My experience using GPedal with Bkool Pro 2 bike trainer and several questions to Chad how to use his program

[Javier-Baranano]

Congratulations Chad for your GPedal program. It is a very nice idea to make use of Google Street Viewer for biking anywhere in the planet. May I share with you several issues I am experiencing with GPedal?

1. When I connect GPedal to my bike trainer (Bkool Pro 2) using BLE sensors. I get automatically "BKoolSmartPro2" both in GPedal's "Power meter" and GPedal's "Cadence Meter" (https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99255562-655d4380-2814-11eb-9326-96254076a2d9.png).
   Now I ride "Zornotza - Muxika - 1km.gpx" route (https://github.com/chadj/gpedal/files/5546376/Zornotza.-.Muxika.-.1km-gpx.txt) and I get a nice view in Google Street but no matter how hard I pedal (as reflected in the watts) I get stuck in the same place for ever. The cadence meter does not produce any rpm-s or kph and maybe that is why (https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99257008-9b032c00-2816-11eb-8f57-2f4d584d25f7.png)
   On the contrary, if I use your "Washington_dc.gpx" route, I get a kph number and I go forward (I am not sure now but I think that whereas a number of kph-s is present, the rpm-s remain zero). I also think that, unfortunately, I feel the same resistance on the bike trainer no matter the route inclination percentage shown in the screen. I have examined the two gpx files and the only apparent difference is that my "Zornotza - Muxika - 1km.gpx" does not contain "times" and your "Washington_dc.gpx" does.
2. Just in case the BLE sensor "cadence meter" is not talking properly to GPedal, I have just tried the ANT sensor option but I get into trouble when configuring it. I have just tried to follow all indications and install the self certificate stuff, node programs etc but basically is beyond my knowledge. It is too complex for me. Could you send me some links to further explanations how to configure the ANT thing in my W10 computer for my bike trainer? See some screen plots
   (https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99258742-4ca35c80-2819-11eb-9b80-653a5abed32e.png)
   (https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99258768-54fb9780-2819-11eb-9d82-659c1786db0b.png)
3. Finally for you to be able to see which devices are present in my trainer, I send a) what ZWIFT program scans and b) what the Bkool firmware updater says it has updated
   ](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99260438-aa38a880-281b-11eb-821a-c3e082d5a767.png)
   (https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99260447-adcc2f80-281b-11eb-8c2a-cfacc3b3e622.png)
   (https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/74544791/99260456-b02e8980-281b-11eb-8a7a-070921e67808.png)

Thank you very much Chad,
Javier

[chadj]

Javier,
Thanks for the feedback! I'll try to help with each point:

1. This seems to be the big problem. The 32w of output can't be right if you're pedaling as hard as you can. Something is not right there. You should be up over 200w at that point. Is that watt value changing in GPedal or is it stuck at 32w? Perhaps your trainer needs to be recalibrated?

2. The ANT support in GPedal isn't great right now. It needs a separate app running on your computer to actually talk to the ANT devices. That separate app is pretty hard and finicky to setup. I'm hoping to rewrite all of that soon. For the time being please just stick to BLE devices.

3. Thanks for the heads up on the screenshots! That's helpful.

-Chad

[Javier-Baranano]

Chad,
thank you very much for your answers.
Point 1) The power figure of 32 watts is small because it is a screenplot of my computer screen. To do the screenplot I need to get down from the bike and go to the computer. In the mean time the power figure goes down quickly as I do not pedal anymore. In that particular moment I caught it at 32 watts but if the screenshot had been taken two seconds after, the figure would have been 0 watts. Well, this is to say that the power figure is correct and that my trainer and the Gpedal application talk to each other friendly power wise. If I pedal hard enough, it gets to 200 watts in the GPedal screen without any problem. Unfortunately, regarding rpm-s, it seems that Gpedal does not get any input from my trainer and consequently rpm=0 and from there kph=0 and I get get steady static at the start (km=0). That is what happens to me with "Zornotza - Muxika - 1km.gpx". Contrarily, with the demo gpx "Washington_dc.gpx" you offer in Gpedal, I get another different behaviour which I do not understand: a good figure of power as always, rpm=0 as always but for some reason I am given a figure of kph and I go forward. I do not understand why Gpedal behaves differently in front of those two gpx routes. Could you explain it?
POINT 2) Ok, I stick to the BLE sensors but note that they are not doing well. Power wise yes but there is no speed data being received by Gpedal. Using other apps like ZWIFT, BKOOL, TACX, etc both power and speed are correctly sent from the trainer and receivec by the app even if only the BLE part is activated and the ANT part switched off.
I am looking forward to your refining of ANT communication in Gpedal, I am looking forward too to any Gpedal development that makes that the calculated inclination of the slopes in the gpx routes are reflected back in the trainer making it become harder to ride when going up or softer when going down.
I you need to contact me to further develop your app, do tests in my trainer, etc, I am here at your service.

Javier

[chadj]

Ok,
Sounds like there might be an issue with how GPedal is converting watts to real world effort. I'll try to ride this route myself to see if I can duplicate the problem. If I can duplicate it easily I should be able to fix it easily as well. Thanks for the heads up!

Thanks.
Chad

[chadj]

I just rolled out a fix for the issue with GPedal ignoring effort when a route starts out on a steep incline. That problem is now resolved. Thanks for reporting this.