Note to Zimanox Users

Back in August 2016, we did a crowdfunding campaign for the Zimanox and the Zpider power meter products on both the Kickstarter site and the Indiegogo site. Following this, a number of units were sold on our webshop. The Zpider turned out to be the best of the two products in many ways and is available on the webshop and through a number of partner webshops around Europe. The Zimanox is sold out and we are not planning another production batch for the time being.

Webshop customer?

If you bought a Zimanox on our webshop, you need not read any further.

Your product is covered by the standard warranty as described in the standard terms and conditions.

Please make it clear to support when you contact us at hello@teamzwatt.com that you are a webshop customer.

Crowdfunding backer?

If you backed us on a crowdfunding site as described above, we want to thank you again for that support and take the opportunity to clarify your warranty situation.

A Zimanox from crowdfunding does not include a warranty. This is very clear from the terms and conditions and generally not to be expected from a crowdfunding item.

Above and beyond

We are going above and beyond on our service for you as a crowdfunding backer in two ways:

  1. For the first year (2017), we actually provided repairs and both-way shipping for free anyways
  2. After the first year, we started to offer a full repair/recalibration for both Zpider and Zimanox at cost (meaning we make nothing on this)

Still being very much a startup, this is as far as we can go. Our advisors tell us that we are being too nice, but that’s how we are 😊

Further to this, the monthly fee is completely optional. That was our way of reducing your risk in case the crowdfunded product did not work well for you. You never have to pay this unless you want to use the product (which you probably don’t if you feel it doesn’t work for you). Manage your payments at the My Account page.

Known problems

The crowdfunding process taught us a number of things. Including what works well and what does not in this type of product. This includes reliability, manufacturing, and ease of repairs. All this is being put to great use on new developments and also for the integration work we do when we sell the core technology to the bigger brands.

For the Zimanox, we have noticed one problem that we want to share with you in the hope that you can prolong the life of your Zimanox by knowing what may happen to it over time. Far from all Zimanox may ever experience these problems, but enough so that we call it a known problem.

Broken plastic cover

The plastic cover may break near the screws. Very easy to see if you look for it. Apparently, it stays watertight nonetheless, but it’s obviously not ideal. Not all Zimanox develop this problem. The reason may not be 100% understood, but we found that the Loctite glue used to secure the screws somehow reacts with the plastic.

The quality of the plastic may also be a bit unknown. Both the plastic cover and the bare aluminum arms were made for us by a well-known French crankset manufacturer. The quality problems from that manufacturer have been pretty extreme and we are still discussing how much they should reimburse us for parts they could not deliver according to the drawings. This is part of the reason we don’t plan to manufacture more Zimanox units right now.

We have a fix for this problem using another type of glue. We believe this works but can’t be sure yet. If you are an expert in plastics and see this problem, please feel free to analyze the break and offer your advice. Unfortunately, we cannot afford to have this fully examined as the product is not being manufactured anymore – and will never be manufactured in the same way again. There are plenty spare plastic covers in stock, so we can do many repairs on this if needed.

Have a problem with your Zimanox?

If you run into problems with your Zimanox, this is your options in a nutshell:

We would love to provide an even better service on this crowdfunding item, but we can simply not afford that at the current state of the business.

Have no use for your Zimanox?

If your Zimanox truly offers no value to you, here are a few things that you could do in the spirit of crowdfunding:

  • Give it to a friend*
  • Sell it to somebody. You got this at way below the retail value – if you want to recuperate that value and possibly even more, try selling it second hand*
  • Give it another chance. Some products can take some getting used to. Maybe it doesn’t work for you right now, but perhaps you’ll find the right time and place in the future

*) This is how a new user gets signed up if they buy a used power meter.

Allow me to add a personal note. Most of the crowdfunding rewards I have received are really not in use. They just sit in some drawer somewhere – from time to time reminding me about all the cool and interesting projects I have been a tiny part of though my contributions. I know I am not alone in feeling that way about crowdfunding and if you share my way of dealing with crowdfunding I can assure you it’s absolutely stress-free 😊

Thanks for your understanding and have a great day.

Rolf Ostergaard
CEO and founder
Copenhagen Jul 26th, 2018