By John Macgowan
The FreeMotion S11.9 - Keiser M3 and Schwinn AC Performance Indoor Cycles all require calibration at some point. Ensuring that all of the bikes in your studio are calibrated to factory specs will keep them reading consistently from bike to bike and your participants happy 🙂
Regardless of what you may have been told, my suggestion for a Best Practice is to spend the time to go through all of your cycles monthly. None of these procedures take more than a minute of so to complete after you've done a few.
I felt it would be helpful to have links to all the Indoor Cycle calibration procedures in one place, so here they are:
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FreeMotion S11 series console calibration: including the S11.9 and S11.0 (home version)
Calibration may not be the correct word to use here as FreeMotion prefers to describe their procedure as Zero Reset - bringing the power meter back to the factory settings after replacing the batteries, making a repair or when something just doesn't seem right.
Download the Zero Reset procedures here.
Here is a video that shows you the Zero Reset procedure.
Download the FreeMotion Console User's Guide
Purchase a FreeMotion S11.0 with power meter at amazon.com
Keiser M3 calibration:
Keiser's console requires calibration between the gear selection lever and the magnet assembly to accurately display in what gear you are riding.
Terry at PowerBikeTrain.com has an easy to follow explanation here.
Watch a video of the new calibration procedure.
Download the M3 manual here. and M3 calibration here.
Dennis Keiser discusses the reasons for M3 calibration in this interview.
Order a new Keiser M3 with Power meter from amazon.com
Schwinn AC Performance calibration:
Schwinn uses what they call "Tilt Calibration" to teach the cycle where the magnet is positioned = it will give you a proper readout of power and distance.
Watch a video on performing a tilt calibration of the MPower Console
Download the MPower Console Manual - Old Version 1
Download the new MPower Console Version 2 paring procedure.
Read reviews of the Schwinn AC Performance.
I'll be updating this post as new information becomes available.
[/wlm_ismember]
Originally posted 2012-12-04 11:22:29.
John is a member on the AFS (Association of Fitness Studios) Advisory Council.
Holding certifications from; Schwinn, Heart Zones, Team ICG and Life Time Fitness, John's held regularly scheduled cycling classes between 1998 and 2015 when he moved to Florida.
When the weather permits, you'll find him riding and leading outdoor groups by himself or with his Tandem partner (wife) Amy.
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This may or may not be related to calibration, but the chain I work for is slowly bringing in the Keiser M3’s. The second location to receive them did so a year after the first. The difference in the readouts is significant. For example, placing the first set of bikes in gear 12, at 80 rpm’s, results in a wattage reading of 180. The same settings at the second location result in a reading of 105 watts. Obviously, this also results in a lower calorie count, and these two differences drive the members crazy. They want to know which one is correct, and are less than amused when my answer is “Whether you realize it or not, you don’t care.” We have two more locations that have since received the new bikes, but I haven’t had a chance to visit them to make a comparison.
*I* care, because I can’t work with them on establishing a FTP, given many of them frequent more than one location.
Not surprisingly, they have all convinced themselves that there is something wrong with the bikes that read lower…
Jennifer calibration on the Keiser M3 is designed to address that exact problem. The console estimates Power based on gear position (which references the amount of resistance the magnets create at the different positions on the flywheel) and cadence.
What you “calibrate” the M3 your are ensuring that the magnets are actually in the position they should be at a given level #. My experience is that when this is done regularly (say monthly) there is very little bike to bike variance.
I’m not sure if it’s just that people are busy or just lazy, but the reality is that all indoor cycles with measurement (even if it’s just cadence) need regularly scheduled maintenance, period.
The thing is, those readings are on every bike in the room, at both locations. I rode several to check. The same person maintains the bikes at all of our locations, and he is also the one who puts them together when they come in. He has to know that the computers in one gym are reading significantly higher than at another.
Argh! I know my inquiries will get me nowhere, so I suffer in silence. 😉 Such is the case with a chain gym.
Jennifer I asked Keiser about your problem and this was their response.
John+
First we changed our displays and software June of 2011. The new displays will have a clear window on the top and these displays also have a back lit capability.
With technology some things have changed on the new display, mostly the amount of energy required to operate the display as well as the amount of information that can be processed. The newer displays are more accurate than the original display not using the back lit display.
If the customer has all bikes at all locations with back lit display, some after June 2011 and then others after September 2012 then there are also some software changes after September. I would have Jennifer call our service department 800.888.7009 and ask how to re-program the bikes they received between June and September. If all the bikes are in the same period then they should all display the same numbers if all of them are calibrated properly.
I am not sure what chain or where to look up any orders shipped. If she calls service with one serial number from each club they can help her. The only caveat to that is the older bikes prior to 2011. The only way to make them all the same is to have them upgrade to new back lit displays.
Technology is great but like phones and computers it gets better with time but often faster than the life of the product.
Darrin Pelkey
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