1. Reviewer failed to log necessary data for an accurate race plan The Race Power Calculator was incorrect because the reviewer didn't log any max efforts sessions to fill in his Power Duration Curve. Race Power Calculator is a race planning tool. It is not an index of the runner's capabilities. 2. Reviewer made invalid comparisons between Stryd power and Garmin's value The reviewer compared Stryd's power value to Garmin's value. Stryd's power value reports metabolic power. Garmin has claimed their value is mechanical power. They are not comparable and Garmin's value is not useful for pacing. 3. Reviewer claimed Stryd was inconsistent but did not share any data The reviewer claimed the data was inconsistent but did not share any data to point to what he is referring to. Stryd is known to be extremely consistent, which means the reviewer may have improperly paired Stryd to the watch. 4. Reviewer failed to pair Stryd to watch It appears that the reviewer did not pair Stryd to the watch since he claims he is offline syncing Stryd to get data from the pod.
These are all fair points. I may well be doing this wrong. But I’m not TRYING to do it wrong. I want to get my money’s worth out of this. To answer a couple of questions - I have paired it to my watch. It shows every time I start a run that’s it’s connected. But when I go into the app I have to sync it. I may have used the wrong wording. I did a number of max efforts including a 1k full out (in 2:58) and a 5k full out (in 16:54). I had a longer version of the video which addressed all of this but I edited it out! If you have any tips on how to fix what I’m doing wrong, I’d love to hear them!
Also, can you help me understand - if the Race Power Calculator is not an index of the runner’s capabilities (which you say), then why is it under the heading “capabilities”? :)
@@global-runner it is accurate to show your capabilities. But the whole power duration curve relies on maximum effort attempts in various parts if the curve. This is mandatory. Without the all out efforts the curve is not representative . In my experience it's crazy accurate and the goals it sets are really challenging. Please do not compare Garmin power with Stryd power, it are completely different forms of power. It also matters how you connect the Stryd to your watch, you have to connect it as the correct type of device.
Unfortunately you are suffering from user error, IMHO. Alot of this is due to Garmin FORCING native power on users of their newer watches. My training partner got so frustrated with Garmin's native power, that he went out and got an AppleWatch SE for training, and uses his Garmin for other metrics (sleep/HRV/etc) and a backup for key races. The same as I do. Garmin power and Stryd power do not translate, you can't compare them. Footpod / wrist power is not the same as a physical power meter in cycling. Which causes people so much confusion. Now, you MIGHT have a bad unit. But I'm skeptical, it's all solid state. It should either work....or it doesn't. I will GLADLY take the unit off your hands, and either add it so I can get Duo data or lend it out to other local runners who are interest in trying power. My personal results as a beginner/novice runner without a good refined level of RPE have been significant. So much so that I constantly have people asking me how I have progressed so fast at my age. And it's not all Stryd related. But I haven't missed a run with my Stryd pod since Feb 19, 2020. You really need to understand power as a training modality, it took me awhile to understand the pro's and con's. I still consider HR for certain runs, and as a secondary metric on race day. Since power doesn't know if you are sick or getting sick. If you really want to learn how to use it, I am willing to assist. Or you can take your losses and I will happily take the unit for appropriate compensation.
I have a Stryd pod but only use it for treadmill running. The reason being my Garmin (Fenix 7) is abysmal at knowing my pace on a treadmill. The pod is generally good, however it only gets to the right pace after 20 mins or so. Starts slow (15s/km) and ends up very close to the treadmill. Maybe that doesn't sound good, but my Garmin says I'm always running around 5:15/km regardless of what I'm actually running - useless!
I’m glad you commented! Thank you! I was hoping you would. I’ll send you an email if that’s OK and maybe I can get this working. My main hope was to use it on treadmills, like you have pointed out previously. I’ll insist on it while my membership is running but if I’m not using it after that you can definitely have it for free!
This is what I was hoping to use it for. The watches definitely aren’t great but if I stay on the same treadmill and keep calibrating it, it does get much better.
@@global-runner you need to set the data source as the Footpod - needs to be "Always" Also, don't connect the stryd as a power meter - you need to connect it as a footpod GPS for pace data is crap. Stryd has a little lag but it's the most accurate FP on the market.
This is the polar opposite of my experience with Stryd and my Forerunner. Very consistent readings and excellent workouts. And Stryd includes the heart rate of my Garmin. From an engineering perspective the power ratings of the Garmin are unable to be trusted. The food pod is the most obvious way to measure it. So it appears to be a large case of user error. Not meant snarky, but setting it up was a bit confusing for me.
@@global-runnerI have the 255. Mind you, I am a pretty tech savvy guy and had quite some issues setting up because of inconsistencies. But, I wouldn’t go back. I am not an elite runner. And this is the first time ever that I can have maximum gains and high training load while not overtaxing my body, like i used to. For comparison. I’ve smashed all my records since I have the Stryd, and that has been for 9 months now. PS I use the Stryd Workout App on the forerunner
@ it is very confusing. And that is a huge drawback. But the Stryd Workout App is a must for me. The Garmin power ratings can not be trusted Another point: it can be that this just isn’t for you. And that’s okay. But stating it so explicitly that it is a waste of money is a bit misleading
Did you follow the instructions from Garmin about disabling their power meter? I don’t recall exactly, but there were a few changes to make to my 255 settings to make sure it was using stryd for what it should.
I originally bought mine when I signed up to pace a marathon that had a lot of tree cover and poor gps reception. The best use for me has been recording treadmill sessions and integrating with apps like Zwift. There are many less expensive foot pods but they are notoriously inaccurate. I’ve probably used the power reading once in the last 8 years when coach gave us mile repeats and we picked a road with a long grade. The headache is figuring out “what is 6:00/mi pace in watts?”.
Yes that’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s probably amazing if you use it all the time but knowing what wattage you should be running at a particular pace would take some serious knowledge of the product! I did use it on zwift and it was pretty good, to be fair.
I love mine. Using it for years. Really reliable as well as the forecast of race time. You probably did not load enough hard session for the app to be precise.
This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience. A lot of people love it which makes me question what I’m doing wrong. I did think of that so I logged a 1k full-out in 2:58 and a 5k full-out in 16:54. Admittedly both were on the treadmill. (I had this is the original video but I edited it out and I’m starting to think I should have left it in!). :)
Yeah that’s the problem I have at the moment - outside is too icy to run at a max effort. I had hoped to get it earlier but Canada Post put paid to that so a lot of my running has been slow outside or fast on the treadmill…
Once you do the testing runs the app suggest all your issues will be resolved, this can be scheduled through the app and sent to the Garmin. It had me do three test workouts, 3 min one day, 10 minutes a few days later, then 20 minutes, all of these are all out. Once you do that your CP will adjust to the correct value, up in your case.
I did do some max efforts (which I initially had in the video and then edited out - big mistake!). I’ll find time to do their actual test and see what happens.
Did you connect your Garmin Connect with Stryd software so that the workouts are actually uploaded from Garmin to Stryd? That should eliminate the issue of capturing pre and post training movement (Stryd will still record all breaks during the activity for correct assessment of power) and hopefully help you get better CP. I hope you can get it to work for you in the next 4 months as it is a single most impactful training tool for me and I have tried pretty much all there is :)
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it. The purpose of the video was to share my experience as a complete newbie and so I may well have made some mistakes when setting it up (and to be fair it sounds like I have) but I don’t think I’m the only one who would have done so. So the answer to your question is - I think so. But I’m going to double check. A lot of people love it as a tool so I definitely want to see if I can get the most out of it!
As an amateur runner, I've used Stryd for about 4 years. That said, I truly believe the initial learning curve is very steep. Like many I had been running to HR previously, so the concept of zones was not new to me. However, what is hugely different is in the initial setup. As Stryd themselves instruct, 'just running' is not enough. We need to dial in a CP. As you yourself said, 'when the data is wrong, then you cannot trust what it says' I am glad that you already realise this. If you were to continue trying, you really need to get those key data points in. Commonly, these might be max testing for different durations such as, 3min, 9min and 20min. Without proper max testing at those (or something similar) you will find you are stuck with 'when the data is wrong....... Comparing one power meter to another form a different developer is never going to work, different algorithms are used at the very least. Not withstanding where on the body the power reading is taken. Treadmill running: This took me ages to get me head around, but the belt speed varies 'a lot' - that said, I find my Stryd very consistant when TM running. But, that effort is not easy to compare to running outdoors, so be careful if looking for the same power reading = perceived effort when indoors AND out. Syncing device: sync watch not footpod - assuming you are getting the correct readings on the Garmin (from the footpod) Specific charger: a great many watches have a specific charging cable. I summary, I think you have missed here - but again, one month is a very short amount of time to get it all sorted and understood. Remember, GPS is subject to connection with satellites for speed/pace - not so with a power meter. Heart rate drifts over time running - not so with a power meter. It's complicated and for some TOO complicated/not worth the trouble.
Thank you for your comment! And especially thank you for being so positive and respectful. I appreciate it. I did do some max efforts including a 1k and a 5k and I originally had that in the video but edited it out (big mistake!). It’s a very steep learning curve and I’m doing something wrong, clearly. But it was supposed to be a beginners review and I wanted to share my experience based on my early days with it. I’ll keep trying…. :)
@@global-runner you're most welcome! keep at it and see where you're at in couple of months! I can honestly say, (I would not run without mine nowadays) cant wait to see what the follow-up vid looks like :)
Yes that was my plan when I bought it. I wore it yesterday on the treadmill using zwift only (not even paired to the watch) and it did seem pretty accurate. Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for this review! I've been using Stryde for 1 yr and am very happy with the results. My power readings and session suggestions have only been accurate after I've taken the pod through a race. In my opinion, u need to take it through an all out race for the pod to recognize your ceiling/capacity. This is also the reason why Stryd will suggest 20 min all out from time to time, to re-calibrate. If u don't let Stryd experience your full capacity it will under-score you. That's my experience, at least.
The thing about running power is there is no industry standard, essentially it's based off pace and adjusted for changes in elevation and wind, whereas cycling power can be measured directly with a strain gauge. I've actually found my Stryd to be super consistent, especially indoors on a treadmill. If you using a Garmin you want to make sure that in the footpod sensor settings you have it set to pace indoor only so that the pace the Garmin uses comes from the Stryd footpod.. You also want to avoid changing your weight and this can affect the power readings. Your critical power does sound a bit low, though the key metric is not the critical power but the W/kg. I find for setting the critical power that something like a 10 mile race works well.
Thank you! Great comment. I wore it yesterday on the treadmill using zwift and it seemed to work ok. The auto CP is going to be difficult to fine tune though. Even with full out efforts at 1k, 5k and 21k, it’s still reading low.
Had to admit I have given up on mine as well. That said sure you have learned by now that unlike bike power meters, there is no universal standard in running ones so can you only compare Stryd power with Stryd and Garmin with Garmin and no doubt likes of Coros is different too. That all said, I did Stryd rather relies on "max" efforts to determine where you are at because it has no real way of telling you how hard you are trying short of reference to historical efforts. That said I find using it for some years did enforce that a slower pace uphill than average goal pace is "OK" as you would be trying way too hard otherwise. As a 2:26 marathoner I doubt that is a surprise. Modern GPS watches with Multi Band GPS have made taking pace & distance from Stryd redundant IMHO. It is good on a treadmill (e.g. with Zwift) however compared to just a watch but even then you often find yourself not running as "fast" as you think. Another can of worms. I've seen likes of Clayton Young using it however but was never entirely clear what it is telling him especially given a team of top people around him.
@@TimGrose great comment Tim! (And I’m honoured you watched! I’m a big fan!) :). I would also go as far as to say that you are a lot more technical/detailed than I am so if someone like you struggles with it then it may not be the product for me. (But I am now going to try it out on Zwift!)
