2.4 Lemon?

[DesFlurane]

Well, took about 3 hours but it's crapped out already
My SL 2.4 recently purchased has ceased to function.
There is no transmission from the hub.
I have only used it for 2 hours indoors and then today 1 hour into a road cycle I lost data from the hub. CPU retained data gathered but no further data from hub.
I changed all the batteries , cpu, hub and heart strap.
Went to setup 5 to relearn devices, relearnt the heartrate strap but nothing from the hub.
Auto reply from Saris, so now I wait.
Argh.

 

[JTE83]

This is why I don't like Powertap - I see a lot of threads with Powertap problems. An Ergomo Pro is in my future! Just getting by with Polar.

 

[Thom_y]

Man, I was tempted until now ...

I have been seriously considering getting rid of my Ksyrium ES wheels, which I really love and replacing with 'lightweight' wheelset with a PT SL2.4. Now, I'm not so sure. I would hate to be having to ship my wheel down to the US periodically for service. I take it most PT owners have at least a backup set of wheels available for such occasions.

 

[ric_stern/RST]

Man, I was tempted until now ...

I have been seriously considering getting rid of my Ksyrium ES wheels, which I really love and replacing with 'lightweight' wheelset with a PT SL2.4. Now, I'm not so sure. I would hate to be having to ship my wheel down to the US periodically for service. I take it most PT owners have at least a backup set of wheels available for such occasions.

depending on where you are, and where you get your SL from, the dealer will arrange to send them back to the States FOC. At least, that's the way we work (we have very few returns thankfully).

ric

 

[RapDaddyo]

Well, took about 3 hours but it's crapped out already
My SL 2.4 recently purchased has ceased to function.
There is no transmission from the hub.
I have only used it for 2 hours indoors and then today 1 hour into a road cycle I lost data from the hub. CPU retained data gathered but no further data from hub.
I changed all the batteries , cpu, hub and heart strap.
Went to setup 5 to relearn devices, relearnt the heartrate strap but nothing from the hub.
Auto reply from Saris, so now I wait.
Argh.

I am working on a group buy of PTs (various models) for my racing team (we'll probably end up buying ~30 units) and I want to give my teammates accurate information on the various models. I have two teammates with SL2.4 units and they have not experienced any problems such as you describe but I wanted to get more information. So, I called Saris to discuss their experience to date with the SL2.4. Here is what I learned. In early 2006 some of the beta units had moisture problems so they went to an epoxy coating of all the electronics in the manufacturing process. Since they went to the new coating, they have not had any moisture problems. They have had a few units returned with symptoms similar to what you experienced and it turns out that the transmitter was oriented incorrectly in the hub and the hub interfered with the transmission signal. The fix is to simply reposition the electronics inside the hub. It seems to be a matter of opening the hub, changing the position and putting it back together. They have corrected the issue in manufacturing and they have not experienced subsequent problems with the returned units. It sounds as though your unit may have to be returned to the factory for this procedure. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. BTW, I plan to upgrade to the SL2.4 (even after reading your post).

 

[RChung]

There is no transmission from the hub.

On the second day I had my PT Pro, being quite unfamiliar with the button sequences, I inadvertently switched into computer-only mode. No transmission icon, no "WATTS" under the top line of the display. I thought my hub was defective. You've checked for this?

 

[peterpen]

BTW, for anyone with PT problems - call them on that old-fangled contraption the telephone. They are slow with email, but (generally speaking) prompt and effective on the phone.

 

[Steve_B]

IIn early 2006 some of the beta units had moisture problems so they went to an epoxy coating of all the electronics in the manufacturing process. Since they went to the new coating, they have not had any moisture problems.

This is pretty standard in electronics manufacturing for "extreme" environments. I guess I'm a bit surprised that given their record of moisture ingress on the Standard and Pro hubs that they did not do this from the beginning. Yes, I understand that this was on beta test units and not production units. Conformal coating makes troubleshooting beta units more complicated though. At least they seem to use it on the production units. It adds cost but that might just be outweighed by having to deal with much less customer return activity.

They have had a few units returned with symptoms similar to what you experienced and it turns out that the transmitter was oriented incorrectly in the hub and the hub interfered with the transmission signal. The fix is to simply reposition the electronics inside the hub.

This assumes that the antenna is mounted on the circuit board, which is feasible.
I have two problems with the explanations above.

1. The orientation of the board in the hub wasn't specified to the subcontractor that does the final assembly? Ooops. That's a big f-up. If it was specified and it happened anyway, it's just a plain vanilla QC issue.
2. DesFlurane said that the hub worked then stopped working after a couple of hours. Was the board so loose in the cavity that it flipped orientation? Seems unlikely.

I'm waiting for other shoes to drop on the 2.4.

I will agree that their customer service is quite good. They've taken care of multiple bearing issues on my Pro hub over the years. They are some of the best that I have dealt with in the bike business.

 

[Alex Simmons]

On the second day I had my PT Pro, being quite unfamiliar with the button sequences, I inadvertently switched into computer-only mode. No transmission icon, no "WATTS" under the top line of the display. I thought my hub was defective. You've checked for this?

Yes - check. When cadence is displayed and you hold down the right "select" button for two seconds (intending perhaps to change to/from interval mode which is actually done with the left "mode" button), it will move into cyclocomputer mode and stop registering watts.

Did you contact the source of the unit and see what they had to say?

