Powertap SL and Fortius

I'm having the same problem with both my poertap pro and sl. In addition to drop out I get abnormal power readings. If you have figured it out please let me know how.😠 😕

I haven't heard any response from anyone yet. I've been without my Fortius for a week or so and will be getting it back soon so I'll experiment more. Just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I've done outside rides and Fluid trainer rides with no drop out. I've even tried the Tacx Forums and nobody there has responded either. It may be the vibrations that the Fortius exerts are enough that it screws up the hub. I haven't tried using a trainer specific tire yet either.

Are your abnormal power while on the Fortius or in general? I can't speak for any abnormal power readings. I just had issues with the HR which was solved by removing my Polar 720 HR montior including removing the magnet from the wheel. The receiver was causing interferance. You might try searching through these forums or PMing RapDaddyo as he seems to be pretty sharp on the PT issues.

rjjasick said:

I haven't heard any response from anyone yet. I've been without my Fortius for a week or so and will be getting it back soon so I'll experiment more. Just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I've done outside rides and Fluid trainer rides with no drop out. I've even tried the Tacx Forums and nobody there has responded either. It may be the vibrations that the Fortius exerts are enough that it screws up the hub. I haven't tried using a trainer specific tire yet either.

Are your abnormal power while on the Fortius or in general? I can't speak for any abnormal power readings. I just had issues with the HR which was solved by removing my Polar 720 HR montior including removing the magnet from the wheel. The receiver was causing interferance. You might try searching through these forums or PMing RapDaddyo as he seems to be pretty sharp on the PT issues.

I've just got a Fortius today, and am having huge droputs :-(. These don't happen on my Tacx Excel, out on the road (these tested after using the fortius), and didn't happen when i used an Elite trainer last week.

Note sure if my reading are abnormal -- i have too many drop outs to ascertain that.

ric

My abnormal power reaings are only on the Fortius. They are fine on the road and on my fluid trainer. I have sent tacx an email and I am waiting for their response. I will be sending Saris an email next.

Thanx

rjjasick said:

I haven't heard any response from anyone yet. I've been without my Fortius for a week or so and will be getting it back soon so I'll experiment more. Just to make sure I wasn't dreaming, I've done outside rides and Fluid trainer rides with no drop out. I've even tried the Tacx Forums and nobody there has responded either. It may be the vibrations that the Fortius exerts are enough that it screws up the hub. I haven't tried using a trainer specific tire yet either.

Are your abnormal power while on the Fortius or in general? I can't speak for any abnormal power readings. I just had issues with the HR which was solved by removing my Polar 720 HR montior including removing the magnet from the wheel. The receiver was causing interferance. You might try searching through these forums or PMing RapDaddyo as he seems to be pretty sharp on the PT issues.

ric_stern/RST said:

I've just got a Fortius today, and am having huge droputs :-(.

Bugger. Is that the one with the on screen computer display simulating rides? My LBS said something about it messing with other bike computers and they needed a patch or similar from Tacx to correct it.

This is the Fortius the software simulates virtual reality and real life videos. I have emailed tacx, but if you have any information on what this patch actually is I would appreciate it.

Alex Simmons said:

Bugger. Is that the one with the on screen computer display simulating rides? My LBS said something about it messing with other bike computers and they needed a patch or similar from Tacx to correct it.

onebadjd said:

This is the Fortius the software simulates virtual reality and real life videos. I have emailed tacx, but if you have any information on what this patch actually is I would appreciate it.

Suggest paging Phil Stone on the wattage forum... he's the Tacx expert

Alex Simmons said:

Suggest paging Phil Stone on the wattage forum... he's the Tacx expert

done that...

Any word from Phil Stone or about this patch?

ric_stern/RST said:

done that...

onebadjd said:

Any word from Phil Stone or about this patch?

Not yet. i've emailed him, and the UK importers, who are trying to contact Phil as well. as soon, as i hear anything or sort a fix myself i'll let you know.

ric

onebadjd said:

My abnormal power reaings are only on the Fortius. They are fine on the road and on my fluid trainer. I have sent tacx an email and I am waiting for their response. I will be sending Saris an email next.