@@global-runner I think the concept is great but I just got frustrated that on say windy days, the Air Power bit wasn't overly consistent and so defeated the whole object. That bit would also between shoes so using my shoeoffs became a nice data collection exercise but limited real insight. Also I find things like gap pace give me a good idea of the relative worth of a run after the fact. When on a run well most of the time my legs tell how hard I am working without even looking at anything. Your experience does suggest a lack of some basic tips to get you started, the first of which is to forget whatever running power you have may seen before. This is a shame as if I go onto my bike I know far better what x watts really means for me and it doesn't matter too much what equipment am using. On Zwift for running (so treadmill) I did find it very consistent with itself between runs on the same treadmill. If however you use completely different treadmills be less sure about that. Also I found the pace from my Stryd would often vary between actual pods. At one time I had 5 although only 1 of what still think is the current one. As such you could start playing around with calibration factors on say your Garmin but that is just a crude scaling. No surprise Garmin gave up on foot pods years ago.
@ I think a mistake I made in the video was comparing the Stryd wattage to the Garmin wattage. I wasn’t actually comparing them. My point was that Garmin was consistent (the 5k was higher than the 10k which was higher than the half etc) but the Stryd had not been so far. I wasn’t saying that the Stryd number should be 390 watts (although that number was definitely low). We live and learn I guess. :)
@@global-runner must say am a bit surprised by this. Did you change your weight so that Stryd was scaling differently? AFAIK it computes in W/kg so if you change your "kg" the Stryd power you see will scale accordingly. Another thing is to check is how much Air Power (i.e. effect of the wind strength) was given each time which is added to the "raw" power to get the headline figure you would see generally.
I don’t think you e given it long enough, and done enough quality session. It’s been a few years since I used mine but I thought critical power was power for 1hr not 10k. I found the data very good and very reliable
Thanks for your comment. One thing I had in version 1 of the video (which I edited out) was the fact that I have done max efforts with it including a 1k and a 5k. I’ve also done lots of varied sessions including hills. I’ll stick with it and report back. I read the critical power was the 40 minute max effort number but I could be wrong. (This was a review from a complete beginner!). :) (And thanks for being respectful and reasonable!! I truly appreciate that!)
So the last thing I want to do is stir this pot but I did want to make one further comment. Angus from Stryd reached out to me and we had a good chat. He is a SUPER NICE GUY. Very genuine and just a really nice person. I really appreciate him taking the time to reach out to me - he didn’t have to do that but I hugely appreciate the fact that he did. I also want to recognize that a lot of people LOVE this product. Some people were very respectful in their comments and told me about how this product has hugely improved their running. One guy from Australia credited Stryd with getting him to a 2:30 marathon. Clearly if you can work it out, it’s very very useful. It’s also clear that there is a steep learning curve and you need to invest some time into it. And that is what I plan to do. I will do a follow-up video once I have worked with it for a few months and I will give my in-depth review. Angus took me through my profile and showed me what the tool can do and it’s very impressive. He also acknowledged that my race predictions were off and that while I had done the correct efforts which should have got me a more accurate time, with a few tweaks, we could definitely dial that in. So watch this space. (And feel free to subscribe!). :) (Oh and I have used it on Zwift at the suggestion of a few of you and it is very accurate on Zwift…)
I'm a Stryd user from the first iteration on. I'm using one pod, no subscription. Power number vs Garmin: neither can measure power! It is an estimation in both cases! For me: Garmin showed approximately Stryd power + Stryd form power. There's quite a difference. The real benefit: use it for amazing precise and repeatable pace and distance! Set your Garmin to use pace and distance from the pod. If you run the same loop several times, distance will be much more consistant than with GPS. Repeatability is amazing! And if GPS signal is bad, you still have a perfect pace and distance. ;) Data from walking: just simply sync it from Garmin! And do not directly sync the Stryd pod with the app. I am super happy with it! Maybe you can get something out of my experience, so you don't feel you fully wasted your money on it.
@@frre9302 thank you so much for your comment. A lot of people have said something similar so I’m committed to trying to make it work now! I’ll let you know!
@global-runner the pod settings on the garmin watch should also be: auto calibration OFF and calibration factor to 100. So no tinkering with the actual Stryd data.
Bought one, and lost it on a run BUT continued paying the membership because you cannot stop it. That was it for me, I am fine with the power I get from Garmin.
That must be so frustrating. Sorry to hear that. I have heard reports that the clip that holds it to your laces had some issues in earlier versions but they seem to have tried to address that issue in the one I have. (Although it makes it difficult to take off with cold hands!) I have found that it’s good for zwift but otherwise I totally agree with you - Garmin power seems good enough for me too.
It took me a few hours learning how to set it up on the watch. Even though it says connected you still need to disable the watch power readings and change the data screen on your watch to the stryd data screen from Garmin IQ. It's so awkward and definitely not user friendly. I connected stryd but the took 5 days to reply.
A lot of people love it. So I’m committed to giving it a proper go. It’s definitely a steep learning curve and you have to let it infiltrate your watch in a venom-esque way. But lots of people swear by it. The owner is a super nice dude though.
I’ve used stryd a few years ago and all the data and training insight was useful. It had some cons tho. Mine broke after 3 years but and I had to get a replacement. Also after I purchased a different brand of HRM it would not connect to my watch at the same time as the model. Other than that it’s very useful for training data and treadmill running
@@blastedpotato thanks for your comment. I appreciate it! I just spoke to the owner and he was a super nice guy. That alone has given me the motivation to sit down and properly work this out. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I see you've already gotten a lot of feedback (some constructive and reasonable, some unnecessarily accusatory in tone), but as a user of multiple versions of Stryd over the last seven years who has found it quite useful I'll make one more suggestion. Since Garmin added their own version of power to their watches I think it's complicated using Stryd with a Garmin. My personal setup is I used the Stryd with an Apple watch (using the dedicated Stryd App on the watch) as my primary running watch, but I also have a Garmin Forerunner 255 not paired with Stryd that I'll wear as a secondary watch on maybe a 1/3 of my runs to compare data across the two (specifically how well Stryd is measuring distance vs the GPS on the Forerunner, and comparing the optical heart rate date of the two watches). In your case you use a Garmin as your main running watch, so I'd suggest unpairing the Stryd from your Garmin and just pairing it to the Stryd phone app, and when you do treadmill runs I'd start a session on both your Garmin (no Stryd paired) and your phone Stryd app, and then you can compare the Garmin vs Stryd data for those runs. You could do this for outside runs as well, but it's more of a pain having to deal with your phone then, but for a treadmill run it's easy to have your phone just sitting on the treadmill tray anyway.
Thank you for your comment! I really appreciate it. I did try and state right at the outset of the video that I was a beginner and not an expert and I wanted to share my experience but I think I probably went a bit far at the end saying it was a waste of money. I should have said that at the moment I’m seeing it as being a waste of MY money (and a lot of it!). I should also have explained that I have done the max effort workouts Stryd suggested (I had that in the first version of the video but edited it out!). All good learning points for me…! :). I think the point to note is that there are a lot of avid Stryd users out there (which is great!) but also some people who had the same experience as me. In terms of your suggestion - I love it. I think this is a really good idea and it will also get rid of that issue I am having with the footpod registering the walk at the start/end of runs. It will also be perfect for what I really wanted the footpod for, which is to ensure consistency on treadmills primarily. Again, thanks for your comment. I appreciate it a lot.
No problem, and I’d agree that the accurate and responsive pace/speed metric is one of the most useful things Stryd can provide. I find your channel one of the more consistently interesting running channels. Good variety of topics and a like your style of presentation (not overly rehearsed, but not rambly either). Keep up the good work.
@ thank you so much! Appreciate it! (I try and avoid controversial topics but I have stumbled onto one here - I’ll do my best to remain objective!!). :) The next video will be back to my training which is much less controversial! :)
It’s clear you are unaware of some requirements. 1. You have to give all out efforts of 2-3min, 8-10min and 20-30 min runs. This will calibrate the pod to an accurate CP. 2. It doesn’t matter if the pod includes walking before and after your training. This doesn’t affect the pod calculations. You can also TRIM those workouts if it bothers you in the Stryd Power Centre. 3. You need to have the Stryd Connect IQ Data Field on your Garmin running fields for full integration with your Garmin watch. (I have a 265.) this is the only way to sync Garmin to Stryd. This will also cut out any walking data in the beginning or end of a run since it’ll use the start and stop times of the Garmin watch. Based on your mentioned 5k race time, your Stryd Critical Power W/kg is around 5.17. If you weigh 75kg your CP is 5.17x 75 = 388 Watts.
Thanks for this comment. I really appreciate it. I actually weigh 58kg. Would that change your analysis? (Also I did do some full out efforts and Angus at Stryd actually commented that I’d done a good job of feeding it data. I do appreciate your comment though).
@@global-runner Apologies for stating you’re “unaware”. Not very Canadian of me. Apologize for this lengthy reply but it should clear things up for you! There is no running power standard. Polar and Garmin use a different method to compute Power. In a nutshell, Garmin and Polar power is 25-30% higher than Stryd in power readings. Stryd is incredibly accurate when you’ve “calibrated” your CP properly. It paced me to a 10k PB within about 30 seconds of Stryd time prediction. With all that said, in my opinion Stryd gives little value if you have a Garmin watch. I have done a deep dive in Stryd, Gamin and Polar and they all estimate the same thing in one way or the other. Garmin just does it the easiest with the automatic Threshold pace calculation. With Polar I have to do the Running Test which spits out a Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS). Polar than takes MAS x 0.85 to estimate the Lactate Threshold limit zone. Garmin estimates my lactate at 87% of my MAS. So you can see how close they are (85% vs 87% of MAS). With Stryd I have to do the 3 different power tests and make sure I do those tests every few weeks to keep the CP accurate. Again, Stryd CP has been lab tested to be extremely comparable to lactate threshold. You can even use Stryd to estimate VO2max by using your 10min power value on your power curve. I do like Stryd because its distance accuracy is supposed to be 99% accurate out of the box for most people. Mine was about 98% accurate when I tested it on a track. I’m a data geek. With the advent of dual band GPS, Stryd is becoming less needed. For Stryd, a 5k Race Power target is about 2%-3% more than your Stryd CP. You had a 16:22 5k time, which is 982 seconds. The formula for a 5k time would be this: Time(s) = 1.04 x Disrtance(m) x weight(kg) / (1.02 x CP) The 1.02 is because a 5k race time prediction is 2-3% higher than your CP. So we can backwards calculate what your Stryd CP should be. 982 = 1.04 x 5000 x 58 / (1.02 x CP) Solve for CP = 301 Watts. Garmin has a power of 395 Watts for your 5k Race, and Stryd would have given you around 301 Watts + another 2-3% which is 307Watts - 310 Watts which is 27% difference. That’s inline with the 25-30% difference I stated at the start. With a CP of 301 Watts, Stryd would have you target about 86% of your CP for a marathon which is ~ 259 Watts. Time(s) = 1.04 x Disrtance(m) x weight(kg) / (0.86 x CP) Time(s) = 1.04 x 42200 x 58 / 259 = 9828 seconds =2 hours, 43 mins, 48 seconds. With an error estimate of about 8mins.
