A pain in the ass to use while riding
The Powerhouse app is a pain in the ass to use. Part of the problem is that it requires navigation through several screens just to pair the PowerPod, and each screen can only be accessed by app buttons in the CORNERS of the screen. Most lightweight phone straps for bike use secure the phone in the corners, so the straps have to be pushed out of the way and then reset each time. (Pairing before putting the phone on the bike is too risky, because in setting the straps you risk turning off the screen, and then having to start over again.) Whoever designed the app did not take into account how most people use phones on a bike. A rigid phone cradle/clamp is a weight penalty I’m not willing to make. If you take break for more than five minutes, the app disconnects from the PowerPod, and you have to end the ride, re-pair as described above, and start a new ride. There is no way to re-pair a disconnected PowerPod in the middle of the ride. And if you accidentally hit the DONE button on the lower lefthand corner, your ride ends immediately. There is no screen asking you if you really want to end the ride. The Powerhouse app does not display elapsed time in a useable way. First, it is in tiny type that no one under 45 can read without reading glasses, and certainly not while riding. Second, it is in the upper right corner of the screen - under a rubber strap that holds my phone to the bike. Third, it only displays total elapsed time, not time on the bike. I would pay for an app that put actual riding time on the display where I could see it. The Powerhouse app does not display heart rate. I know about the arguments that real racers do not need to see it. But, I’m over 65 and I want it.
