Cadence sensor + Speed sensor?

[tnsettlemo]

I just purchased and received the Crosscurrent S2 from Juiced Bikes. It was on sale and really seemed like a good deal. I wanted the torque sensor for more bicycle realism. After a while I might buy another bike but want a fat tire bike. I really like the Juiced Ripcurrent but am looking at others. The new Aventon Adventure looks good and is quite a bit cheaper but doesn't have a torque sensor. However, instead of just the cadence sensor like all their other bikes have, it also has a speed sensor. Now surely this isn't the regular sensor that measures the bike's speed because all the bikes have this. So what is it? After a little research I have learned that a cadence sensor doesn't measure a bikes cadence, just that you are pedaling or not pedaling. So is the speed sensor a true cadence sensor? If so, is it much more realistic than just a cadence sensor- in Aventon's case?

 

[AHicks]

A speed sensor is just that. Here, it's just an advertising gimmick. ALL bikes, that are equipped with a speedometer, have a speed sensor. That's the only way a speedo will work....

 

[tnsettlemo]

That's what I was afraid of.

 

[tnsettlemo]

Do the better cadence sensors, the ones with more magnets or with high definition or whatever, do they measure the speed that you are pedaling?

 

[AHicks]

Nope. The reason for more magnets is better resolution. The crank doesn't need to turn as far for the sensor to pick up movement. What this does from a practical standpoint, is when you are starting out for instance, the controller may be set to look for 3 pulses (magnets passing the sensor) prior to turning on the power. If you have a 6 magnet disk on your PAS sensor, that's about 1/2 of a turn of the crank. If this same setup had 12 magnets in the disc, the crank would only have to turn 1/4 of a revolution, so much better at getting you your power quickly.

That can be taken too far though. Some controllers allow you to specify how many magnets need to pass the sensor prior to power. If that's been set to 1 magnet/pulse, it's very possible to get a false start by just bumping the crank (depending on how close the nearest magnet is, and how many magnets are on the disk)!

The only people that really care about good resolution are those maneuvering in tight quarters - maybe trail riding for instance... -Al