Combined Shape Bike IQ

Bike Profiles

Bike IQ supports multiple bike profiles, each with its own physics configuration and sensor assignments. Setting up your bikes correctly is the foundation for accurate power estimates, gear tracking, and speed calibration.

Why Bike Profiles Matter

The virtual power meter uses bike-specific parameters to estimate your watts. A carbon road bike at 7 kg with drop handlebars has different aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance than a steel gravel bike at 10 kg with flat bars. Without the correct profile selected, power estimates will be based on the wrong bike's characteristics.

Beyond power accuracy, each bike profile remembers its own Bluetooth sensor assignments. Your road bike can use one power meter while your gravel bike uses a different one, and Bike IQ connects to the right sensors automatically when you select a bike.

Creating a Bike

Go to Bikes → Add Bike. You will configure the following:

  • Name: a label you will recognize, such as "Canyon Aeroad" or "Gravel Rig"
  • Category: Road, Gravel, Mountain, or another type. This sets initial defaults for the physics model.
  • Bike weight: the weight of the bike itself in kilograms. Combined with your body weight from your rider profile, this gives the total system mass used in power calculations. Accuracy matters most on climbs, where weight is the dominant factor.
  • Tire type: Slick, Semi-slick, or Knobby. This sets the initial rolling resistance coefficient. Slick tires roll with less resistance on pavement; knobby tires have higher resistance but are appropriate for off-road surfaces.
  • Tire size: used for speed sensor calibration. If you pair a wheel-based speed sensor, the tire circumference derived from this setting converts wheel rotations into accurate distance and speed.
  • Handlebar position: Hoods, Drops, Aero, or Flat. This sets the initial aerodynamic profile. Drops and aero positions present a smaller frontal area to the wind, resulting in lower drag and different power estimates at the same speed compared to an upright flat-bar position.

Drivetrain Configuration

If your bike has a SRAM AXS electronic groupset, configure your chainring sizes and cassette range. This enables accurate gear tracking during rides — Bike IQ can display your current gear, record every shift, and show gear usage patterns in the ride report.

Enter your front chainring tooth counts (e.g., 48/35 for a standard double, or a single ring size for 1x setups) and your cassette range (e.g., 10-33). Bike IQ uses these values to calculate the gear ratio for each front-rear combination.

Sensor Assignments

Each bike remembers its own set of Bluetooth sensors. This is useful if you have different power meters, speed sensors, or cadence sensors on different bikes. When you select a bike before starting a ride, Bike IQ automatically connects to that bike's assigned sensors.

Assign sensors in the bike's Bluetooth settings. Scan for available devices, select the ones mounted on that bike, and save. The assignments persist across rides. See Bluetooth Sensor Pairing for details on supported sensor types and the pairing process.

Selecting a Bike Before Riding

Before tapping Start Ride, choose the active bike from the pre-ride screen. The app uses that profile's weight, tire, and aerodynamic settings for the entire session. If you forget to switch bikes, the power model runs with the wrong parameters, which affects accuracy — especially if the bikes differ significantly in weight or handlebar position.

Make it a habit to confirm the correct bike is selected before every ride. It takes one tap and ensures your data is clean.

Per-Bike Calibration

The physics model calibrates independently for each bike profile. As you ride on a specific bike in varied conditions — hills, flats, headwinds, tailwinds, different speeds — the model refines its understanding of that bike's aerodynamic drag and rolling resistance. More rides on a given bike means better power accuracy for that bike.

If you also pair a hardware power meter on a bike, the model uses that as ground truth, which accelerates calibration significantly.

Editing a Bike

Tap any bike in the Bikes tab to modify its settings. You can change the name, weight, tire type, handlebar position, drivetrain, or sensor assignments at any time. Changes take effect on the next ride — they do not retroactively alter past ride data.

Deleting a Bike

Swipe to delete a bike profile. Sensor assignments tied to that bike are released, making those sensors available for assignment to other bikes. Past rides recorded with the deleted profile are not affected — they retain the settings that were active when they were recorded.

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