News

New STRYD Footpod v4 – It’s power time

I had to change my lycra when I first heard about the new STRYD a couple of days ago. Very, very exciting stuff – almost too exciting. At least it was for me.

Info sources: stryd.com

Heads Up: I’ve not got the new STRYD yet, this post is based on information mostly provided following a few conversations with STRYD. I will probably update my STRYD Review (STRYD Bible) in august with the new changes and I hope to get the new STRYD soon.

Overview

Superficially, the new STRYD looks unchanged, however, there are significant improvements to both the hardware and to the features and capabilities of the device. There is new stuff in the new STRYD NOW but the new STRYD also represents a better platform upon which even more developments will come over the next couple of years.

TakeOut: Increased accuracy due to accounting for wind + laying the foundations for future improvement

What’s new

  • WIND – the power cost of headwinds or tailwinds is reported. This also includes scenarios like drafting, gusty winds and the effect of a fan when on a treadmill.
    • Note Garmin Running Power’s calculation for WIND works from a weather forecast. STRYD measures it live.
  • New hardware – the new STRYD looks the same but the internal components, the cradle and the pod itself have all be changed to better measure wind.
  • Internal storage increased by a factor of 64 – future developments will allow more data to be cached both in terms of the number of training hours as well as the detail of what is stored (yes I have asked what that means and no I can’t elaborate!)
  • Temperature & humidity sensors – future developments will leverage these and this is likely to be linked to a more accurate measurement of wind resistance.
  • Magnetometer added – this will be enabled in the future and should give accuracy improvements as well as the capability to do other stuff (yes I have asked and got no comment, guesses below please)
  • New LED – it is brighter and will incorporate new blinking patterns to explain its behaviour
  • Improved clip – easier to use and more secure

FAQ:

  • Q: How is wind power accounted for? A: Specifically, air resistance is detected and it is accounted for separately on a stride-by-stride basis and then added on to your ‘normal’ power output. It could be negative with a tailwind.
  • Q: How does wear position & usage affect wind measurement? A: A normal wear position on the laces is all that is needed and your gait is not a factor which should affect measurement.
  • Q: What about the STRYD battery life? It’s essentially unchanged. Better battery but new hardware which needs more juice..
  • Q: Is the wind from a fan measured? Officially “Yes”. A: A house fan will create a minuscule resistance and it depends where, and how evenly, the fan is pointing. eg if it’s not pointing at the sensor air resistance won’t be detected.
  • Q: Where’s the new app? A: Nothing will change initially with the apps. All will work as before. Obviously, new features will continue to be added and some of those will be linked to wind resistance and other things mentioned here.
  • Q: Will my power readings change? A: YES. They will be more accurate. Even in still air conditions, the readings will change as the new STRYD will still be measuring the minimal effect of moving through the air. I’m guessing that in average conditions the change will be minimal.
  • Q: Will I have to change my manual calibration factors? A: Probably, although for most people auto calibration will be fine.
  • Q: Will device compatibility change? A: Officially no it won’t. However, the new STRYD has a more powerful antenna so that might address Garmin’s problems with the Fenix 5 and Fenix 5S (non-plus models only)
  • Q: What are the clipping changes to the cradle? A: They are subtle but essentially it’s easier to get out/in and more secure once in.
  • Q: Will the air intake hole need to be kept clear? A: Yes, I would have thought so, unless you run through ankle-deep mud I reckon you’ll be fine in normal use.
  • Q: Drafting really?  For running? A: A White Paper is going to follow on this subject….so, YES. For running Remember the sub2 marathon attempt behind the car?
  • Q: When? A: Late July
  • Q: How Much? A: The prices are changing to give a “simple” price to your door covering all shipment and import costs which gives these: US pricing is $219 USD ($209 for overseas buyers exclusive of shipping). UK pricing is 199 Pound (NewRunningGear are restocking as I write). EU pricing is 229 Euros. The TOTAL AMOUNT is, effectively, UNCHANGED but now there are no nasty surprises for taxes/shipping. (I’ve edited this bit a few times. Yes it’s confusing, not simple)
  • Q: Is there an exiting user discount? A: You should all get a $20 discount code that’s valid for one month.

OPINION: If it all works then what’s not to like about more accuracy and generally ‘better all round‘? It’s probably worth the upgrade if you are really into running power.

There are a few more details on the STRYD website. Or ask below and I can add and clarify things.

Source: stryd.com

The new STRYD pod can now be from STRYD or from New Running Gear for delivery in late July. Existing orders can be converted to the new STRYD and should have already received an email to that effect.

stryd-discount-live-promotion-rebate-coupon
UK/EU Sales From New Running Gear

 

 

Reader-Powered Content

This content is not sponsored. It’s mostly me behind the labour of love which is this site and I appreciate everyone who follows, subscribes or Buys Me A Coffee ❤️ Alternatively please buy the reviewed product from my partners. Thank you! FTC: Affiliate Disclosure: Links pay commission. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

39 thoughts on “New STRYD Footpod v4 – It’s power time”

  1. Cool! Any details on the upgrade program for existing customers? Depending on when you purchased the older model (I don´t know the cut-off here) you can get a better “loyalty”-price.

