The battery door on my Stages crank had broken.
I opened a support ticket over the weekend. Stages replied Monday and offered to send a new cover at no charge. Before shipping it, the support rep wanted a clear photo of the power meter with the battery and door removed. The compartment had to be well lit so they could check its condition.
I took the photos and sent them back. The small round battery sat inside a red O-ring, with the Stages electronics attached directly to the crank. It was a compact part, but it was where the bike's power data came from.
The replacement order included more than the door. Stages sent new O-rings too. The instructions were specific: remove the old ring carefully, clear any dust from the channel, and push the new ring into place without leaving kinks or bends.
That seal mattered because the power meter lived low on the bike. It was exposed to sweat, road spray, dust, and whatever else the crank passed during a ride. A cover that did not close correctly was more than a cosmetic problem.
Cycling still carried a lot of my training that summer. I had returned to running after a stress fracture and raced a 5K in Prospect Park in July, but the bike remained part of the week. Losing the power meter did not stop the bike from moving. It did remove one of the measurements I used to understand the work.
The new parts arrived and fixed the problem. Stages followed up on September 3 to ask whether the new cap had worked.
I replied with two words: "It works!"