Changes

Stryd provides an array of different metrics, which vary both in accuracy and usefulness.

* '''Pace and Distance'''. My testing has shown that the Stryd is stunningly accurate in its measurement of distance. It's the only [[Footpod]] that is accurate enough that it doesn't require calibration, something that greatly improves its usability. If you look at [[GPS Accuracy| my testing of distance accuracy]] you'll see that the Stryd is right at the top of the chart, and is far more accurate than any GPS device I've tested. This accuracy is also reflected in its measurement of current running pace. I think that this feature alone makes the Stryd good value for money. (Stryd doesn't use or provide GPS data, it uses accelerometers. Depending on the watch, the data from Stryd can be combined with the Watch's GPS data so that Stryd gives distance and pace, and the watch's GPS can be used for navigation.)

* '''Running Power'''. As I talk about in my page on [[Running Power Meters]], I believe that they are a flawed concept, but if you understand the limitations they can still be useful. So, Stryd it does not actually measure running power, but attempts to estimate what the power would be based on the things it can measure. My assumption is that it is mostly using pace and elevation change, possibly along with [[Cadence]] or Ground Contact Time. As discussed in the section below on the testing running power, I have found that the Stryd seems to give a reasonable estimate of relative intensity for flat and uphill running, but seems to underestimate relative intensity on the downhill sections. I've found that with some testing to understand the limitations, I've been able to use Stryd to more effectively pace myself on hilly runs. My approach is to keep my Stryd power estimate constant between level ground and uphill sections, which means I'm much slower going uphill. If Stryd gave a better power estimate downhill I could use it for downhill pacing, and hopefully they'll improve their estimate soon.

* '''Form Power.''' Stryd describing this metric as the "running in place power", but it's unclear what that really means more if it has any value. They suggest that a decrease in this value represents improved [[Running Economy]], but there is nothing to back that up.

** Occasionally I'll find the watch won't detect the Stryd at the start of the run. In those situations, I have to go into settings, sensors, Stryd, and select "connect", which time the watch connects fine and the connection persists when I go back to start the activity.

** Note there are credible reports that the Fenix 5 and 5S (but not the 5X) have Ant+ connectivity issues. I'd recommend connecting them as Bluetooth Footpods, which means you will not get the Connect IQ support.

** Remember this is using Bluetooth, so if you have a problem it might be because the Stryd is still linked to your phone.

* [[Garmin 920XT]], [[Garmin Vivoactive]], [[Garmin Vivoactive HR]], [[Garmin 235]]

** Pair as a normal footpod.

** Set the "Foot Pod Speed" to "Always On". I expected this to just provided pace from Stryd, but it actually does distance as well. The GPS track is recorded normally and navigation functions are enabled.

** You have to choose between cadence and power display. (Power-in-cadence requires the iOS Stryd app and this feature may be removed in the future.)

** Pair as a normal footpod (don't pair as a bike power pod if you're using a higher end Ambit).

** You have to ensure that the sports mode you're using is set to use a footpod. If you don't see the Ambit3 search for a footpod when you start the exercise, you need to change the configuration on the Suunto web site. (I've tested the Ambit3 Run/Ambit2 R versions.)

** The Ambit3 & Ambit2 both do quite a bit of smoothing of pace information, so it's not quite as quick to respond as other some other watches.

** With the higher end Ambit 2/3 (above "Run" models) you can use the Stryd in bike mode and get the power estimate that way. However, I strongly believe that accurate pace and distance is vastly more useful than an estimate of power, so even the higher end watches should be used in run mode with power in cadence.

* [[Suunto Spartan Ultra]]

** The pairing of Stryd to the SSU is tricky. It seems that if you pair as a footpod, then pair as a power pod you can get power in outdoor mode (but not distance/pace) and distance/pace in indoor/treadmill mode. If you just pair as a footpod, you can get pace/distance information with GPS enabled.

* [[Polar V800]]. Stryd only pairs as a bike power pod, not a footpod, so you can't get it to work in running modes. You can get power from Stryd, but only in cycling modes. Even in indoor cycling mode there's no pace data from Stryd. (There's [https://twitter.com/PolarGlobal/status/846714305429032960 a tweet from the Polar Global] Twitter account on March 28^th saying "Good news to share: STRYD support is coming to V800 but I'm afraid we can't share any timeline yet" in reply to a question on Stryd support in running mode.)

* [[Leikr]]. I could not get the Stryd to work with the Leikr.

==Bluetooth or Ant+==

Stryd supports both Bluetooth and Ant+, and both work well. Bluetooth has the limitation that you can only have one receiver talking to Stryd at a time, so you can't have it linked to two different watches simultaneously, or to a watch and your smart phone at the same time. (I have had occasions where the Stryd has stayed linked to my smart phone, so I've had to turn off Bluetooth on my phone to allow Stryd to link to a watch.) With Ant+ you can have as many watches linked simultaneously, and it's possible to have Stryd linked to both one Bluetooth watch and several Ant+ watches at the same time. If you're using Garmin [[Connect IQ]], you can have Stryd work as both a standard Footpod and connected via the Connect IQ data field.