@ Ha ha! No problem! I knew you weren’t being mean about things. It’s tough to get the tone right in writing! Thanks for commenting though. I must admit I am struggling to find a spot for Stryd. I am going to give it an honest effort but I do feel like I could achieve the same/better results using my Garmin watch which seems less fickle (you don’t have to keep feeding it race-effort data) and considers all metrics including power, heart rate, sleep metrics etc. That said, neither Garmin nor Stryd are doing a great job of predicting my race times - Garmin says I can do 2:26 and Stryd says 2:53. (I ran 2:38 twice last year so…). The Stryd workouts do seem good though. Hopefully I can maximize those while I have to run on the treadmill in the winter. Maybe if I were a novice runner and did not know how to judge my race efforts then Stryd would be perfect. But I feel like I know how to judge my race efforts without external input. Maybe I was naive going into the whole Stryd experience but when I’m in a race I just want to race and not keep looking at my watch. I’m reminded of Paula Radcliffe when she ran her first marathon - beforehand the journalists were asking her what time she was aiming for and she said she was not aiming for a time because she did not want to limit herself. Maybe I miss those days when you ran solely by effort and the time was a surprise at the end of the race (because we did not have GPS watches) and every now and then you’d surprise yourself and have a huge breakthrough. I think I was hoping that Stryd might bring us closer back to that type of racing but at the moment I’m not getting that impression - I don’t want to be paced to a 2:53 marathon! :) Stryd is very accurate on Zwift though. I will definitely use it for that going forward. Again, thanks for commenting. It’s definitely a very powerful data set but I’m not sure it works for me.
@ I totally get it. I think what we need to remember is that Stryd was the first to the market with Power. Polar was the first brand to have wrist based power. I think Stryd is now fighting a losing battle as the market has caught up.
There are a lot of suspect statements in this review that make me think you do not have it correctly configured in your watch. I have been using several versions over the years the years, and just upgraded to two pods. I have found Stryd to be extremely consistent, both outside and on a treadmill (my #1 use case is to overcome terrible treadmill calibration). An aspect you didn’t touch on is it provides a much more accurate pace and distance than watch gps. Run in Chicago or NYC to see this in action. Stryd does get all your biometric data, if you sync via garmin and not the pod directly. You are also incorrect about some of the advanced metrics (like footpath) which are available with one pod. I’m sorry you do not find it useful, and I would certainly not recommend Stryd to everyone, it’s too expensive and complex for most people’s needs, but it is an incredible device and service when used correctly, and much of your review suggests you are not. Perhaps Stryd needs to improve their onboarding experience. Also, you cannot compare the raw power numbers to other platforms, and your charging comments were a little petty (would you rather wear a brick on your foot so you could plug it directly into the wall?).
Thanks for commenting and thanks for keeping it positive and respectful! I really appreciate that. I’ve clearly done something wrong here and I’m definitely getting a lot of heat for it. My aim was to share my experience and I’ve not had the best one. I’m trying to make it work and it’s not. I did try and stare at the start of the video that this was a beginner’s take on the issue but a few people have accused me of misleading everyone (which I take quite seriously). You seem very reasonable as a person - do you think I should just remove the video? I’m not after click bait here. I just wanted to share my experience.
Have you done the initial critical power tests So it can now your hardest all out effort in the power curve fasma? If you don’t do the all out test. Is impossible to know your accurate Critical Power. Remember is a gadget of algorithms and science. If you put wrong data you will get wrong results.
Good question. I did a full out 1k and a full out 5k and a near full-out half. So not exactly the tests they require, to be fair, but I would have thought that would have given it the data it needed…
So first, these marketing teams need to be more accurate . It’s a power “estimator”. It’s extremely complicated to get a runners power output based on accelerometers and gps. Hence, all the algorithms. Anyway, I don’t want to argue on the tech which most people commenting here clearly don’t understand or if it’s set it up accurately, but if they charged you a monthly fee for a service, and they did not provide some sort of extension, then that’s a humongous red flag.
To be fair, I have spoken to them and it sounds like they won’t charge for month 2 until you activate the unit. So it does sound like they have that covered off from month 2 onwards.
I'm probably bucking the trend from some of the other users here, but I use mine mainly to pair to Zwift on the treadmill. At time of writing, you can use Zwift without subscription for running. The Stryd won't report back elevation or whatever while you're on a treadmill, so if you want a hilly workout, it's no good for that... but it's bang on the money out-of-the-box if you want to set up some workouts of your own, like 6 * 5 mins, or just do a tempo session, or progression, or whatever and use it for that. I also train on a cycle track and it's super accurate for pace and distance when I use it there, when GPS is losing its mind (using Coros Pace 2, which also pairs it out of the box without any clumsy workarounds). So yeah. My experience with it is positive.
I hadn’t thought of using it on zwift. I’ll give that a go tonight. I have a treadmill session which is one paced so it should give some good basis for determining if it’s accurate on that. Thanks for your comment!
Not consistent with my experience over latest two generations of the product and five seasons. Serious case of RTFM my friend, or contact the extremely supportive FB group remain "challenged". That said the initial configuration of linking garmin, setting up the data fields and getting a base power curve does need you to read the manual. The few known topics are mostly due to Garmin's lack of flexibility.
Thanks for the comment! (What’s RTFM??) I’m trying to get it right but I’m clearly doing something wrong. I feel like I’ve set it up properly but maybe not based on what everyone else is saying…
@@global-runner read the effing manual, especially follow the step by step instructions to link the garmin, turnoff garmin native power, and get the run power app setup. Then do the formal max efforts in a good setting
I only just got one and one of your major problems I am having with it is that it is not showing up in the green in zone/range area of garmin. I bought this purely for interval running to solve the issue of heart rate data taking too long to catch up and pacing can be effected by elevation , wind etc. unless I can figure out how to display the power data for varied intervals runs the product is useless to me😢
@@eamondennehy thanks for your comment. Did you download the Connect IQ app? Is that what is showing inconsistency? I spoke to the owner and he said that the app will give much more consistent readings. (I have not downloaded it yet - I don’t want my watch to be governed by this one metric - but I have used it with the app on a treadmill and it seems pretty consistent…)
I dont really care about power. But one thing i like is accurate distance when i run. I run in a lot of cities so i still get gps bounce and garmin once in a while has me running out on a river next to alot of tall buildings around ny nj. With the stryd inuse it for distance instead of gps and i get all the pretty garmin maps but very accurate distance.
This is an excellent point. Thanks! I still remember running the Chicago marathon and you run straight under that tunnel and immediately your watch is out of whack! It would have been great for that. (Same with Tokyo, come to think of it…)
I have been using Stryd for 5 years and I like it but I don't love it. The live pace is better than GPS and distance is as good as all systems multi-band GPS. This means I can disable the all systems GPS on my watch (Fenix 7) and get triple the battery life from my watch. I find power is useful for running uphill or into the wind but not that useful the rest of the time. I have gone through phases of thinking I could live without it but when I left it in a hotel safe earlier this year I only went a week before buying another one. I don't think £200 is particularly expensive for the tech included in these.
Thanks for your comment. This is a great perspective on the issue. I love your story about buying it again within a week. That’s very telling! I agree 100% on the hill issue. When I’m doing hills I do like looking at power. But like you I’m not sure I’d find much of a use at other times. I find my Garmin does a good job at pace/distance. The footpod feels like another thing to forget to bring at the moment! :)
I’ve tested pace and distance accuracy of the Stryd with a measuring wheel, and it’s accurate in those. I would say exactly to the step. That’s almost too accurate because nobody runs that exact. Now I use it mostly for indoor running sessions because the lack of GPS. The second use case is Zwift on a treadmill. But then the Stryd readings will change with the shoes unfortunately. It will give different readings of pace and distance when I change shoes on a treadmill for example. For 400m just 5-10m maybe but that accumulates. That is so annoying.
Thank you for your comment! I tried it out on zwift today. I did 7 miles at 6:00/mile. (About 11k at 3:43/km). It was reading 6:08/mile the whole way. So not terrible by any means. But certainly not spot-on accurate. Now it may be that my treadmill runs slow (I hope not!) but that’s just another data point I guess!
@@global-runner 🙌 That is what I experience as well: a 0.5 difference in km/h between the treadmill belt speed reading and the Stryd. Not terrible at all, and of all the options probably the most accurate. I tried different shoes. For me it’s the Novablast, which gives the most correct readings.
@ I only ever tried on a pair of the first version and they felt a little unstable for me so I didn’t buy them but I have heard a lot of people say good things about them. I want to try the Superblast 2 but they seem to be sold out everywhere!
Sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience with this! As others have said this is definitely not normal and sounds like something is not set up correctly. There are a few things I'd like to address. Firstly can I check you've entered your height and weight into the Stryd app and sync'd it with your footpod? You won't get "correct" power without correct weight becasue Stryd calculates Watts/kg then multiplies by weight to display Watts. The fact you had different power readings on the same treadmill on two different days suggests to me you may have changed your weight setting between the two? I get absolutely rock steady power on the treadmill at a set speed which adjusts only with changes in treadmill speed. Really the whole point of Stryd is that it's incredibly consistent in its reading of pace and power. If yours is really varying at a fixed pace then something is either wrong with the pod or the power displayed on your watch isn't coming from Stryd. By the way, you can check the weight setting for any activity you recorded (only on the app) by navigating to the activity in your calendar view, clicking ... "View details". Next, you comment on the activity sync including pre and post run walking etc. This means you're syncing directly from the pod to the Stryd app (because the pod can't identify itself when you actually started your run). This is one option but if you want the run only, you'll need to sync from your Garmin account to Stryd account instead. Of course this will only work if your Stryd is correctly connected to your Garmin and your Garmin is recording power from the Stryd (not native Garmin power). I think you'll be able to fix all of your issues just by using the Stryd Zones app (which will require you to input your Stryd Ant ID) and turning off Garmin native power. Then use the Stryd Zones app to record your run. You can set up whatever data screens you want on it but one screen will include the Stryd power data. You'll then need to link your Stryd account to your Garmin account and set up the sync from Garmin to Stryd. You cannot compare Garmin power to Stryd power. They will be different (Garmin is higher) because they use different calculations to arrive at the number. Running power does reuire a model and not everyone agrees. Ultimately this doesn't matter much if you stick with one ecosystem for power and it reports consistently but you can never directly compare between two. With respect to critical power, Styrd will not give you a sensible critical power number until you've done two all out tests at short and medium distance. If you do an all out 3min (or 1km test) and an all out 20min or 5k test, you should have a really good estimate of your critical power. Until then, it will be significantly understated because if you've done say a hard 10x1km with the Stryd it will assume your fastest 1km of those intervals is your max effort. I've been using Stryd since their first footpod back in 2018 (and I've purchased each time they've brought out an updated version), and I've been so happy with it. These days I do not even have pace displayed on my watch - everything is done by power and I even rely on Stryd for pace and distance recording due to its accuracy. But you don't have to go all in like me!
I love this comment. Thank you so much. I’ll definitely do all of this and it does sound like I’m not maximizing what this product is designed for. I definitely take the blame for that. I think part of the issue is that it’s a bit finicky to set up. (Again, totally my issue). But this makes it less appealing. I’d love to get to the place you’re at so I’m going to really sit down and try and make this work. Thanks again for your help!
@@global-runner No probelm. Hope you do get it working well for you. I find it an absolutely invaluable bit of kit and almost never run without it.
Місяць тому+1
@@global-runner Based on what you said in your video, I would also guess you must have some kind of issue with the set up of it in your watch. This device is very precise and really a lot more useful than e.g. Garmin power. If this device was not good, I really doubt that Clayton Young would use it in his marathon training (he first mentioned in his training block for Paris Olympics 2024) and talk about it in his videos here on UA-cam. Even the famous Norwegian coach Olav Aleksander Bu is using it with his athletes and he even collaborates directly with the Stryd team when analyzing the data etc. So the tool itself is (in my opinion at this stage) world class and there is nothing better in the market right now for running power. What is not great is the initial setup with the Garmin watch. I have gone through their manuals many times to be sure everything is correct when I first started using it with Garmin. I initially started using it with Apple watch where everything worked like a charm without any difficult setup and only later I started using it with Garmin. I have now been using it for more than a year and it is very, very consistent. For me personally, it has been a great training tool and helped me achieve several PBs this year. I highly recommend you go through the manual help.stryd.com/en/articles/8594075-stryd-zones-data-fields-and-garmin-watch-setup-with-stryd-and-stryd-duo and check if you have it set up correctly.
