PedalSmart.blog

 4 of 10 - Better Shift Buttons The SB20 indoor bike has OK-ish shift buttons.  IMHO: The blip buttons under the handlebar tape are fine. The brake lever buttons are  mediocre.    STOP THE PRESSES UPDATE February 2026 .  I improved my method for fixing bad shifters. Repair procedures are separated in three distinct steps. All are independent and optional: SB20 Fixing Broken Shifters SB20 Improving Shifter Buttons SB20 Handlebar Tape Replacement * * * * * * ... Something else you may find interesting . .. Adopting SRAM Configuration After using the top bar buttons for a few weeks, I started to see value in adopting the SRAM shifting philosophy: Left button(s) = lower gear ; Right button(s) = higher gear . This works particularly well with the 1 x 25 Dream Drive configuration I have used since day one.   5.  I eventually settled on the following SRAM Inspired settings in Stages Cycling app > Devices > Setups: ⏪ Outside/Upper left b...

3 of 10 - On/Off Switch  3 years ago, the SB20 firmware was rapidly evolving - with lots of bugs. We were all beta testers in 2020.  Powering the bike off and then on was commonplace.   One of the first modifications I made was an on/off switch.   I put my switch on the bike-side of the SB20 power brick. This means power is interrupted immediately when the switch is turned off.  The situation is a little different with a remote or physical switch at a wall receptacle . These switches work fine but you must wait several seconds when powering off. T he SB20 power brick must drain sufficiently for the SB20 to reset.  Good Digital Hygiene in 2023 I remain a fan of powering on my indoor bike before each riding session. This includes restarting all of the apps I use. With no error display or indicator lights, it is impossible to tell if the SB20 is healthy. Not what I want to worry about before a big event. Version 1 The first version was a plastic ...

 2 of 10 - Improved USB Power  The SB20 smart bike was introduced 4 years ago with a pair of built-in USB-A ports. The intent was to give you USB power for phone charging or adding a tablet. The total power for both ports is 5 watts (2.5 watts for each port ). Welcome to late 2023 . USB at 2.5 watts will not charge many devices. An iPad can actually discharge if plugged into to a built-in port. What's Inside? Beneath the SB20's phone tray is a triangular circuit board for a switching power supply.  It takes 24 volts from the bike's main power brick and converts it to three 5 volt USB outputs.  Extra USB port? Wait a minute. The SB20 has two built-in USB ports. Why the extra USB output?   The beefy power supply circuit board suggests that Stages had plans for an additional device. My guess: the SB20 was supposed to have a screen for gear display. It was likely deleted early in the product development lifecycle.  For those who want to optimize SB20 powe...

 I have been riding a Stages SB20 Smart Bike for 3 years. I've made some improvements. Here they are. 1 of 10 - Multiple Displays  1. The SB20 bike comes with a spring loaded holder for single phone or tablet. The problem is: this bike needs a separate screen for showing the virtual bike gear. As a life-long bike sprinter, I know that picking the correct gear for a final sprint is critical. As such, I decided on a dedicated screen for gear display along side the app primary app like Zwift. 2. I built this dual-display rack from aluminum c-channel bars available from any Home Depot.  It snaps in to the built-in holder and holds a pair of iPads.  Each piece is cut, filed and polished by hand. Rubber weather stripping inside each channel provided cushioning. 3.  The aluminum pieces are notched so they fit the SB20 holder. An additional aluminium bar is added to between the displays 4.  The SB20's spring clip was modified to snap into the upper c-channel. Th...

ANT+ and Bluetooth are essential wireless technologies that enable indoor cycling. What do they do? How are they different? Why should you care? Assumptions: In this post, I use the term indoor bike to mean smart bike or trainer .  I own a Stages SB20 Smart Bike and use it in my examples.  Protocols ANT+ and Bluetooth are  protocols  that facilitate the transfer of data between apps and devices. In this context, they are like spoken languages . ANT+ is like  English and Bluetooth  is like  French . Both communicate similar information using different verbs, nouns and ways of speaking. ANT+ was introduced nearly 20 years ago to support monitoring of data from devices like heart rate monitors (HRMs) and bike sensors. Since then it has been extended to control and monitor fitness machines including  indoor bikes . Bluetooth  was introduced around the same time to support things like handsfree phone headsets. It was updated from 201...

