Sensors

Sensors are the key to automating gear tracking in Componentry. They serve as the bridge between your activities and your physical equipment, enabling automatic matching of gear to activities based on sensor data. This eliminates the need for manual gear selection after each ride and ensures accurate component wear tracking.

What are Sensors?

Sensors in Componentry represent electronic components that generate data during your activities. These can include power meters, heart rate monitors, bike computers, speed/cadence sensors, and any other electronic equipment that appears in your activity files.

When a sensor is properly configured, Componentry can automatically determine which bike and components were used for each activity, making gear tracking seamless and accurate.

[Screenshot placeholder: Sensors overview showing various sensor types and their connection status]

How Sensor Matching Works

Automatic Recognition

When you upload or sync an activity, Componentry analyzes the sensor data included in the file. Each electronic sensor has unique identifiers that allow the system to recognize which specific sensors were used during the activity.

Gear Association

By linking sensors to specific gear (bikes and components), Componentry can automatically:

• Match activities to bikes - If a power meter is linked to your road bike, any activity using that power meter is automatically associated with that bike
• Track component usage - Components linked to the same bike inherit the activity data for wear calculations
• Eliminate manual selection - No need to manually specify which bike was used after each ride

Data Sources

Sensor information comes from:

• Activity files (.fit, .gpx, .tcx) that contain sensor serial numbers and IDs
• Strava integration which includes sensor data from connected activities
• Manual sensor registration for sensors that may not appear automatically

[Screenshot placeholder: Activity detail showing sensor data and automatic gear matching]

Types of Sensors

Power Meters

Power meters are excellent for automatic gear matching because:

• Unique identification - Each power meter has a distinct serial number
• Bike-specific installation - Usually permanently mounted to one bike
• Consistent data - Appears in every activity where the bike is used
• High accuracy - Provides reliable matching with minimal false positives

Common power meter types:

• Crank-based (Stages, SRAM, etc.)
• Pedal-based (Garmin Vector, Favero Assioma, etc.)
• Hub-based (PowerTap, etc.)
• Spider-based (Quarq, SRM, etc.)

Speed and Cadence Sensors

These sensors are excellent for matching because:

• Bike-specific mounting - Usually permanently attached to one bike
• Consistent presence - Appear in most activities for that bike
• Unique identifiers - Each sensor has distinct sensor IDs

[Screenshot placeholder: Different sensor types shown in the Sensors management interface]

Sensor Identification and Setup

Automatic Discovery

Componentry automatically discovers sensors from your activities:

1. Activity Analysis - When activities are uploaded or synced, sensor data is extracted
2. Sensor Recognition - New sensors are identified and added to your sensor list
3. Matching Opportunities - Unlinked sensors are flagged for potential gear association

<!-- ### Manual Sensor Addition You can also manually add sensors that may not appear automatically:

• Enter sensor details - Model, manufacturer, serial number
• Specify sensor type - Power meter, heart rate monitor, etc.
• Link to gear - Associate with specific bikes or components -->

Sensor Verification

Componentry helps ensure accurate sensor tracking through:

• Serial number validation - Cross-reference with manufacturer databases when possible
• Activity correlation - Verify sensors appear consistently in expected activities
• Conflict detection - Alert when the same sensor appears on multiple bikes simultaneously

[Screenshot placeholder: Sensor discovery process showing newly detected sensors from activities]

Benefits of Proper Sensor Setup

Automatic Gear Tracking

Once sensors are properly linked:

• Zero manual effort - Activities automatically match to the correct bike
• Accurate wear tracking - Component usage is precisely calculated
• Consistent data - No gaps or errors from forgotten manual selections

Activity Validation

Sensor data helps validate activity authenticity:

• Equipment verification - Confirms which equipment was actually used
• Performance correlation - Power and speed data should match bike capabilities
• Consistency checking - Unusual sensor combinations can flag data issues

Historical Analysis

With proper sensor linking, you can:

• Track component usage over time - See exactly how much each component has been used
• Analyze bike-specific performance - Compare performance across different bikes
• Plan maintenance schedules - Base service intervals on actual usage data

Multi-Bike Management

For cyclists with multiple bikes:

• Automatic bike detection - No need to remember which bike you rode
• Separate maintenance tracking - Each bike's components are tracked independently
• Usage distribution - See how much you ride each bike

[Screenshot placeholder: Activity list showing automatic gear matching with sensor-based identification]

Common Sensor Scenarios

Single Bike Setup

For cyclists with one bike:

• Link all sensors to one bike - Power meter, speed sensor, cadence sensor
• Automatic matching - All activities with those sensors use that bike
• Simple maintenance - All component wear accumulates on one bike

Multiple Bike Setup

For cyclists with multiple bikes:

• Unique sensors per bike - Each bike has its own power meter or sensor setup
• Cross-bike sensors - Heart rate monitors can be used across bikes
• Smart matching - Componentry uses bike-specific sensors for accurate matching

Shared Sensor Setup

For sensors used across multiple bikes:

• Manual bike selection may be needed - When sensor data alone isn't sufficient
• Activity pattern recognition - Componentry learns from manual selections
• Combined matching - Use multiple data points for accurate identification

Travel and Event Setup

For special situations:

• Temporary sensor changes - Account for borrowed or replacement equipment
• Event-specific setup - Different equipment configurations for races
• Backup sensor recognition - Handle situations when primary sensors fail

[Screenshot placeholder: Multi-bike setup showing sensor allocation across different bikes]

Getting Started with Sensors

To begin using Sensors effectively:

1. Review Discovered Sensors

• Check the Sensors page for automatically discovered equipment
• Verify sensor information and identify any unknown sensors
• Note which sensors appear most frequently in your activities

2. Link Sensors to Gear

• Start with bike-specific sensors like power meters
• Associate sensors with the appropriate bikes in your gear list
• Configure sensor relationships for accurate matching

3. Test Automatic Matching

• Upload a few test activities to verify proper gear matching
• Check that activities are automatically assigned to the correct bikes
• Adjust sensor links if matching isn't working as expected

4. Optimize Your Setup

• Fine-tune sensor configurations based on usage patterns
• Set up relationships between related sensors
• Configure preferences for sensor conflicts or ambiguities

[Screenshot placeholder: Sensor setup workflow showing the configuration process]

Troubleshooting Sensor Issues

Common Problems

Activities Not Matching to Gear

• Verify sensors are properly linked to bikes
• Check that sensor data is present in activity files
• Ensure sensor IDs match between activities and sensor records

Incorrect Gear Matching

• Review sensor associations for conflicts
• Check for sensors shared between multiple bikes
• Verify sensor information accuracy

Missing Sensor Data

• Confirm sensors are recording data properly
• Check activity file formats support sensor information
• Verify Strava integration includes sensor data

Duplicate Sensor Entries

• Consolidate multiple entries for the same physical sensor
• Update sensor links to use the correct sensor record
• Clean up historical activities with incorrect sensor associations

The following sections will guide you through the specific processes of linking sensors to gear and configuring Strava bike relationships for optimal automatic matching.