This made me laugh. :). Thank you for that!! Yes I definitely upset a few people and that was not my intention. I’m an absolute beginner at this and trying to understand why so many people love it (which they do!). I think my mistake was saying it was a waste of money. I definitely see it as being a waste of MY money so far (and a lot of it…). Some of the comments have been amazing and super constructive so I’m focusing on those and trying to make it work for me! :) Thanks again for your comment. It definitely made me laugh. :)
A few things worth mentioning: 1. Garmin power incorporates elastic recoil which Stryd does not. As such, Garmin power is about 30% higher than Stryd on average. Running power does not have an industry standard, unlike cycling power. As such, it's a fool's errand trying to compare running power across platforms. 2. Stryd has been tested in the lab to show strong correlation with VO₂ max testing. Garmin, Apple, and Polar power showed much weaker correlations. I can share at least 7-8 different academic peer-reviewed research papers on this very topic, if you're curious. 3. In order to get an accurate critical power, you need *max efforts* in several time domains, preferably 2-3 minutes, 9-12 minutes, and 20-40 minutes. Hard efforts are not enough. They need to be max to full exhaustion efforts. CP testing, time trials, or races will help. 4. As you discovered, Stryd is motion activated. If you wear it walking to the track, wear it for your track workout, then wear it walking back home, Stryd recorded everything locally. When you sync with the app, of course that data will be present. You can crop it out in the PowerCenter, or if you pair it with your watch and instead sync your watch's platform with Stryd, then you'll only get the track workout and not walking to/from home. EG, I pair Stryd to my Suunto watch. Suunto syncs with the mobile app. Stryd PowerCenter pulls the data from Suunto. No extraneous data. 5. Sorry it's been inconsistent with treadmills for you, but that hasn't been the case for me. It's incredibly reliable on the treadmill, even when visiting 3 different gym locations. I have an old Stryd version that I use when running on Zwift because it's more reliable than the Zwift foot pod. 6. Yeah. It's unfortunately very expensive and their sales don't really seem all that great to be honest. As a serious runner though, the expense is worth it. After all, how much do I spend on shoes, races, gear, food, etc.? I can justify this one. 7. I hate the shoe clips. Honestly hate them. There are 100 other ways to clip a pod onto your shoe and the way Stryd went with sucks. I've read horror reports of runners who lost their foot pod, because the clip on the narrow end broke and flew off the clip. In the Next Gen model, they enforced the wide end with metal, but not the narrow end that seems to be breaking. There is even an Etsy shop with a 3D printed 3rd party clip that addresses this problem. Hopefully, Stryd addresses this in future models. The proprietary charger sucks too, but then, so does the one for my watch and optical armband HRM.
Great comment. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it. The purpose of the video was to do a beginner’s review and elicit feedback on what I’m doing wrong and your comment is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. A lot of people love the product so I’m doing something wrong clearly. I wasn’t trying to compare Garmin numbers to Stryd numbers but I do admit that the video made it look that way. I was just trying to show that the Garmin number showed the level of difference I would expect across various distances. In terms of the full-out efforts, this is the biggest issue for me. I did full out 1k (2:58) and a very very hard 5k (16:54) and a hard half marathon (1:17). I would have thought this would have given it the data it needed. But if those efforts still don’t do it then I’m worried that I’ll never be able to give it the data it needs to give an accurate CP. And then it becomes junk. (Deliberately dramatic I know but without the proper CP number, everything else falls apart doesn’t it?) Also I have linked my Garmin and Stryd accounts but there seems to be an issue there based on what everyone is telling me. I have to go back into the Stryd app to upload that run which I’m being told is not normal. If I could get it so that it only measured the runs, I think a lot of the consistency issues would disappear. Thank you for your comment. Really appreciate it.
Oh and I agree on the charger. That was a throw-away comment about all chargers generally. I have one for my HR band, one for the footpod, one for the watch etc etc. so annoying! And if you lose one…
@@global-runner Agreed. If your CP is not accurate, then the whole thing indeed falls apart. Here's a simple check: Stryd also provides your power-to-weight ratio in W/kg.This also just happens to be your critical speed in meters per second on a flat route with no wind. 94% of that value is roughly your marathon pace. As a 2:26 marathoner (assuming this is still your current fitness), your marathon pace is 4.81 m/sec. If you ran that at 94% CP, assuming a flat course with no wind, then your CP should be around 5.12 W/kg.
@@global-runner Sounds like you have an accurate CP then! 2:33 shape is 4:59 m/sec. If that's 94% of your CP, then your CP would be 4.89 W/kg. Almost dead on the money. Or if you prefer, 94% of Stryd's CP of 4.82 W/kg is 4.53 m/sec which is 2:35 shape. I think you have a good power distribution curve and CP in place, and I'm very jealous! Haha.
Ha! The Canada Post is about as useless as the USPS, it sounds. Sorry you had to put up with that! Sometimes, our private services are almost as bad here in the States, ironically.
Yeah I don’t blame Stryd for the delay at all. But it was frustrating to be paying for a monthly subscription and not have the product. I’m told they don’t start the second month until you have activated it though so it sounds like it all comes out in the wash. Canada post have since gone on strike. ;)
For any predictions and CP to be accurate, you need proper all out efforts. They are available as workouts in the library. Your CP and any race predictor times are modeled based on that data. If you don't give the model good data, the estimates won't give you good data either. Give it a chance with proper all out efforts and check back later if the predictions are accurate or not. They will be. When you say Stryd doesn't know about your effort because it doesn't know your HR data. It does. If you have proper all out efforts. It looks at the power of your run in relation to your CP. Same for suggested workouts. It will give you challenging workouts based on your CP. If it's not accurate, the workouts will feel too hard/easy. So again, the tldr. Feed the models with good data. And about the treadmill discrepancies, were you using the exact same treadmill? That could have been the culprit.
Thanks for your comment. Really appreciate it. I did do full-outs efforts but it had limited impact. (I had that in my first version of the video and then edited it out - big mistake!)
I will agree with you that the customer service is lacking. I've used stryd for about two years and it had been accurate with its predictions for my races from 5k to HM. I use the stryd workout app and load my workouts into that, and there is no measuring of anything else other than the run power. Also there used to be a calibration plan you needed to follow for the first two weeks to get the CP to be accurate, not sure if that's still there but it sounds like your unit isn't calibrated correctly. The library is full of workouts so I'm a bit surprised you haven't been able find one. The training plans I think are a bit light on mileage if you are used to running 70+ miles a week though. I'm sure stryd will point to the race predictioner that Clayton young got before NY and how that more or less was on par with his performance. I think you picked a poor time of year for this, the wind port will get clogged running in snow and affect the readings, I can't speak for treadmill running as I'd rather bite off my toes than run in a treadmill 😀
Ha ha! Great comment. Thank you!! I agree with all your comments - especially about picking the wrong time of year. (Although to be fair I had planned on getting it weeks earlier and Canada Post had other ideas so I didn’t get as many outside runs as I wanted). I did do some full-out efforts including a 1k and a 5k but it didn’t change the number much at all. Fair point on the workouts. There are a lot. But they are all based on the wrong CP for me so they are too easy. I ended up bailing on the one I tried. I do want to make it work and lots of people are saying this is user error so I’m hoping I can get some guidance! :) Thanks for commenting and doing so in a positive manner! Really appreciate it. (Finally, I hear ya on the treadmill. But sometimes there’s no other option!). :)
Thanks for sharing this perspective. I do agree that my watch seems to be perfectly adequate in terms of pace/distance and I’m not finding value for money in the Stryd at the moment. But I’ll keep insisting on it for the next few months!
I would like to make a comment on the topic of running power in general: the term itself is if we assume that running economy means that you should use as little energy as possible for the same performance. Example: reaching the finish line just as quickly with less wattage means economizing in the race and therefore a higher running power value would be worse 💡 🔔
This is an excellent point and I definitely hadn’t thought of it that way. It reminds me of the female British marathon runner in the 90s (her name escapes me at the moment) who used to run on the treadmill at a set pace and would tinker with her running form to try and lower her heart rate (eg lower her arms etc).
It's a shame because this is just a ridiculously bad review. Not because I own a Stryd and absolutely love it but it's just not an honest proper review that gives his audience a realistic view of what this device can do for them.
@@jordi8189 I’m sorry you did not see any value in my review. I was sharing my personal experience based on how I have found the footpod to be over the first month of using it. I am sure I am not using it to its full potential based on the comments I have received (and to be fair, I asked for those comments in the video) but I’m not TRYING to waste my money. I’m genuinely trying to make it work. And for me, it just isn’t. Others have replied saying they had the same experience so it definitely isn’t just me. Maybe the learning curve is just too steep for me? Or maybe it needs to be made easier from the outset? I’m glad it worked out for you though and I appreciate your viewpoint.
Great review. I'm not into running power at all. I don't think any system is right. When I bike, I find that super accurate when you have a crank or peddles with a meter. I just can't see how a watch or footpod can read this information? Atleast I can see how a bike meter works and understand it.
Thank you! I agree 100% on the bike and I love the zwift sessions which put you at the right FTP based on previous sessions. Those are great. But the Stryd isn’t doing it for me. I feel like heart rate is a much better gauge than power when running. That said, a lot of people disagree with me so I’m trying to find out what I’m doing wrong…!
This simplest (but not entirely accurate) way to think about what it's doing is rescaling grade adjusted pace into a value that reflects the watt value from metabolic tests.
Thanks for your comment! One of the biggest mistakes I made in this video was editing out the part where I spoke about the data I had put it into. I did do several max efforts including a 1k and a 5k. I’ve learnt my lesson - I’ll keep that stuff in the video in future! :)
It’s A LOT of money. Keep checking the comments. Maybe someone will explain to me that I’m doing it all wrong. But at the moment I’d stick with the power meter in my garmin watch if I were to do it again…
1. Reviewer failed to log necessary data for an accurate race plan
The Race Power Calculator was incorrect because the reviewer didn't log any max efforts sessions to fill in his Power Duration Curve.
Race Power Calculator is a race planning tool. It is not an index of the runner's capabilities.
2. Reviewer made invalid comparisons between Stryd power and Garmin's value
The reviewer compared Stryd's power value to Garmin's value.
Stryd's power value reports metabolic power. Garmin has claimed their value is mechanical power. They are not comparable and Garmin's value is not useful for pacing.
3. Reviewer claimed Stryd was inconsistent but did not share any data
The reviewer claimed the data was inconsistent but did not share any data to point to what he is referring to.
Stryd is known to be extremely consistent, which means the reviewer may have improperly paired Stryd to the watch.
4. Reviewer failed to pair Stryd to watch
It appears that the reviewer did not pair Stryd to the watch since he claims he is offline syncing Stryd to get data from the pod.
These are all fair points. I may well be doing this wrong. But I’m not TRYING to do it wrong. I want to get my money’s worth out of this.
To answer a couple of questions - I have paired it to my watch. It shows every time I start a run that’s it’s connected. But when I go into the app I have to sync it. I may have used the wrong wording.
I did a number of max efforts including a 1k full out (in 2:58) and a 5k full out (in 16:54).
I had a longer version of the video which addressed all of this but I edited it out!
If you have any tips on how to fix what I’m doing wrong, I’d love to hear them!
Also, can you help me understand - if the Race Power Calculator is not an index of the runner’s capabilities (which you say), then why is it under the heading “capabilities”? :)
@@global-runner it is accurate to show your capabilities. But the whole power duration curve relies on maximum effort attempts in various parts if the curve. This is mandatory. Without the all out efforts the curve is not representative .
In my experience it's crazy accurate and the goals it sets are really challenging.
