is more accurate, so I guess I will just retest, which I need to do anyway.
💥💥💥 That’s exactly what everyone upgrading to P+ should do! I would also suggest that you rebase your PRs when you switch, assuming there’s a meaningful difference in your FTP. Once you jump aboard, join my tag: #PeloPlusCalibrated

Look forward to riding w/ you!
💥💥💥 That’s exactly what everyone upgrading to P+ should do! I would also suggest that you rebase your PRs when you switch, assuming there’s a meaningful difference in your FTP. Once you jump aboard, join my tag: #PeloPlusCalibrated

Look forward to riding w/ you!
Here’s my concern, even if I do retest and get new zones based on these new resistance settings, why are the instructors telling me to be at 40-50 amd I can’t get past 20? In other words, why are they teaching classes to people on both bikes but using same numbers???
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Here’s my concern, even if I do retest and get new zones based on these new resistance settings, why are the instructors telling me to be at 40-50 amd I can’t get past 20? In other words, why are they teaching classes to people on both bikes but using same numbers???
Excellent question, to which I don’t have an answer. They should start w/ having instructors riding P+ bikes!

In the same vein, Peloton has now exposed the farce of the Leader Board. On that score, maybe they should consider adding a filtered board for P+ riders who really want to compete? Just a thought...
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I have same issue on my bike plus. They are sending me a new one. 50 feels like 80, and output is very very low. I used to hit 400 plus on output with a good resistance but i cant even hit 250 without killing myself. I hope the replacement is better.
the auto callibration is more accurate and the plus measures output rather than just calculating it. so outouts on the plus are more accurate, albeit lower tham what you are used to.
Definitely will.
Do you have an update? I am very interested...

I'm an avid rider, former college athlete. I compete hard in my pelo with a group of fellow D1 athletes. We go really hard on 30 min class. I've seen my outputs drop as much as 30-50% since upgrading to the bike+. I had my old Gen3 recalibrate and I've ride other bikes, so I don't believe every bike I had been on before the bike+ was miscalibrated.

I have done over 300 rides last year so I am pretty familiar - I believe the resistance on the new bike is approx 20% harder than the gen3, which is more drastic at higher resistances.

I don't mind it, I just went from finishing top 1% of rides to barely being able to stay in the parameters the instructors call put. Peloton is sending me a new bike as well.
Asow,

Scroll down to Power Accuracy Analysis in the attached review for a more complete explanation:
But here's the punchline:

Still, this is a darn impressive set overall. I know that may not be obvious, since I tend to focus on the nuances of where things went wrong – but let me be super crystal clear here: This is more accurate than either the Wattbike ATOM 2020 or Stages SB20 Bike. It’s also on-par with either the Wahoo KICKR Bike or Tacx NEO Smart Bike (though, the Tacx Bike took countless months after launch to fix, the Peloton Bike+ worked out of the gate). Again however, do NOT convey the Bike+ accuracy to the original Peloton Bike (non-Plus).

I too am an avid cyclist and switched to a Bike+. The "original" Peloton bikes are mechanically (vs digitally) calibrated. Honestly, the power outputs are all over the map. My riding crew used to descend on the Peloton 23rd Street studio in the winter months to compete with each other, and it didn't take us long to realize that some bikes were "doped". It only matters if you want to compete across the Peloton platform (versus you-against-you), and it certainly makes a mockery of the current Leaderboard. If you want to get a sense of this, just look at virtually ANY final Leaderboard standings and you will see IMPOSSIBLE outputs!

So, here are my suggestions: 1) If you're competing with friends, make them all upgrade to P+ :); and 2) As I and others have suggested many times already, Peloton should consider: a) offering a separate Leaderboard for P+ riders that want to opt-in, and b) having Peloton instructors ride P+ bikes during classes (for the Auto-Follow crowd).

Meanwhile, the weather's improving, so we will be outside crushing it on the road anyway! Look forward to seeing you out there!

Meanwhile, you can join my tags: #PeloPlusCalibrated or #PelotonPCalibrated to ride with like-minded souls!
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