 

[DesFlurane]

On the second day I had my PT Pro, being quite unfamiliar with the button sequences, I inadvertently switched into computer-only mode. No transmission icon, no "WATTS" under the top line of the display. I thought my hub was defective. You've checked for this?

Unfortunately it says Watts on the top line.

 

[gogoturtle]

On the 2.4 reviews thread, I posted that I was having problems with my PT 2.4. I changed the batterys and it seemed to help for a very short while. The next day, it went back to the same problem, no reception from the hub or HR monitor. I called Saris and customer support said to send back the CPU. Hopefully that will fix it. But, given RDO's words about the antenna positioning in the hub, I am now concerned that I will have to send that back too.

BTW, Saris customer support over the phone is very responsive and helpful. Now, if I could just get a working product.

 

[DesFlurane]

Saris have been in touch and are keen to help....

Watch this space!

 

[RapDaddyo]

Saris have been in touch and are keen to help....

Watch this space!

If you send them the hub and if the fix is the one I described above, it would be helpful to have as many details as possible on the resolution. For example, if you send your wheel to Saris, who paid the shipping charges? How long did they keep the wheel? What specifically did they do? Anything else that would be helpful to current or future buyers of the SL2.4. I have ~6 people about to buy PTs and they are all considering the SL2.4. Right now, all I can tell them is, "There appear to be some teething problems but I don't have enough information yet to tell you what to do."

 

[Thom_y]

Saris have been in touch and are keen to help....

Watch this space!

I'm also anxious to follow this, before I take the plunge.

Hopefully, you will have your hub working flawlessly soon and I hope this is not a frequent problem.

For $1500 you must be upset getting on your bike without getting Power data.

Incidentally, Saris was rather quick in answering my email today for presales info regarding the wireless cadence sensor that is optional for the SL 2.4. I got a a response in less than 24 h.

 

[Sillyoldtwit]

Yes, let's hope this all sorted out soon. Living in Japan, I don't want to have to send the unit back to the States after 3 hours use or even 3 days or weeks for that matter. I'm holding fire on purchasing one til we get confirmation regarding the reliability from Saris. (users) Tyson

 

[DesFlurane]

RD, will do.

BUT, and it's a big but, I may be sh*t out of luck for a repair/replacement.
I bought my 2.4 over the web from someone who assured me that they were 'legit' even sent me a message from Saris explaining the delay in getting said 2.4. On this 'evidence' I went ahead with purchase. Caveat emptor.
I have since contacted the vendor with no reply, though they have opened my email.
Saris say that the vendor's on their questionable list. The email which I forwarded to Saris which is supposed to come from them may be a fraud.
To be fair to Saris they have been very reasonable and said that they will consider helping me and will let me know one way or another next week.
The vendor may contact me of course in the next week and all will be resolved. They did promise a full International Warranty and may yet deliver on that.
I will keep the identity of said vendor under my hat for the time being, but if it all turns to custard, needless to say I will be posting full details over any bike forum I can find!
Of course this is all my fault, no one else. Let's not lose sight of the fact that the 2.4 is still non functioning! Though the heartrate does work, so I now have the most expensive HR monitor in the world. Also I know for a fact that it's not the harness at fault!

 

[DesFlurane]

If it's a no go for repair/replacement, anyone who would like to attempt repair themselves just pm me

Big opportunity for someone!

 

[RapDaddyo]

RD, will do.

BUT, and it's a big but, I may be sh*t out of luck for a repair/replacement.
I bought my 2.4 over the web from someone who assured me that they were 'legit' even sent me a message from Saris explaining the delay in getting said 2.4. On this 'evidence' I went ahead with purchase. Caveat emptor.
I have since contacted the vendor with no reply, though they have opened my email.
Saris say that the vendor's on their questionable list. The email which I forwarded to Saris which is supposed to come from them may be a fraud.
To be fair to Saris they have been very reasonable and said that they will consider helping me and will let me know one way or another next week.
The vendor may contact me of course in the next week and all will be resolved. They did promise a full International Warranty and may yet deliver on that.
I will keep the identity of said vendor under my hat for the time being, but if it all turns to custard, needless to say I will be posting full details over any bike forum I can find!
Of course this is all my fault, no one else. Let's not lose sight of the fact that the 2.4 is still non functioning! Though the heartrate does work, so I now have the most expensive HR monitor in the world. Also I know for a fact that it's not the harness at fault!

You might want to start by sending an email and photos to Saris of your hub and computer, with every serial number or identifying information you can find on or inside the hub. It's conceivable that you bought one of the beta units. I don't know how they were marking them, but I think they didn't finalize the graphics until this past summer. I would think that even if Saris doesn't provide warranty support they should at least tell you if they manufactured the unit.

 

[Monastero]

This is why I don't like Powertap - I see a lot of threads with Powertap problems. An Ergomo Pro is in my future! Just getting by with Polar.

Whoa! Let's not rush into buying the Ergomo until you have read about its issues...

 

[jbvcoaching]

Whoa! Let's not rush into buying the Ergomo until you have read about its issues...

Indeed. A good point was made a few years ago on the wattage list regarding incidences of problems with the various PMs. When surveys are taken (like http://cyclingforums.com/t379126.html), PTs are invariably the most popular powermeter. So it stands to reason that, even if all PMs had the same incidence of complaints, you'd see many more for the PT.