Please do not compare Garmin power with Stryd power, it are completely different forms of power.
It also matters how you connect the Stryd to your watch, you have to connect it as the correct type of device.
Unfortunately you are suffering from user error, IMHO. Alot of this is due to Garmin FORCING native power on users of their newer watches. My training partner got so frustrated with Garmin's native power, that he went out and got an AppleWatch SE for training, and uses his Garmin for other metrics (sleep/HRV/etc) and a backup for key races. The same as I do. Garmin power and Stryd power do not translate, you can't compare them. Footpod / wrist power is not the same as a physical power meter in cycling. Which causes people so much confusion.
Now, you MIGHT have a bad unit. But I'm skeptical, it's all solid state. It should either work....or it doesn't.
I will GLADLY take the unit off your hands, and either add it so I can get Duo data or lend it out to other local runners who are interest in trying power. My personal results as a beginner/novice runner without a good refined level of RPE have been significant. So much so that I constantly have people asking me how I have progressed so fast at my age. And it's not all Stryd related.
But I haven't missed a run with my Stryd pod since Feb 19, 2020. You really need to understand power as a training modality, it took me awhile to understand the pro's and con's. I still consider HR for certain runs, and as a secondary metric on race day. Since power doesn't know if you are sick or getting sick.
If you really want to learn how to use it, I am willing to assist. Or you can take your losses and I will happily take the unit for appropriate compensation.
Totally second that.
I have a Stryd pod but only use it for treadmill running. The reason being my Garmin (Fenix 7) is abysmal at knowing my pace on a treadmill. The pod is generally good, however it only gets to the right pace after 20 mins or so. Starts slow (15s/km) and ends up very close to the treadmill.
Maybe that doesn't sound good, but my Garmin says I'm always running around 5:15/km regardless of what I'm actually running - useless!
I’m glad you commented! Thank you! I was hoping you would. I’ll send you an email if that’s OK and maybe I can get this working. My main hope was to use it on treadmills, like you have pointed out previously.
I’ll insist on it while my membership is running but if I’m not using it after that you can definitely have it for free!
This is what I was hoping to use it for. The watches definitely aren’t great but if I stay on the same treadmill and keep calibrating it, it does get much better.
@@global-runner More than willing to help. Email away.
I’ve used it for about five years, I have never once used the power readouts. I use it because I like the accurate pace data.
The pace data on the treadmill you mean? Do you get that on your watch? My Garmin is overriding that data I think…
@@global-runner
you need to set the data source as the Footpod - needs to be "Always"
Also, don't connect the stryd as a power meter - you need to connect it as a footpod
GPS for pace data is crap. Stryd has a little lag but it's the most accurate FP on the market.
@@global-runner The pace data is accurate on the treadmill and on the roads - all it really does is measure acceleration
This is the polar opposite of my experience with Stryd and my Forerunner. Very consistent readings and excellent workouts. And Stryd includes the heart rate of my Garmin.
From an engineering perspective the power ratings of the Garmin are unable to be trusted. The food pod is the most obvious way to measure it.
So it appears to be a large case of user error. Not meant snarky, but setting it up was a bit confusing for me.
Which forerunner do you have? I am being told that the newer ones (which have their own power meter built-in) might be causing some issues…
I’m so glad it works for you! What should I fix to get the experience you’re getting, do you think? I’m genuinely confused about what I’m doing wrong…
@@global-runnerI have the 255. Mind you, I am a pretty tech savvy guy and had quite some issues setting up because of inconsistencies.
But, I wouldn’t go back. I am not an elite runner. And this is the first time ever that I can have maximum gains and high training load while not overtaxing my body, like i used to.
For comparison. I’ve smashed all my records since I have the Stryd, and that has been for 9 months now.
PS I use the Stryd Workout App on the forerunner
@ it is very confusing. And that is a huge drawback. But the Stryd Workout App is a must for me. The Garmin power ratings can not be trusted
Another point: it can be that this just isn’t for you. And that’s okay. But stating it so explicitly that it is a waste of money is a bit misleading
Did you follow the instructions from Garmin about disabling their power meter? I don’t recall exactly, but there were a few changes to make to my 255 settings to make sure it was using stryd for what it should.
I originally bought mine when I signed up to pace a marathon that had a lot of tree cover and poor gps reception. The best use for me has been recording treadmill sessions and integrating with apps like Zwift. There are many less expensive foot pods but they are notoriously inaccurate. I’ve probably used the power reading once in the last 8 years when coach gave us mile repeats and we picked a road with a long grade. The headache is figuring out “what is 6:00/mi pace in watts?”.
Yes that’s exactly what I was thinking. It’s probably amazing if you use it all the time but knowing what wattage you should be running at a particular pace would take some serious knowledge of the product!
I did use it on zwift and it was pretty good, to be fair.
I love mine. Using it for years. Really reliable as well as the forecast of race time. You probably did not load enough hard session for the app to be precise.
This is so interesting. Thanks for sharing your experience. A lot of people love it which makes me question what I’m doing wrong.
I did think of that so I logged a 1k full-out in 2:58 and a 5k full-out in 16:54. Admittedly both were on the treadmill. (I had this is the original video but I edited it out and I’m starting to think I should have left it in!). :)
@@global-runneryou can’t use the treadmill for those tests. Use real world running on typical surfaces that you run on.
Yeah that’s the problem I have at the moment - outside is too icy to run at a max effort. I had hoped to get it earlier but Canada Post put paid to that so a lot of my running has been slow outside or fast on the treadmill…
Once you do the testing runs the app suggest all your issues will be resolved, this can be scheduled through the app and sent to the Garmin. It had me do three test workouts, 3 min one day, 10 minutes a few days later, then 20 minutes, all of these are all out. Once you do that your CP will adjust to the correct value, up in your case.
I did do some max efforts (which I initially had in the video and then edited out - big mistake!). I’ll find time to do their actual test and see what happens.
Did you connect your Garmin Connect with Stryd software so that the workouts are actually uploaded from Garmin to Stryd? That should eliminate the issue of capturing pre and post training movement (Stryd will still record all breaks during the activity for correct assessment of power) and hopefully help you get better CP.
I hope you can get it to work for you in the next 4 months as it is a single most impactful training tool for me and I have tried pretty much all there is :)
Thanks for your comment. I really appreciate it. The purpose of the video was to share my experience as a complete newbie and so I may well have made some mistakes when setting it up (and to be fair it sounds like I have) but I don’t think I’m the only one who would have done so.
So the answer to your question is - I think so. But I’m going to double check.
A lot of people love it as a tool so I definitely want to see if I can get the most out of it!
As an amateur runner, I've used Stryd for about 4 years. That said, I truly believe the initial learning curve is very steep. Like many I had been running to HR previously, so the concept of zones was not new to me. However, what is hugely different is in the initial setup. As Stryd themselves instruct, 'just running' is not enough. We need to dial in a CP. As you yourself said, 'when the data is wrong, then you cannot trust what it says' I am glad that you already realise this. If you were to continue trying, you really need to get those key data points in. Commonly, these might be max testing for different durations such as, 3min, 9min and 20min. Without proper max testing at those (or something similar) you will find you are stuck with 'when the data is wrong.......
Comparing one power meter to another form a different developer is never going to work, different algorithms are used at the very least. Not withstanding where on the body the power reading is taken.
Treadmill running: This took me ages to get me head around, but the belt speed varies 'a lot' - that said, I find my Stryd very consistant when TM running. But, that effort is not easy to compare to running outdoors, so be careful if looking for the same power reading = perceived effort when indoors AND out.
Syncing device: sync watch not footpod - assuming you are getting the correct readings on the Garmin (from the footpod)
Specific charger: a great many watches have a specific charging cable.
I summary, I think you have missed here - but again, one month is a very short amount of time to get it all sorted and understood. Remember, GPS is subject to connection with satellites for speed/pace - not so with a power meter. Heart rate drifts over time running - not so with a power meter. It's complicated and for some TOO complicated/not worth the trouble.
Thank you for your comment! And especially thank you for being so positive and respectful. I appreciate it.
I did do some max efforts including a 1k and a 5k and I originally had that in the video but edited it out (big mistake!).
It’s a very steep learning curve and I’m doing something wrong, clearly. But it was supposed to be a beginners review and I wanted to share my experience based on my early days with it.
I’ll keep trying…. :)
@@global-runner you're most welcome! keep at it and see where you're at in couple of months! I can honestly say, (I would not run without mine nowadays) cant wait to see what the follow-up vid looks like :)
I thought people mostly used these for accurate treadmill measurements? So you can use your Garmin and follow a workout on the Tready.
Yes that was my plan when I bought it. I wore it yesterday on the treadmill using zwift only (not even paired to the watch) and it did seem pretty accurate.
Thanks for your comment!
Thanks for this review! I've been using Stryde for 1 yr and am very happy with the results. My power readings and session suggestions have only been accurate after I've taken the pod through a race. In my opinion, u need to take it through an all out race for the pod to recognize your ceiling/capacity. This is also the reason why Stryd will suggest 20 min all out from time to time, to re-calibrate.
If u don't let Stryd experience your full capacity it will under-score you. That's my experience, at least.
Thanks for your comment. I think you’re right. Without a full-on race experience, it definitely does not give the best data.
Stryd also says this, this is a mandatory part to make it work. The standard Stryd schedules have this integrated
The thing about running power is there is no industry standard, essentially it's based off pace and adjusted for changes in elevation and wind, whereas cycling power can be measured directly with a strain gauge. I've actually found my Stryd to be super consistent, especially indoors on a treadmill. If you using a Garmin you want to make sure that in the footpod sensor settings you have it set to pace indoor only so that the pace the Garmin uses comes from the Stryd footpod.. You also want to avoid changing your weight and this can affect the power readings. Your critical power does sound a bit low, though the key metric is not the critical power but the W/kg. I find for setting the critical power that something like a 10 mile race works well.
Thank you! Great comment.
I wore it yesterday on the treadmill using zwift and it seemed to work ok. The auto CP is going to be difficult to fine tune though. Even with full out efforts at 1k, 5k and 21k, it’s still reading low.
Had to admit I have given up on mine as well. That said sure you have learned by now that unlike bike power meters, there is no universal standard in running ones so can you only compare Stryd power with Stryd and Garmin with Garmin and no doubt likes of Coros is different too. That all said, I did Stryd rather relies on "max" efforts to determine where you are at because it has no real way of telling you how hard you are trying short of reference to historical efforts. That said I find using it for some years did enforce that a slower pace uphill than average goal pace is "OK" as you would be trying way too hard otherwise. As a 2:26 marathoner I doubt that is a surprise. Modern GPS watches with Multi Band GPS have made taking pace & distance from Stryd redundant IMHO. It is good on a treadmill (e.g. with Zwift) however compared to just a watch but even then you often find yourself not running as "fast" as you think. Another can of worms. I've seen likes of Clayton Young using it however but was never entirely clear what it is telling him especially given a team of top people around him.
@@TimGrose great comment Tim! (And I’m honoured you watched! I’m a big fan!) :). I would also go as far as to say that you are a lot more technical/detailed than I am so if someone like you struggles with it then it may not be the product for me. (But I am now going to try it out on Zwift!)
@@global-runner I think the concept is great but I just got frustrated that on say windy days, the Air Power bit wasn't overly consistent and so defeated the whole object. That bit would also between shoes so using my shoeoffs became a nice data collection exercise but limited real insight. Also I find things like gap pace give me a good idea of the relative worth of a run after the fact. When on a run well most of the time my legs tell how hard I am working without even looking at anything. Your experience does suggest a lack of some basic tips to get you started, the first of which is to forget whatever running power you have may seen before. This is a shame as if I go onto my bike I know far better what x watts really means for me and it doesn't matter too much what equipment am using. On Zwift for running (so treadmill) I did find it very consistent with itself between runs on the same treadmill. If however you use completely different treadmills be less sure about that. Also I found the pace from my Stryd would often vary between actual pods. At one time I had 5 although only 1 of what still think is the current one. As such you could start playing around with calibration factors on say your Garmin but that is just a crude scaling. No surprise Garmin gave up on foot pods years ago.