    3. Got nothing. Just an E-Mail that I can now purchase the new Stryd. I think mine is about two years old. I guess I will wait for black friday then.

  2. I’d be questioning the accuracy of a device that’s trying to measure wind speed from inches off the ground and is in constant motion. Of course, that pales in comparison to the supposed “accuracy” of any type of running power meter to begin with, given even your prior results showed each of the systems were all of the the place. Meanwhile, cycling power meters tend to be within a few percentage points of each other, regardless of situation.

    1. if you look at a PM over a second or two and unsmoothed on a bike pm i think you’ll find it’s all over the place. smoothing does what you say
      when stryd is smoothed over 3 seconds, imho, it is a good proxy for effort.
      stryd’s white papers show correlation to energy expenditure IIRC

    1. I’m kind of fine with it. The Qi pad mine came with was a bit of a pain to work with. I couldn’t just lay the pod on it insomuch as find the right place in the center that would set it off. Not to mention how any movement would stop the charging altogether. I ended up using a different (bigger) Qi pad I had to charge it.

    2. where are you seeing this? no mention anywhere that i can find. if no wireless, how does it charge and still maintain the waterproof rating?

      2. I’ve a v3 which also has the exposed contacts, but wireless charging works too.

      3. ^this. current version accepts cradle charging as well with exposed contacts, but also has wireless charging. again, i’ve poured over the available material and don’t see a mention that it was removed

  5. I got the email. Stryd gave me a $20 off for being an existing customer. Pre-order is complete. I honestly can’t live without that thing, and the fact they are in real time track temp means I can toss my Garmin Tempe in the bin.

    Well, maybe I’ll use it for bike rides…

  6. Magnetometer: heading? Heading could possibly improve dead reckoning accuracy for more precise distance maybe.

      3. Essentially you might be able to draw a map of the route too, you just don’t know where in the world it was…but still a nice to have.

  7. I guess Stryd will be able to demonstrate that wind resistance measured at the shoe correlates to the overall wind resistance acting on the runner? You might have thought that the air movement at foot level could be very different to the air movement felt on the torso.

  8. rip garmin potential new footpod,the only advantage Garmin could consider is only the price point

  9. I’m plateauing pretty hard lately and I’m looking at ways to improve my marathon training increasing efficiency over milage or time dedicated. I have a Garmin 630 and I was thinking to upgrade to a 645 or 245, but I wonder if the stryd training plans could be what I need to get out of this limbo. I enjoy training with the Garmin HR zone training plan (marathon L2) cause it’s all very simple and structured, but I must say that the data that I get from the running dynamics is quite useless cause it’s not giving me action points on how to improve my efficiency or modify the training in any way. To the existing stryd users, do you think stryd could help me?
    Thank you!

    1. Marathon plans mostly ‘just work’ and are generally well proven (well, the good ones are)
      STRYD would help you on undulating ground.
      I don’t know how well trained you are. However it’s likely that your form is going to suffer the longer you run for. STRYD introduces FORM power as a measure which looks at the power you are wasting to maintain your form.
      GCT – get it lower
      cadence – get it to about 180
      VO – get it lower
      How? get more flexible. get stronger. run faster in training. get the right kit. do plyometrics.

    1. STRYD v1 – A clip-on pod for the waist (no longer sold)
      STRYD v2 – Chest strap, also called ‘Pioneer’ (no longer sold)
      STRYD v3 – The third iteration, footpod, iteration had 3 variants, all effectively the same except…

      STRYD Summit – power model, no charging cradle, QI-compatible wireless charger (no longer sold)
      STRYD Live – non-power but upgradeable with charging cradle (no longer sold)
      STRYD Everest – power model with charging cradle, QI compatible from Q3.2018

      maybe it’s either v4 or v3.4

  11. Honestly, I’d much rather see (1) incline detection on treadmill for hard controlled workouts, and (2) better surface detection. Right now, I cannot see Stryd giving a damn about how hard I push in mud, deep grass, snow. It seems only to generally distinguish between road runs and trail runs.

  12. Quick question, does a watch without a barometer take Stryd or GPS for incline/decline?

      1. Actually I mean meters climbed/descended, which influences Running index / VO2max (I think).

        If this works I could think about buying a Vantage M or FR245.

      2. metres climbed/descended could be worked out from a 3d-gps fix without the need for a baraometer. so it IS possible to do that. i jsut don’t know of the top of my head who would do that – again,suuto would be a good bet, there are probably a few who do this – tho there will almost certianly be a garmin ciq field somewhere ;-0

        **it will be potentially inaccurate tho.**

        if you are following a course then it’s possible some devices could get ascent/descent from the course file (which itself can contain CORRECT elevations)

        i’ve just checked FLOW with the Vantage M and it seems to support what you want…see image below

        thank you for any support – this should be a german site: http://geni.us/PolarVantage

        https://the5krunner.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Capture-25.png

  13. Do you think it’s worth upgrade from v3 to v4? I might be able to get it for cheap, but I am not sure. I am kinda happy with v3.

Comments are closed.

wp_footer()