Torque Measurement I previously documented how to compare power meters using ZwiftPower . This gives you a good indication of how your power meters compare in actual riding scenarios.   This test  statically measures  torque with a pair of fixed weights. It tells you if your power meters meet factory specifications . Basic Testing Procedure The basic method involves two ( big ) steps: 1. P osition the cranks horizontally to get raw measurements produced by hanging 25 lb weights from each crank. 2. Use a spreadsheet to process raw measurements and get an average reading for both cranks. Compare these readings against expected values  (t he list of expected values is shown later in this post ). The test setup looks like this: With equal weights on each side, cranks can be easily rotated to measure force at each pedal spindle.   Why 25 lb (11.24 kg) weights?  Bike power meters commonly measure the equivalent of hundreds of pounds of force. It ...

"Calibration by Comparison "  Procedure Stages doesn't officially support end-user calibration. The following procedure can be used to validate accuracy. It confirms that your PMs are working properly in real riding scenarios.  Here's a summary (sorry -  I wish it were simpler 😔 ): 1. Calibrate another power meter . In my case,  Garmin Rally pedals. 2. Run tests to compare the Stages PM against the calibrated PM  in an actual ride or event . 3. If Stages PM readings are incorrect, change the crank length to compensate ( more on this later ). 4. Repeat Steps 2 and 3 until the Stages PM gives readings that match the  calibrated PM . Calibrating Reference Power Meter - a Garmin PM   Garmin Rally pedals support true "calibration": You position the cranks horizontally and then directly measure the twisting force created by hanging a known weight from the pedal. If a pedal is reading high or low, you can adjust the "offset" so it measures the expecte...

My Stages SB20 Smart Bike has crank power meters.  I routinely compare them with readings from my Garmin Rally Pedals.   Here's how I do it. Add Gamin Pedals Mount Garmin pedals on the SB20 Smart Bike. This means two  independent  power meter systems are available to simultaneously measure the same activity. Prepare an Activity You can use Zwift to do a free ride, race or structured workout (or consider using a advanced structured workout app like TrainerDay ).  Configure Zwift to use the Stages Bike for Resistance (formerly Controllable ). Use the Stages PM as the Power Source and for Cadence . Tip: Also use an  HRM . Heart rate data helps you synchronize metrics in a later step.     Get a Second Opinion Use another app or device to simultaneously record your Zwift Activity.  I use a Garmin computer to record activities on the Stages Bike.  It is configured to use the Garmin Pedals for Power and Cadence . It also gets heart...

 What is a Zero Reset?  The  Stages SB20  bike has power meters that support a  zero reset  function.  Zero Reset  tells the vertically positioned crank power meters: "Torque should now be zero Newton-meters (Nm)" .  This allows subsequent readings to be made from a correct  offset value . It's like setting 0 lbs/kg on a bathroom or kitchen scale. Here are things that commonly affect the offset value : 1. Different pedals. 2. Temperature or humidity changes. 3. Nearly depleted batteries.  The Left and Right numbers you see in the Stages Cycling app are an internal representation of the amount of torque that will be added or subtracted from each PM reading. Before Every Ride? Should you do a Zero Reset before every ride? It depends . If your riding environment has consistent temperature and humidity then Zero Reset does nothing.  If temperature and humidity changes significantly between riding sessions, Zero Reset m...

No On/Off Switch Most smart bikes and trainers don't have an on/off switch?  Many of us ask  why?  The usual answer is cost . A power switch adds a dollar or two to the product price. I'm not so sure.  I think answer is tied to regulations . An on/off switch on any product with a separate power brick affects compliance with things like Energy Star ratings since the power brick continues to consume energy after the switch is turned off.  In other words, it's likely more political than a technical or cost factor . Welcome to our Beta Test Online indoor riding relies on software and hardware from several vendors. Any component can have bugs or other issues that affect reliability and cause communication errors with apps that have not been tested together. For example: My SB20 smart bike had a longstanding Zwift bug in iOS that prevented automatic connecting for 16 months! Other bugs have been less obvious. More than one app has slowed down time  with the sec...

Real Power Meters The Stages SB20 Smart Bike is unique. It uses two crank-based power meters to send power measurements to apps like Zwift. Most other bikes and trainers guess at power based on how much electronic braking is being applied at any given moment (this method is good when a bike/trainer leaves the factory - not so good as components wear). How to Connect an SB20 Zwift can connect to the Left Crank or the Stages Bike (SB20) itself as a Power Source : Which should you pick? Zwift Connections Here's how crank power meter data (power and cadence) is sent to Zwift, the Stages Cycling app and other devices like a Garmin computer: Bluetooth, ANT+ and WiFi connections are all used.  Here are some additional details: 1. The right crank gets its own data (raw force and cadence information) and sends an update to the left pedal once a second with power and cadence metrics. 2. The left crank collects the right crank data, adds to its own data and sends consolidated informat...