@ I think a mistake I made in the video was comparing the Stryd wattage to the Garmin wattage. I wasn’t actually comparing them. My point was that Garmin was consistent (the 5k was higher than the 10k which was higher than the half etc) but the Stryd had not been so far. I wasn’t saying that the Stryd number should be 390 watts (although that number was definitely low). We live and learn I guess. :)
@@global-runner must say am a bit surprised by this. Did you change your weight so that Stryd was scaling differently? AFAIK it computes in W/kg so if you change your "kg" the Stryd power you see will scale accordingly. Another thing is to check is how much Air Power (i.e. effect of the wind strength) was given each time which is added to the "raw" power to get the headline figure you would see generally.
@ No the weight number has remained the same the entire time. (Although I have had a few mince pies recently so maybe I SHOULD increase it…). :)
I don’t think you e given it long enough, and done enough quality session. It’s been a few years since I used mine but I thought critical power was power for 1hr not 10k. I found the data very good and very reliable
Thanks for your comment. One thing I had in version 1 of the video (which I edited out) was the fact that I have done max efforts with it including a 1k and a 5k. I’ve also done lots of varied sessions including hills. I’ll stick with it and report back.
I read the critical power was the 40 minute max effort number but I could be wrong. (This was a review from a complete beginner!). :)
(And thanks for being respectful and reasonable!! I truly appreciate that!)
So the last thing I want to do is stir this pot but I did want to make one further comment. Angus from Stryd reached out to me and we had a good chat. He is a SUPER NICE GUY. Very genuine and just a really nice person. I really appreciate him taking the time to reach out to me - he didn’t have to do that but I hugely appreciate the fact that he did.
I also want to recognize that a lot of people LOVE this product. Some people were very respectful in their comments and told me about how this product has hugely improved their running. One guy from Australia credited Stryd with getting him to a 2:30 marathon. Clearly if you can work it out, it’s very very useful. It’s also clear that there is a steep learning curve and you need to invest some time into it. And that is what I plan to do. I will do a follow-up video once I have worked with it for a few months and I will give my in-depth review.
Angus took me through my profile and showed me what the tool can do and it’s very impressive. He also acknowledged that my race predictions were off and that while I had done the correct efforts which should have got me a more accurate time, with a few tweaks, we could definitely dial that in.
So watch this space. (And feel free to subscribe!). :)
(Oh and I have used it on Zwift at the suggestion of a few of you and it is very accurate on Zwift…)
@global-runner I'm glad Angus got to you, he's the source. Better than any assistance I could provide! LOL
Good-luck with your Stryd adventure!
I'm just seeing this now after everything I typed lol. Glad you're giving it a second chance!!
I'm a Stryd user from the first iteration on. I'm using one pod, no subscription.
Power number vs Garmin: neither can measure power! It is an estimation in both cases! For me: Garmin showed approximately Stryd power + Stryd form power. There's quite a difference.
The real benefit: use it for amazing precise and repeatable pace and distance! Set your Garmin to use pace and distance from the pod. If you run the same loop several times, distance will be much more consistant than with GPS. Repeatability is amazing! And if GPS signal is bad, you still have a perfect pace and distance. ;)
Data from walking: just simply sync it from Garmin! And do not directly sync the Stryd pod with the app.
I am super happy with it! Maybe you can get something out of my experience, so you don't feel you fully wasted your money on it.
@@frre9302 thank you so much for your comment. A lot of people have said something similar so I’m committed to trying to make it work now! I’ll let you know!
@global-runner the pod settings on the garmin watch should also be: auto calibration OFF and calibration factor to 100. So no tinkering with the actual Stryd data.
Bought one, and lost it on a run BUT continued paying the membership because you cannot stop it. That was it for me, I am fine with the power I get from Garmin.
That must be so frustrating. Sorry to hear that. I have heard reports that the clip that holds it to your laces had some issues in earlier versions but they seem to have tried to address that issue in the one I have. (Although it makes it difficult to take off with cold hands!)
I have found that it’s good for zwift but otherwise I totally agree with you - Garmin power seems good enough for me too.
I just bought one, wish I watched this first. I honestly don't see the point of it but going to give it a few months
It took me a few hours learning how to set it up on the watch. Even though it says connected you still need to disable the watch power readings and change the data screen on your watch to the stryd data screen from Garmin IQ. It's so awkward and definitely not user friendly. I connected stryd but the took 5 days to reply.
A lot of people love it. So I’m committed to giving it a proper go. It’s definitely a steep learning curve and you have to let it infiltrate your watch in a venom-esque way. But lots of people swear by it.
The owner is a super nice dude though.
I’ve used stryd a few years ago and all the data and training insight was useful. It had some cons tho. Mine broke after 3 years but and I had to get a replacement. Also after I purchased a different brand of HRM it would not connect to my watch at the same time as the model. Other than that it’s very useful for training data and treadmill running
@@blastedpotato thanks for your comment. I appreciate it! I just spoke to the owner and he was a super nice guy. That alone has given me the motivation to sit down and properly work this out. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I see you've already gotten a lot of feedback (some constructive and reasonable, some unnecessarily accusatory in tone), but as a user of multiple versions of Stryd over the last seven years who has found it quite useful I'll make one more suggestion. Since Garmin added their own version of power to their watches I think it's complicated using Stryd with a Garmin. My personal setup is I used the Stryd with an Apple watch (using the dedicated Stryd App on the watch) as my primary running watch, but I also have a Garmin Forerunner 255 not paired with Stryd that I'll wear as a secondary watch on maybe a 1/3 of my runs to compare data across the two (specifically how well Stryd is measuring distance vs the GPS on the Forerunner, and comparing the optical heart rate date of the two watches). In your case you use a Garmin as your main running watch, so I'd suggest unpairing the Stryd from your Garmin and just pairing it to the Stryd phone app, and when you do treadmill runs I'd start a session on both your Garmin (no Stryd paired) and your phone Stryd app, and then you can compare the Garmin vs Stryd data for those runs. You could do this for outside runs as well, but it's more of a pain having to deal with your phone then, but for a treadmill run it's easy to have your phone just sitting on the treadmill tray anyway.
Thank you for your comment! I really appreciate it. I did try and state right at the outset of the video that I was a beginner and not an expert and I wanted to share my experience but I think I probably went a bit far at the end saying it was a waste of money. I should have said that at the moment I’m seeing it as being a waste of MY money (and a lot of it!). I should also have explained that I have done the max effort workouts Stryd suggested (I had that in the first version of the video but edited it out!). All good learning points for me…! :). I think the point to note is that there are a lot of avid Stryd users out there (which is great!) but also some people who had the same experience as me.
In terms of your suggestion - I love it. I think this is a really good idea and it will also get rid of that issue I am having with the footpod registering the walk at the start/end of runs. It will also be perfect for what I really wanted the footpod for, which is to ensure consistency on treadmills primarily.
Again, thanks for your comment. I appreciate it a lot.
No problem, and I’d agree that the accurate and responsive pace/speed metric is one of the most useful things Stryd can provide. I find your channel one of the more consistently interesting running channels. Good variety of topics and a like your style of presentation (not overly rehearsed, but not rambly either). Keep up the good work.
@ thank you so much! Appreciate it! (I try and avoid controversial topics but I have stumbled onto one here - I’ll do my best to remain objective!!). :)
The next video will be back to my training which is much less controversial! :)
It’s clear you are unaware of some requirements.
1. You have to give all out efforts of 2-3min, 8-10min and 20-30 min runs. This will calibrate the pod to an accurate CP.
2. It doesn’t matter if the pod includes walking before and after your training. This doesn’t affect the pod calculations. You can also TRIM those workouts if it bothers you in the Stryd Power Centre.
3. You need to have the Stryd Connect IQ Data Field on your Garmin running fields for full integration with your Garmin watch. (I have a 265.) this is the only way to sync Garmin to Stryd. This will also cut out any walking data in the beginning or end of a run since it’ll use the start and stop times of the Garmin watch.
Based on your mentioned 5k race time, your Stryd Critical Power W/kg is around 5.17. If you weigh 75kg your CP is 5.17x 75 = 388 Watts.
Thanks for this comment. I really appreciate it. I actually weigh 58kg. Would that change your analysis?
(Also I did do some full out efforts and Angus at Stryd actually commented that I’d done a good job of feeding it data. I do appreciate your comment though).
@@global-runner Apologies for stating you’re “unaware”. Not very Canadian of me. Apologize for this lengthy reply but it should clear things up for you!
There is no running power standard. Polar and Garmin use a different method to compute Power. In a nutshell, Garmin and Polar power is 25-30% higher than Stryd in power readings.
Stryd is incredibly accurate when you’ve “calibrated” your CP properly. It paced me to a 10k PB within about 30 seconds of Stryd time prediction.
With all that said, in my opinion Stryd gives little value if you have a Garmin watch. I have done a deep dive in Stryd, Gamin and Polar and they all estimate the same thing in one way or the other. Garmin just does it the easiest with the automatic Threshold pace calculation.
With Polar I have to do the Running Test which spits out a Maximum Aerobic Speed (MAS). Polar than takes MAS x 0.85 to estimate the Lactate Threshold limit zone. Garmin estimates my lactate at 87% of my MAS. So you can see how close they are (85% vs 87% of MAS).
With Stryd I have to do the 3 different power tests and make sure I do those tests every few weeks to keep the CP accurate. Again, Stryd CP has been lab tested to be extremely comparable to lactate threshold. You can even use Stryd to estimate VO2max by using your 10min power value on your power curve.
I do like Stryd because its distance accuracy is supposed to be 99% accurate out of the box for most people. Mine was about 98% accurate when I tested it on a track. I’m a data geek.
With the advent of dual band GPS, Stryd is becoming less needed.
For Stryd, a 5k Race Power target is about 2%-3% more than your Stryd CP.
You had a 16:22 5k time, which is 982 seconds. The formula for a 5k time would be this:
Time(s) = 1.04 x Disrtance(m) x weight(kg) / (1.02 x CP)
The 1.02 is because a 5k race time prediction is 2-3% higher than your CP. So we can backwards calculate what your Stryd CP should be.
982 = 1.04 x 5000 x 58 / (1.02 x CP)
Solve for CP = 301 Watts.
Garmin has a power of 395 Watts for your 5k Race, and Stryd would have given you around 301 Watts + another 2-3% which is 307Watts - 310 Watts which is 27% difference. That’s inline with the 25-30% difference I stated at the start.
With a CP of 301 Watts, Stryd would have you target about 86% of your CP for a marathon which is ~ 259 Watts.
Time(s) = 1.04 x Disrtance(m) x weight(kg) / (0.86 x CP)
Time(s) = 1.04 x 42200 x 58 / 259
= 9828 seconds
=2 hours, 43 mins, 48 seconds.
With an error estimate of about 8mins.
@ Ha ha! No problem! I knew you weren’t being mean about things. It’s tough to get the tone right in writing! Thanks for commenting though.
I must admit I am struggling to find a spot for Stryd. I am going to give it an honest effort but I do feel like I could achieve the same/better results using my Garmin watch which seems less fickle (you don’t have to keep feeding it race-effort data) and considers all metrics including power, heart rate, sleep metrics etc. That said, neither Garmin nor Stryd are doing a great job of predicting my race times - Garmin says I can do 2:26 and Stryd says 2:53. (I ran 2:38 twice last year so…). The Stryd workouts do seem good though. Hopefully I can maximize those while I have to run on the treadmill in the winter.