This has frame vibration written all over it. Vibration can absolutely cause a dropped signal between the hub and the transmitter. There's an easy test. I assume your receiver is attached to your frame with cable ties. Snip them to detach the receiver from the frame. Then figure out a way to attach the receiver to something completely independent of the frame. For example, you could get a dowel at the hardware store that you could clamp to a stepladder or a bench vise or really anything that you can clamp the dowel down with. Position the dowel near the hub and attach the receiver to the dowel (e.g., cable ties). If you get a good signal and hub icon, then the problem is absolutely due to vibration from the trainer. If that's the case and you want to continue using that trainer, you'll need to figure out a creative way to isolate the receiver from frame vibration.

Thanx for the input RapDaddyo. I'll try your suggestion soon and post the results. In the meantime if anybody hears anything or comes up with a solution I would like to hear the information This trainer is too expensive and cool not to use.

RapDaddyo said:

This has frame vibration written all over it. Vibration can absolutely cause a dropped signal between the hub and the transmitter. There's an easy test. I assume your receiver is attached to your frame with cable ties. Snip them to detach the receiver from the frame. Then figure out a way to attach the receiver to something completely independent of the frame. For example, you could get a dowel at the hardware store that you could clamp to a stepladder or a bench vise or really anything that you can clamp the dowel down with. Position the dowel near the hub and attach the receiver to the dowel (e.g., cable ties). If you get a good signal and hub icon, then the problem is absolutely due to vibration from the trainer. If that's the case and you want to continue using that trainer, you'll need to figure out a creative way to isolate the receiver from frame vibration.

Having now tested my Fortius with two Power Tap SL's (wired not 2.4's) and one Power Tap Pro, i can now report that the PTs do *not* work with the Fortius. I don't know why they don't work.

It does not appear to be a vibrational issue either, as i rode my PT with the receiver off the frame and near the hub and still got no data. It must either be something to do with the motor brake or the way the hub is clamped into the frame of the Fortius.

I believe that Tacx are aware of this issue, and are working on a fix for it (no time frame given). My Fortius is being sent back, which is a shame as it looked like a cool piece of kit.

Ric

ric_stern/RST said:

Having now tested my Fortius with two Power Tap SL's (wired not 2.4's) and one Power Tap Pro, i can now report that the PTs do *not* work with the Fortius.

🙁 Bummer.

ric_stern/RST said:

Having now tested my Fortius with two Power Tap SL's (wired not 2.4's) and one Power Tap Pro, i can now report that the PTs do *not* work with the Fortius. I don't know why they don't work.

It does not appear to be a vibrational issue either, as i rode my PT with the receiver off the frame and near the hub and still got no data. It must either be something to do with the motor brake or the way the hub is clamped into the frame of the Fortius.

I believe that Tacx are aware of this issue, and are working on a fix for it (no time frame given). My Fortius is being sent back, which is a shame as it looked like a cool piece of kit.

Ric

Wow, that's really interesting. I have noticed that my PT SL drops the hub signal when I ride on a particular section of a new bike trail that runs near some high power lines. That's the only place where I lose my hub signal since I fixed the vibration issue. I wonder if the issues are related. One of my riding buddies just got his SL2.4. I'll find out if he loses the hub signal at the same place.

I agree the drop out is not a vibration issue as I removed the receiver from the frame and still experienced drop out. I also tried using dynamat (a type of anti-vibration material) around the stay and re-attached the receiver to the stay, the drop out continued. I have received an email from Saris who indicate they are aware of the problem and are conducting tests with a fortius. No firm answer as to a fix or time frame. If the fortius is properly calibrated does the power recorded in the analyzer software accurate reflect ouput? Further, if it does, will be be higher than a powertap and if so how much? It seems if the data collected by the fortius is accurate it can be used in lieu of the power tap. Certainly heart rate, cadence, speed and time will be accurate. I'm going to continue to use the fortius as winter is here and it has made my indoor rides more tolerable. Thanx for any input.

ric_stern/RST said:

Having now tested my Fortius with two Power Tap SL's (wired not 2.4's) and one Power Tap Pro, i can now report that the PTs do *not* work with the Fortius. I don't know why they don't work.

It does not appear to be a vibrational issue either, as i rode my PT with the receiver off the frame and near the hub and still got no data. It must either be something to do with the motor brake or the way the hub is clamped into the frame of the Fortius.

I believe that Tacx are aware of this issue, and are working on a fix for it (no time frame given). My Fortius is being sent back, which is a shame as it looked like a cool piece of kit.

Ric