I’ve been thinking about it and I just don’t see how the software can determine if the power is coming from one foot ot the other. Yes, the unit can tell how much power is being delivered to the wheel at any given instant, it can also approximate where in the pedal stroke you are with the cadence sensor…but how can it possibly tell if the power it is sensing is coming from the downstroke of one foot or the upstroke of another?
Maybe I’m missing something.
I think there is a way to tell the computrainer where the cadence pickup is. I believe the default is on the left rear chainstay, as that is where the manual tells you to mount it.
I can imagine a system where it detected lateral load on the roller so as to determine if you were pushing with the left or right foot, but I don’t think this is what it does.
I think it is largely algorithmic in its determination. If you look at pedal power application graphs, really NO rider is able to apply an upward force on the pedals while riding, since the downward pushing foot is always going to push faster than the other foot can pull up. So I think it based around that. For instance, if you do SLD on the Computrainer, it shows up as like 80% (or so) of the power coming from the single leg.
The number is relative to itself. But I’m not totally sold that a higher spinscan # necessarily means a more efficient pedal stroke in terms of biomechanical efficiency.