Maybe if I were a novice runner and did not know how to judge my race efforts then Stryd would be perfect. But I feel like I know how to judge my race efforts without external input. Maybe I was naive going into the whole Stryd experience but when I’m in a race I just want to race and not keep looking at my watch. I’m reminded of Paula Radcliffe when she ran her first marathon - beforehand the journalists were asking her what time she was aiming for and she said she was not aiming for a time because she did not want to limit herself. Maybe I miss those days when you ran solely by effort and the time was a surprise at the end of the race (because we did not have GPS watches) and every now and then you’d surprise yourself and have a huge breakthrough. I think I was hoping that Stryd might bring us closer back to that type of racing but at the moment I’m not getting that impression - I don’t want to be paced to a 2:53 marathon! :)
Stryd is very accurate on Zwift though. I will definitely use it for that going forward.
Again, thanks for commenting. It’s definitely a very powerful data set but I’m not sure it works for me.
@ I totally get it. I think what we need to remember is that Stryd was the first to the market with Power. Polar was the first brand to have wrist based power. I think Stryd is now fighting a losing battle as the market has caught up.
@ good point. Thanks so much for taking me through it. I’ll keep you updated on the journey!
There are a lot of suspect statements in this review that make me think you do not have it correctly configured in your watch. I have been using several versions over the years the years, and just upgraded to two pods. I have found Stryd to be extremely consistent, both outside and on a treadmill (my #1 use case is to overcome terrible treadmill calibration). An aspect you didn’t touch on is it provides a much more accurate pace and distance than watch gps. Run in Chicago or NYC to see this in action. Stryd does get all your biometric data, if you sync via garmin and not the pod directly. You are also incorrect about some of the advanced metrics (like footpath) which are available with one pod. I’m sorry you do not find it useful, and I would certainly not recommend Stryd to everyone, it’s too expensive and complex for most people’s needs, but it is an incredible device and service when used correctly, and much of your review suggests you are not. Perhaps Stryd needs to improve their onboarding experience. Also, you cannot compare the raw power numbers to other platforms, and your charging comments were a little petty (would you rather wear a brick on your foot so you could plug it directly into the wall?).
Thanks for commenting and thanks for keeping it positive and respectful! I really appreciate that.
I’ve clearly done something wrong here and I’m definitely getting a lot of heat for it. My aim was to share my experience and I’ve not had the best one. I’m trying to make it work and it’s not. I did try and stare at the start of the video that this was a beginner’s take on the issue but a few people have accused me of misleading everyone (which I take quite seriously). You seem very reasonable as a person - do you think I should just remove the video? I’m not after click bait here. I just wanted to share my experience.
Have you done the initial critical power tests
So it can now your hardest all out effort in the power curve fasma? If you don’t do the all out test. Is impossible to know your accurate Critical Power. Remember is a gadget of algorithms and science. If you put wrong data you will get wrong results.
Good question. I did a full out 1k and a full out 5k and a near full-out half. So not exactly the tests they require, to be fair, but I would have thought that would have given it the data it needed…
So first, these marketing teams need to be more accurate . It’s a power “estimator”. It’s extremely complicated to get a runners power output based on accelerometers and gps. Hence, all the algorithms. Anyway, I don’t want to argue on the tech which most people commenting here clearly don’t understand or if it’s set it up accurately, but if they charged you a monthly fee for a service, and they did not provide some sort of extension, then that’s a humongous red flag.
To be fair, I have spoken to them and it sounds like they won’t charge for month 2 until you activate the unit. So it does sound like they have that covered off from month 2 onwards.
I'm probably bucking the trend from some of the other users here, but I use mine mainly to pair to Zwift on the treadmill. At time of writing, you can use Zwift without subscription for running. The Stryd won't report back elevation or whatever while you're on a treadmill, so if you want a hilly workout, it's no good for that... but it's bang on the money out-of-the-box if you want to set up some workouts of your own, like 6 * 5 mins, or just do a tempo session, or progression, or whatever and use it for that.
I also train on a cycle track and it's super accurate for pace and distance when I use it there, when GPS is losing its mind (using Coros Pace 2, which also pairs it out of the box without any clumsy workarounds).
So yeah. My experience with it is positive.
I hadn’t thought of using it on zwift. I’ll give that a go tonight. I have a treadmill session which is one paced so it should give some good basis for determining if it’s accurate on that.
Thanks for your comment!
Not consistent with my experience over latest two generations of the product and five seasons. Serious case of RTFM my friend, or contact the extremely supportive FB group remain "challenged". That said the initial configuration of linking garmin, setting up the data fields and getting a base power curve does need you to read the manual. The few known topics are mostly due to Garmin's lack of flexibility.
Thanks for the comment! (What’s RTFM??)
I’m trying to get it right but I’m clearly doing something wrong. I feel like I’ve set it up properly but maybe not based on what everyone else is saying…
@@global-runner read the effing manual, especially follow the step by step instructions to link the garmin, turnoff garmin native power, and get the run power app setup. Then do the formal max efforts in a good setting
I only just got one and one of your major problems I am having with it is that it is not showing up in the green in zone/range area of garmin. I bought this purely for interval running to solve the issue of heart rate data taking too long to catch up and pacing can be effected by elevation , wind etc. unless I can figure out how to display the power data for varied intervals runs the product is useless to me😢
@@eamondennehy thanks for your comment. Did you download the Connect IQ app? Is that what is showing inconsistency? I spoke to the owner and he said that the app will give much more consistent readings.
(I have not downloaded it yet - I don’t want my watch to be governed by this one metric - but I have used it with the app on a treadmill and it seems pretty consistent…)
I dont really care about power. But one thing i like is accurate distance when i run. I run in a lot of cities so i still get gps bounce and garmin once in a while has me running out on a river next to alot of tall buildings around ny nj. With the stryd inuse it for distance instead of gps and i get all the pretty garmin maps but very accurate distance.
This is an excellent point. Thanks! I still remember running the Chicago marathon and you run straight under that tunnel and immediately your watch is out of whack! It would have been great for that. (Same with Tokyo, come to think of it…)
I have been using Stryd for 5 years and I like it but I don't love it. The live pace is better than GPS and distance is as good as all systems multi-band GPS. This means I can disable the all systems GPS on my watch (Fenix 7) and get triple the battery life from my watch. I find power is useful for running uphill or into the wind but not that useful the rest of the time.
I have gone through phases of thinking I could live without it but when I left it in a hotel safe earlier this year I only went a week before buying another one. I don't think £200 is particularly expensive for the tech included in these.
Thanks for your comment. This is a great perspective on the issue. I love your story about buying it again within a week. That’s very telling!
I agree 100% on the hill issue. When I’m doing hills I do like looking at power. But like you I’m not sure I’d find much of a use at other times. I find my Garmin does a good job at pace/distance. The footpod feels like another thing to forget to bring at the moment! :)
I’ve tested pace and distance accuracy of the Stryd with a measuring wheel, and it’s accurate in those. I would say exactly to the step. That’s almost too accurate because nobody runs that exact. Now I use it mostly for indoor running sessions because the lack of GPS. The second use case is Zwift on a treadmill.
But then the Stryd readings will change with the shoes unfortunately. It will give different readings of pace and distance when I change shoes on a treadmill for example. For 400m just 5-10m maybe but that accumulates. That is so annoying.
Thank you for your comment! I tried it out on zwift today. I did 7 miles at 6:00/mile. (About 11k at 3:43/km). It was reading 6:08/mile the whole way. So not terrible by any means. But certainly not spot-on accurate. Now it may be that my treadmill runs slow (I hope not!) but that’s just another data point I guess!
@@global-runner 🙌 That is what I experience as well: a 0.5 difference in km/h between the treadmill belt speed reading and the Stryd. Not terrible at all, and of all the options probably the most accurate. I tried different shoes. For me it’s the Novablast, which gives the most correct readings.
@ you just gave me a great excuse to buy some novablasts! ;)
@ I still buy the 3‘s for the best price. On sale everywhere and you get 500miles out of one in my experience. I just bought my fourth pair.
@ I only ever tried on a pair of the first version and they felt a little unstable for me so I didn’t buy them but I have heard a lot of people say good things about them. I want to try the Superblast 2 but they seem to be sold out everywhere!
Sorry to hear you've had such a bad experience with this! As others have said this is definitely not normal and sounds like something is not set up correctly. There are a few things I'd like to address.
Firstly can I check you've entered your height and weight into the Stryd app and sync'd it with your footpod? You won't get "correct" power without correct weight becasue Stryd calculates Watts/kg then multiplies by weight to display Watts. The fact you had different power readings on the same treadmill on two different days suggests to me you may have changed your weight setting between the two? I get absolutely rock steady power on the treadmill at a set speed which adjusts only with changes in treadmill speed. Really the whole point of Stryd is that it's incredibly consistent in its reading of pace and power. If yours is really varying at a fixed pace then something is either wrong with the pod or the power displayed on your watch isn't coming from Stryd.
By the way, you can check the weight setting for any activity you recorded (only on the app) by navigating to the activity in your calendar view, clicking ... "View details".
Next, you comment on the activity sync including pre and post run walking etc. This means you're syncing directly from the pod to the Stryd app (because the pod can't identify itself when you actually started your run). This is one option but if you want the run only, you'll need to sync from your Garmin account to Stryd account instead. Of course this will only work if your Stryd is correctly connected to your Garmin and your Garmin is recording power from the Stryd (not native Garmin power).
I think you'll be able to fix all of your issues just by using the Stryd Zones app (which will require you to input your Stryd Ant ID) and turning off Garmin native power. Then use the Stryd Zones app to record your run. You can set up whatever data screens you want on it but one screen will include the Stryd power data. You'll then need to link your Stryd account to your Garmin account and set up the sync from Garmin to Stryd.
You cannot compare Garmin power to Stryd power. They will be different (Garmin is higher) because they use different calculations to arrive at the number. Running power does reuire a model and not everyone agrees. Ultimately this doesn't matter much if you stick with one ecosystem for power and it reports consistently but you can never directly compare between two.
With respect to critical power, Styrd will not give you a sensible critical power number until you've done two all out tests at short and medium distance. If you do an all out 3min (or 1km test) and an all out 20min or 5k test, you should have a really good estimate of your critical power. Until then, it will be significantly understated because if you've done say a hard 10x1km with the Stryd it will assume your fastest 1km of those intervals is your max effort.
I've been using Stryd since their first footpod back in 2018 (and I've purchased each time they've brought out an updated version), and I've been so happy with it. These days I do not even have pace displayed on my watch - everything is done by power and I even rely on Stryd for pace and distance recording due to its accuracy. But you don't have to go all in like me!
I love this comment. Thank you so much. I’ll definitely do all of this and it does sound like I’m not maximizing what this product is designed for. I definitely take the blame for that.
I think part of the issue is that it’s a bit finicky to set up. (Again, totally my issue). But this makes it less appealing.
I’d love to get to the place you’re at so I’m going to really sit down and try and make this work. Thanks again for your help!
@@global-runner No probelm. Hope you do get it working well for you. I find it an absolutely invaluable bit of kit and almost never run without it.
@@global-runner Based on what you said in your video, I would also guess you must have some kind of issue with the set up of it in your watch.
This device is very precise and really a lot more useful than e.g. Garmin power. If this device was not good, I really doubt that Clayton Young would use it in his marathon training (he first mentioned in his training block for Paris Olympics 2024) and talk about it in his videos here on UA-cam. Even the famous Norwegian coach Olav Aleksander Bu is using it with his athletes and he even collaborates directly with the Stryd team when analyzing the data etc. So the tool itself is (in my opinion at this stage) world class and there is nothing better in the market right now for running power.
