Hi all,
First of all I’m aware that the important thing is that the virtual power figure is consistent for indoor training but I’m just curious.
I did some research on the internet and found some reviews that the virtual power readings of the Elite Turbo Muin are consitently 10-15% higher than the real power.
Has anyone had the chance to compare the virtual power of an Elite Turbo Muin smart B+ with power meter watts?
Thanks in advance!
I was using the muin when I first got the power meter. I did do a few tests, but not too many (I don’t think I kept the data). I found the muin consistent, but the accuracy got worse as the power went up (but consistently worse). So it was reasonable up to my threshold but once into VO2 max zones it was further out. My muin FTP was circa 260 at that time.
It kinda threw me a bit when I got a power meter, as I was able to do the 20 minute tests and threshold workouts like lamarck based off the muin FTP with the power meter, but not the VO2 Max stuff with the power meter.
On reflection, it probably contributed to me not trusting the ramp test with the power meter initially (I was a beta tester). I put it down to the ramp test when it was probably the lack of accuracy of the muin’s power curve.
tl;dr it’s consistent not accurate, and accuracy is worse as power goes up!
I’ve recently identified a SERIOUS issue with the Turbo Muin B+ power data accuracy, having finally gotten round to buying some proper power meter pedals and running a comparison. My FTP value based on a ramp test using the Muin B+ was about 20% higher than the value achieved using my pedals. At first I thought there must be a fault with the pedals (wishful thinking, it turns out), so had replacement spindles sent out that had been calibrated and validated for accuracy at the factory… Same issue. The pedals are reportedly accurate to within 1%, so I’m trusting their data. After digging around, I found a similar user review that says that the Muin over-reads power particularly badly for shorter intervals, compared with longer intervals, which would exacerbate the discrepancy given that the FTP data was derived from a ramp test with 1 minute step-intervals. It also reputedly gets less accurate the higher the power, which again would exacerbate the issue, given that the later intervals in the FTP test were in the 400W+ region.
This was a massive wake up call for me: I would not trust the Muin B+ data for any remotely serious training purposes.
to add to the feedback already provided - The Turbo Muin B+ power is totally wrong. I recently purchased a real powermeter and the power difference is rediculous. I had always figured the power was generous on the plus side, but I didn’t expect it to be so wrong. With a bit of testing I found the following:
150 W - 20+ watts (130 reality)
300 W - 50+ watts (300 reality)
430 W - 70+ watts (360 reality)
600 W - 100+ watts (~500 reality)
It’s impossible to do real training based on these readings as all the vo2 max intervals get progressively more wrong. I’ve had to re-calibrate my FTP (down 
) and expect true VO2 max intervals are going to be pretty brutal in the future (bringing quite the reality check).
