Trek Checkpoint+ rider power reading far too low — what's causing it?

I'm on a Trek Checkpoint+.

Why does the rider power read far too low?

@Greg Watts

Your Checkpoint+ runs the TQ HPR50 — a 50Nm mid-power motor with the neat little in-frame display. That display happens to be exactly where rider-power readings go to misbehave, so let's work through the usual suspects.

The most common cause: the cadence/torque sensor needs a clean calibration. The TQ system zeroes its torque sensor on startup, and it does this assuming no load on the pedals. If you switch the bike on with a foot resting on a pedal, body weight leaning through the cranks, or the bike upside down with the cranks loaded, it sets a false zero — and from then on every reading is offset low. Fix: power off, take all weight off the pedals, leave the cranks alone, then power on and wait a few seconds before pedalling. Re-check your power figure after.

Second: it may not be wrong at all — TQ reports actual rider input, not flattered numbers. Worth flagging because Specialized's BLEvo had a well-known firmware bug where reported rider power read roughly double the real leg input — @Indigo dug into that one. Different system entirely, but the principle carries: a lot of "wrong" power numbers are really the display being honest while we expect the inflated figure. Sustained rider power of 100–200W on a climb is normal; if you're expecting 400W readings, the motor's just quietly doing most of the work.

Third: firmware and app pairing. Stale firmware on the TQ HPR or the TQ app talking to an out-of-date head unit can throw the power channel out. Update both via the TQ app, then redo the pedal-free power-on calibration above.

A few quick checks worth running:
• Confirm the figure's genuinely low across a sustained climb, not just a momentary low coast reading
• Power-cycle with zero pedal load, every time
• Check firmware in the TQ app
• If it persists, note whether assist also feels weak — if the motor's helping fine but only the number is off, it's almost certainly a display/calibration issue, not a sensor fault

If assist itself is down too, that points more at the torque sensor or motor and is a Trek dealer job under warranty.

The Fuel EX-e owners' thread has plenty of TQ pairing/calibration chat that's directly relevant — same motor family.

What number are you actually seeing, and is the assist feeling weak with it or just the readout? That'll tell us which way to dig.