Product Availability, Sales & Support
How do I buy Quarq products?
Quarq products are sold directly to consumers through this website and authorized Dealers and Coaches.
What about distributors and retailers?
Quarq has now opened a dealer network with interested bikeshops. We are interested in working with shops and/or distributors who are knowledgeable in power measurement and sell other high end products. Please contact us for an application if you're interested in retailing or distributing Quarq products.
Starting in December 2009, SRAM will be distributing the SRAM S975 CinQo through their distribution channels.
What accessories come with the CinQo?
The CinQo comes with a battery and cadence magnet. If cranks are purchased from us at the same time, we will install the CinQo on the cranks. CyclingPeaks WKO+ is purchased separately.
What support do I get?
Quarq will provide product support directly from our headquarters in Spearfish, South Dakota, via phone, email and web.
What kind of warranty is there?
Quarq has a two year warranty for the CinQo power sensors.
Where are Quarq products manufactured and assembled?
Quarq powermeters are manufactured and assembled in South Dakota. Final calibration, quality control and shipping takes place in Spearfish, South Dakota.
Compatiblity
Will Quarq products work with products from Garmin, PowerTap, Polar and SRM?
Quarq's products will be interchangeable with other devices on the ANT+Sport network.
The Garmin Edge 705, 310XT and Edge 500 can read a CinQo power sensor.
CycleOp's upcoming Joule computers will read the CinQo power sensors. SRM's Powercontrol computers do not read the data from the CinQo power sensors. They have chosen to not allow their computers to read the CinQo's ANT+ messages at this time.
The Polar CS600 cannot be used with a CinQo power sensor; The CS600 uses a proprietary wireless protocol called W.I.N.D.
What is ANT+?
Ant+ is a 2.4 GHz wireless network with standardized communication between devices including bike power sensors, speed sensors, cadence sensors and heart rate straps. Think of it as bluetooth for bicycles. ANT+ enables manufacturers to independently develop sensors and computers. Riders can combine their favorites to create a system that meets their needs.
What cranksets is the CinQo compatible with?
The CinQo is compatible with select cranksets that have a removable spider. The CinQo replaces the existing spider. Check our website for compatible cranksets.
Since the CinQo basically just replaces the spider on existing cranksets, it is therefore not compatible with cranksets that have an integrated spider like Shimano 105, Ultegra, Dura-Ace and Campagnolo cranks.
Which bottom brackets does the CinQo work with?
Please refer to our Bottom Bracket Page.
Technical Information
What is the accuracy of the CinQo?
The CinQo will meet or exceed +/- 2% precision.
Do I need to send in my CinQo if I swap chainrings?
The stiffness of the chainrings can affect the CinQo calibration. For example, if you switch from standard road chainrings to bigger time trial rings, the calibration of your CinQo is likely to be affected. If you do that, we recommend you send the new setup in for re-calibration.
How many strain gages are in the CinQo?
There are ten strain gages with a total of 20 grids in a proprietary arrangement.
How is the CinQo calibrated? Do I need to return it to the factory to be calibrated after purchase?
Each CinQo is individually calibrated before it is shipped. Quarq's in-house validation and verification techniques use both static and dynamic testing.
Factory recalibration is offered as a service.
What about field calibration?
You cannot change the calibration of the CinQo in the field. However, you can check the accuracy by hanging a known weight off the pedals. Below are the instructions:
- Do a Calibrate with no load applied (pedals should be horizontal). You will get a value like 53 (you may also get a negative value; this is normal). (53/32 Nm = 1.66 Nm)
- Apply a known torque (hang mass or stand on pedal - still in the horizontal position) and then Calibrate again. You will get a value like -867. (867/32 Nm = -27.09Nm)
- The change in zero offset is therefore (-867) - 53 = -920. Which means the CinQo measured 920/32 Nm (28.75 Nm) change in torque.
- Remove the load and Calibrate again. This will remove the zero offset that was set with the applied load.
To calculate the applied torque:
Weight (in pounds) x Crank Length (in millimeters) x 0.000444822 (conversion factor) = Torque (in Newton-Meters)
Example:
36 lbs x 175mm x 0.00444822 = 28.02 Nm
So for the example above, you applied 28.02 Nm, the CinQo measured 28.75Nm, so the error is 0.73 Nm.
That is the basic method. You will want to do multiple measurement on both crank arms and average. At some point we will make up a nice worksheet or online calculator to step through the process. The key information here is that the CinQo Calibrate return data is in 1/32 Nm.
What pre-ride zeroing is required?
A simple pre-ride zero ("tare") function is provided.
Manual Zero - The CinQo samples torque at 60 Hz for 2 sec (120 measurements) and averages the result. The inverse of the result becomes the new zero offset. See your computer's specific instruction manual for details on how to perform this.
AutoZero - The CinQo samples at 60 Hz and averages the measurements over each crank revolution. When you pedal backwards, the average torque for the backward revolution is stored. The CinQo then sets the zero offset as the inverse of the last 4 reverse revolutions. So to completely reset the zero offset with AutoZero, you need to pedal backwards for at least 4 complete crank revolutions.
What is the sampling rate?
The CinQo will complete a power reading every crank rotation. So, if you are pedalling at 90rpm, power data will be received by the computer every two-thirds of a second.
The hardware is capable of higher sampling rates and we plan to implement this in later firmware versions. We know that track cyclists in particular are seeking higher sampling rates to analyse standing starts.
Firmware upgrades must be performed at the factory. This will be a free service, plus freight.
Will it measure right and left legs separately?
No. The CinQo measures the combined output of both legs.
How long will the battery last?
The CinQo's battery will last 400 hours. The CinQo uses a CR2450 coin cell battery that is user-replaceable.
Testing, Sponsorship & Coaching
Who is beta testing your products? Can I be a beta tester?
Quarq currently has an extensive list of interested beta testers, ranging from professional cyclists and triathletes to commuters and recreational riders. We will make an announcement on our web site if we need more test riders.
How can I get sponsored?
We will gladly accept race resumes and sponsorship proposals to review. Convince us why sponsoring you or your team is a worthwhile investment for us.
Will there be a discount for coaches?
We currently have a coaches program available. Please contact us for details.
What is "Quarq"?
"Quarq" is just a hiply misspelled word. A quark is a subatomic particle (which, by the way, is really fast). The word "quark" originated from the 1939 novel "Finnegans Wake" in the line:
Three quarks for Muster Mark!
Sure he hasn't got much of a bark
And sure any he has it's all beside the mark.
Physicist Murray Gell-Mann enjoyed the allusion to three quarks and applied the term to physics, as the Standard Model predicts three generations of elementary particles.
Quarks can have one of two fractional electric charges (+2/3 or -1/3), yielding six "flavors": Up, Down, Strange, Charm, Bottom, and the elusive Top quark.
Top and Bottom were originally called Truth and Beauty, but that got a bit lame after the Truth quark proved difficult to find and folks started saying "the quark model has no truth". This didn't go over so well in some circles, so Top and Bottom became the preferred terminology.