Find My friends bike: offering some peace of mind, 4iiii has teamed up with Apple to create the world's first power meter featuring Apple's Find My technology. 4iiii is also launching a free Apple Watch app, which includes power meter connectivity, giving you another way to track and analyse your performance.
"Find My", previously "Find My iPhone", is familiar to many of us, provided by Apple to allow users to locate their Apple devices and friends who have shared their location.
You can now check up on your power meters (and therefore bike) thanks to 4iiii's new Precision 3+ power meter which has Apple's Find My technology directly built-in.
The Find My technology is present throughout 4iiii's Precision+ power meter platform too.
> Check out the best power meters — maximise your training with the essential data
"We wanted to do more than just release another power meter," says Phil White, President and CEO of 4iiii.
"With the addition of Find My integration and seamless use with Apple devices through our app, the Precision+ platform really shows where we can go with this technology as bikes (and their users) get smarter and more connected.“
Precision 3+ power meter
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The Precision 3+ power meter is said to be 4iiii's "most powerful unit to date", in a smaller and lighter package featuring Apple's Find My.
Many of us want to train with power but for amateur riders fitting power meters can seem like a lot of work and hassle. Historically speaking, you have had to replace your chainset with something specifically made for the job.
4iiii offers a variety of Shimano left-sided cranks with a 4iiii power meter pre-installed and ready to ride, but they also offer a factory install option whereby you can send your crank off and they'll fit a 4iiii power meter onto it.
All you have to do is take a photo to confirm there’s enough clearance between your crank arm and the frame to allow a 4iiii pod to fit. Place an order with 4iiii online, receive your posting details, remove the relevant crank(s) from your bike and send it all off.
> How to get the most from your limited training time
Other features of Precision+ are real-time terrain auto-optimising which is said to detect the terrain you're riding on for more responsive cadence and power
data which, 4iiii says, "guarantees performance and unwavering accuracy across any riding surface".
It has a claimed accuracy of +/- 1%, using three strain gauges to measure all forces in a pedal stroke, and a claimed battery life of up to 800 hours - the same as the previous 4iiii Precision 3 power meter.
It is said to add a weight of just 9g to the existing crank arm.
4iiii 'Ride' Apple Watch app
> Power meter connectivity is coming to the Apple Watch — can it kill off the dedicated bike computer?
The big OS10 software update for Apple Watch saw new cycling features added such as power meter connectivity, and 4iiii has made the most of this update by launching their 'Ride' Apple Watch app which you can download for free.
It's designed as a convenient way for cyclists to track and analyse rides and you can view live stats such as speed, power and distance on your Apple Watch.
> Is a smartphone better than a cycling computer? Find out if a mobile really is all you need on the bike
You can connect to most power meters and heart rate sensors, not just from 4iiii, via Bluetooth and turn your iPhone into a comprehensive head unit on your bike handlebar with all the data you'd get from a dedicated GPS computer.
“By adding our app into the Apple Watch environment, our riders can integrate with the tech they’re already wearing to have a convenient way to view, track and analyse their rides," says Eric Gerstenbuhler, Director of Global Operations, Sales, and Marketing for 4iiii.
www.4iiii.com
Would this power meter give you some peace of mind, and will the new app tempt you to ditch your bike computer? Let us know in the comments section below...
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13 comments
...or you could buy an AirTag and attach it under your saddle (or elsewhere) using the various available options perhaps?
Tell me that you havent read all the comments without telling me you havent read all the comments. 🤦♂️
Not trying to be argumentative but yes I have. I see various comments but don't see why you show such disdain at my comment. If you want to track your bike with 'Follow my", then you can use an AirTag. Perhaps I am missing something.
The AirTag itself is flawed due to the anti-stalking measures implemented by Apple, for example, it will start beeping and popping up on nearby phones saying they are being followed by an AirTag. Apple's main functionality for the AirTag is to find and have returned lost items, not track people without their knowledge. The discussion here was around whether this 3rd party integration with Find My would be able to use the Find My network without notifying the bike thief that the 4iiii power meter in the bike they've just stolen is following them and the owner knows where they are.
Unfortunately it seems this will have exactly the same limitations. The only difference being that if they steal the bike and ride it off it won't track them until its been stationary for 5 mins (I think).
For me that somewhat kills the point of it. Its not much use if the thief gets a notification that an air tag is following them once they get the bike home. Chances are, they will search for the air tag and if they can't find it they will dump the bike. If you're really lucky they will trash it to spite you before they do so.
Nice idea but Apples limitations on it gimp it.
I understand that for SEO reasons you have to link to your own site but why do you not offer a proper link to the 4iiii product page itself? This does not only apply to this review here but to nearly any at road.cc. Is there something evil about linking to products you review?
Not the specific product page, but there is a link to the manufacturer's home page underneath the last image.
They've had a form of tracking for ages now, previously via the Chipolo network. The problem is that the reach & coverage is sparse compared to Apple Find My ecosystem. It's a real shame that it won't be possible to update the Precision & Precison Pro power meters, but hey that's progress I suppose.
This could be a cracking idea. It should realistically not ping up on random peoples iphones as this has to entirely be about anti theft. As Secret_squirrel says, you aren't going to be slipping an expensive crank into someone bag to track them.
A tracking system on your power meter linking to your phone.
Won't that lead to crank calls?
A simple but effective bit of innovation in a segment that has been relatively quiet recently.
I am looking forward to this feature becoming a universal value-add to many components and electronics.
Indeed. Why cant Sram and Shimano do this on the next di2/AXS refresh? Instantly make high end bikes a tiny bit less nickable, especially if its embeddeded in something critical like the rear mech.
AFAIK its just a slightly different bluetooth/wireless chip spec that supports the UWB spec. If 4iii can do it on a $100 to manufacture power meter they could do it on their stuff with very little BOM change.
This could be interesting - especially if the find my app DOESNT say 4iii on it and can keep the tea leaf guessing. Bonus points if it doesnt beep when following you like an AirTag does as there is less justification to do so, since tracking your missus by slipping a crank into her handbag wont catch on....