SRM battery query

Triathlon Forum
1

I have a pair of Dura-ace SRMs. Two and a half years old and done only 15000km.(Not much I know but one of those years was written off due to an incident with a bus).
I was out for a 5:30 ride on Saturday and after 4:30 the PCV started should the power drifing down to zero and then staying there for a second or two and then going back up to what it should have been. This happedned once every 10-15 minutes or so for a while but by the end there was pretty much no cadence or power numbers.

First thought was - crank battery.
Second thought was the BB sensor - The sensor didn’t properly fit on my P2c so I had to glue two pieces of plastic to it to get it reading correctly. One of these had fallen off so the sensor was free to bounce around and could move further from, and closer to, the white disc than desired.

I glued more plastic on the sensor and went for a three hour ride yesterday. I didn’t observe the same problem on the PCV. Unfortunately I don’t know how to determine from a check of the srm files if this occurred again or if all was good.

So I suppose my questions are:

  • What are the symptoms of an SRM battery failing?
  • How likely is it that a wired dura-ace battery would die after only 15000km
  • Can I determine from a file if this problem occurred again? I can’t tell the difference between coasting or the problem.
    And finally:
    *Does it sound like my battery is knackered?
    Ideally I would send it back to be checked out but I am doing an IM in less than four weeks and need a PM for the taper. I need one for the race as well and I believe the turnaround for servicing in the UK is two weeks so I either send it now and have it for the race but not the taper, or take a chance on it being the sensor and not the battery and wait until after the IM to send it back?
2

Cannot remember where I read this, but, I believe I read that the SRM battery life is 2-3 years. I had mine for about 2.5 years when my battery crapped out a couple months ago. I had surgery for compartment syndrome in both legs on June 24, 2009, so, I missed all last season. As a result, I did not ride as much as normal. Despite that fact, my battery still crapped out at about the 2.5 year mark.

I started losing the signal (I have the wireless version with PCVI) and getting “off” results. Finally, the PCVI stopped recognizing the SRM. I sent it back through my lbs. I think it was about 2 weeks from shipping to receiving back, but, that was in the U.S. According to SRM, that was the issue – dead battery. I have a new battery and it is calibrated. Works great.

If you are that dependant on the power readings, you should probably get in and have it checked.

3

I had the exact same issue with my Wired SRM about a month ago. It was also at about 2.5 years old, I’m not sure of the distance on it. I sent it back to SRM for a battery change and that resolved the issue. In conversations with them they recommend a battery replacement every two years, so it sounds like you, as I was, are due for one. The process took about a week end to end with 2 day shipping. Hope that helps.

-Steve