What is not great is the initial setup with the Garmin watch. I have gone through their manuals many times to be sure everything is correct when I first started using it with Garmin. I initially started using it with Apple watch where everything worked like a charm without any difficult setup and only later I started using it with Garmin. I have now been using it for more than a year and it is very, very consistent. For me personally, it has been a great training tool and helped me achieve several PBs this year.
I highly recommend you go through the manual help.stryd.com/en/articles/8594075-stryd-zones-data-fields-and-garmin-watch-setup-with-stryd-and-stryd-duo and check if you have it set up correctly.
Oh man. It's like you've walked into a religious camp and shouted "THERE'S NO GOD!" Styders love their power.
This made me laugh. :). Thank you for that!!
Yes I definitely upset a few people and that was not my intention. I’m an absolute beginner at this and trying to understand why so many people love it (which they do!). I think my mistake was saying it was a waste of money. I definitely see it as being a waste of MY money so far (and a lot of it…). Some of the comments have been amazing and super constructive so I’m focusing on those and trying to make it work for me! :)
Thanks again for your comment. It definitely made me laugh. :)
A few things worth mentioning:
1. Garmin power incorporates elastic recoil which Stryd does not. As such, Garmin power is about 30% higher than Stryd on average. Running power does not have an industry standard, unlike cycling power. As such, it's a fool's errand trying to compare running power across platforms.
2. Stryd has been tested in the lab to show strong correlation with VO₂ max testing. Garmin, Apple, and Polar power showed much weaker correlations. I can share at least 7-8 different academic peer-reviewed research papers on this very topic, if you're curious.
3. In order to get an accurate critical power, you need *max efforts* in several time domains, preferably 2-3 minutes, 9-12 minutes, and 20-40 minutes. Hard efforts are not enough. They need to be max to full exhaustion efforts. CP testing, time trials, or races will help.
4. As you discovered, Stryd is motion activated. If you wear it walking to the track, wear it for your track workout, then wear it walking back home, Stryd recorded everything locally. When you sync with the app, of course that data will be present. You can crop it out in the PowerCenter, or if you pair it with your watch and instead sync your watch's platform with Stryd, then you'll only get the track workout and not walking to/from home. EG, I pair Stryd to my Suunto watch. Suunto syncs with the mobile app. Stryd PowerCenter pulls the data from Suunto. No extraneous data.
5. Sorry it's been inconsistent with treadmills for you, but that hasn't been the case for me. It's incredibly reliable on the treadmill, even when visiting 3 different gym locations. I have an old Stryd version that I use when running on Zwift because it's more reliable than the Zwift foot pod.
6. Yeah. It's unfortunately very expensive and their sales don't really seem all that great to be honest. As a serious runner though, the expense is worth it. After all, how much do I spend on shoes, races, gear, food, etc.? I can justify this one.
7. I hate the shoe clips. Honestly hate them. There are 100 other ways to clip a pod onto your shoe and the way Stryd went with sucks. I've read horror reports of runners who lost their foot pod, because the clip on the narrow end broke and flew off the clip. In the Next Gen model, they enforced the wide end with metal, but not the narrow end that seems to be breaking. There is even an Etsy shop with a 3D printed 3rd party clip that addresses this problem. Hopefully, Stryd addresses this in future models. The proprietary charger sucks too, but then, so does the one for my watch and optical armband HRM.
Great comment. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.
The purpose of the video was to do a beginner’s review and elicit feedback on what I’m doing wrong and your comment is exactly what I was looking for. Thank you. A lot of people love the product so I’m doing something wrong clearly.
I wasn’t trying to compare Garmin numbers to Stryd numbers but I do admit that the video made it look that way. I was just trying to show that the Garmin number showed the level of difference I would expect across various distances.
In terms of the full-out efforts, this is the biggest issue for me. I did full out 1k (2:58) and a very very hard 5k (16:54) and a hard half marathon (1:17). I would have thought this would have given it the data it needed. But if those efforts still don’t do it then I’m worried that I’ll never be able to give it the data it needs to give an accurate CP. And then it becomes junk. (Deliberately dramatic I know but without the proper CP number, everything else falls apart doesn’t it?)
Also I have linked my Garmin and Stryd accounts but there seems to be an issue there based on what everyone is telling me. I have to go back into the Stryd app to upload that run which I’m being told is not normal. If I could get it so that it only measured the runs, I think a lot of the consistency issues would disappear.
Thank you for your comment. Really appreciate it.
Oh and I agree on the charger. That was a throw-away comment about all chargers generally. I have one for my HR band, one for the footpod, one for the watch etc etc. so annoying! And if you lose one…
@@global-runner Agreed. If your CP is not accurate, then the whole thing indeed falls apart. Here's a simple check: Stryd also provides your power-to-weight ratio in W/kg.This also just happens to be your critical speed in meters per second on a flat route with no wind. 94% of that value is roughly your marathon pace. As a 2:26 marathoner (assuming this is still your current fitness), your marathon pace is 4.81 m/sec. If you ran that at 94% CP, assuming a flat course with no wind, then your CP should be around 5.12 W/kg.
@ this is some serious maths! My Garmin says I’m in 2:33 shape (take that for what it’s worth!) and Stryd says I have a CP of 4.82w/kg…
@@global-runner Sounds like you have an accurate CP then! 2:33 shape is 4:59 m/sec. If that's 94% of your CP, then your CP would be 4.89 W/kg. Almost dead on the money. Or if you prefer, 94% of Stryd's CP of 4.82 W/kg is 4.53 m/sec which is 2:35 shape. I think you have a good power distribution curve and CP in place, and I'm very jealous! Haha.
Ha! The Canada Post is about as useless as the USPS, it sounds.
Sorry you had to put up with that!
Sometimes, our private services are almost as bad here in the States, ironically.
Yeah I don’t blame Stryd for the delay at all. But it was frustrating to be paying for a monthly subscription and not have the product. I’m told they don’t start the second month until you have activated it though so it sounds like it all comes out in the wash.
Canada post have since gone on strike. ;)
For any predictions and CP to be accurate, you need proper all out efforts. They are available as workouts in the library. Your CP and any race predictor times are modeled based on that data. If you don't give the model good data, the estimates won't give you good data either. Give it a chance with proper all out efforts and check back later if the predictions are accurate or not. They will be.
When you say Stryd doesn't know about your effort because it doesn't know your HR data. It does. If you have proper all out efforts. It looks at the power of your run in relation to your CP. Same for suggested workouts. It will give you challenging workouts based on your CP. If it's not accurate, the workouts will feel too hard/easy.
So again, the tldr. Feed the models with good data.
And about the treadmill discrepancies, were you using the exact same treadmill? That could have been the culprit.
Thanks for your comment. Really appreciate it. I did do full-outs efforts but it had limited impact. (I had that in my first version of the video and then edited it out - big mistake!)
I will agree with you that the customer service is lacking.
I've used stryd for about two years and it had been accurate with its predictions for my races from 5k to HM.
I use the stryd workout app and load my workouts into that, and there is no measuring of anything else other than the run power.
Also there used to be a calibration plan you needed to follow for the first two weeks to get the CP to be accurate, not sure if that's still there but it sounds like your unit isn't calibrated correctly.
The library is full of workouts so I'm a bit surprised you haven't been able find one. The training plans I think are a bit light on mileage if you are used to running 70+ miles a week though.
I'm sure stryd will point to the race predictioner that Clayton young got before NY and how that more or less was on par with his performance.
I think you picked a poor time of year for this, the wind port will get clogged running in snow and affect the readings, I can't speak for treadmill running as I'd rather bite off my toes than run in a treadmill 😀
Ha ha! Great comment. Thank you!! I agree with all your comments - especially about picking the wrong time of year. (Although to be fair I had planned on getting it weeks earlier and Canada Post had other ideas so I didn’t get as many outside runs as I wanted).
I did do some full-out efforts including a 1k and a 5k but it didn’t change the number much at all.
Fair point on the workouts. There are a lot. But they are all based on the wrong CP for me so they are too easy. I ended up bailing on the one I tried.
I do want to make it work and lots of people are saying this is user error so I’m hoping I can get some guidance! :)
Thanks for commenting and doing so in a positive manner! Really appreciate it.
(Finally, I hear ya on the treadmill. But sometimes there’s no other option!). :)
You may be a fast runner but you know nothing about Stryd, period.
To be fair, I said exactly that right at the very start of the video.
I used for 3 years, I thought it was accurate in pace and distance , but , actually is not, most dual band gps watches are more accurate,
Thanks for sharing this perspective. I do agree that my watch seems to be perfectly adequate in terms of pace/distance and I’m not finding value for money in the Stryd at the moment. But I’ll keep insisting on it for the next few months!
@ marathon is a game of speed, you can’t rely on the numbers of power
@ I would 100% agree with that. We’re all going for a time goal at the end of the day so the only thing that truly matters is pace.
I would like to make a comment on the topic of running power in general: the term itself is if we assume that running economy means that you should use as little energy as possible for the same performance. Example: reaching the finish line just as quickly with less wattage means economizing in the race and therefore a higher running power value would be worse 💡 🔔
This is an excellent point and I definitely hadn’t thought of it that way. It reminds me of the female British marathon runner in the 90s (her name escapes me at the moment) who used to run on the treadmill at a set pace and would tinker with her running form to try and lower her heart rate (eg lower her arms etc).
Great review, thanks! I was thinking try it too, but now better will buy a few pairs of shoes instead.
It definitely may be me. But I feel like I’ve given it a proper go and it’s not helping me at all.
It's a shame because this is just a ridiculously bad review. Not because I own a Stryd and absolutely love it but it's just not an honest proper review that gives his audience a realistic view of what this device can do for them.
@@jordi8189 I’m sorry you did not see any value in my review. I was sharing my personal experience based on how I have found the footpod to be over the first month of using it. I am sure I am not using it to its full potential based on the comments I have received (and to be fair, I asked for those comments in the video) but I’m not TRYING to waste my money. I’m genuinely trying to make it work. And for me, it just isn’t. Others have replied saying they had the same experience so it definitely isn’t just me. Maybe the learning curve is just too steep for me? Or maybe it needs to be made easier from the outset?
I’m glad it worked out for you though and I appreciate your viewpoint.
Great review. I'm not into running power at all. I don't think any system is right. When I bike, I find that super accurate when you have a crank or peddles with a meter. I just can't see how a watch or footpod can read this information? Atleast I can see how a bike meter works and understand it.
Thank you! I agree 100% on the bike and I love the zwift sessions which put you at the right FTP based on previous sessions. Those are great. But the Stryd isn’t doing it for me. I feel like heart rate is a much better gauge than power when running.
That said, a lot of people disagree with me so I’m trying to find out what I’m doing wrong…!
This simplest (but not entirely accurate) way to think about what it's doing is rescaling grade adjusted pace into a value that reflects the watt value from metabolic tests.
@ ha ha! I don’t think I’m intelligent enough to get close to understanding that! :)
If you make a review at least read the manual. Definitely a click bait title.
I’m sorry you think that. I was trying to share my personal views as a beginner at this aspect of training.
Thanks for helping me avoid wasting money and time on this. It's a big NO.
A lot of people seem to love it. But I’m really trying to make mine work for me and I’m clearly missing something.
@@global-runnerjust like any power meter, you need maximal efforts to calibrate the power curve. This is true in cycling as well.
Thanks for your comment! One of the biggest mistakes I made in this video was editing out the part where I spoke about the data I had put it into. I did do several max efforts including a 1k and a 5k. I’ve learnt my lesson - I’ll keep that stuff in the video in future! :)
You've just saved me a chunk of money :)
It’s A LOT of money. Keep checking the comments. Maybe someone will explain to me that I’m doing it all wrong. But at the moment I’d stick with the power meter in my garmin watch if I were to do it again…
I had the exact same experience. I ended up selling it on.
Thanks for letting me know. At least it’s not just me!