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Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time
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FINALLY!

From their conference call:
"Our R&D investment in the Fitness marketplace continues to grow as we prepare for a number of product launches in the back half of 2013 and explore new product categories of the most anticipated new product categories is the Vector power meter which is expected to accelerate growth. Vector has entered mass production and we expect to deliver the product to retailers soon.

We are thrilled to finally cross the finish line with this new product and anticipate our customers will appreciate the unique features and value proposition that Vector brings to the cycling market."

- Pete


Luckily my over eating disorder is offset by my over exercising disorder
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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Good for them I suppose. Would have been more excited 3 years ago when I was actually hoping to buy one.

If the DCR review is good and if it proves quicker to swap between bikes than a crank (i.e. no time at all), and if there are reasonable assurances of durability in crashes or spills, then I'll certainly consider the Vector if my Quarq ever dies.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [tgarson] [ In reply to ]
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Yeah, I might have been interested 1.5 years ago when I decided not to wait and any longer and went with Powertap. Time to market: you snooze, you lose.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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This product is like a sasquatch or the loch ness monster.

I'm not giving them my tree-fiddy until I see it on the shelves!

I'm not really in the market but I think it's cool that it's finally ready for release.

__________________________

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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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You know what else came out of that conference call... my Garmin stock going up $2.50. :)

I've made good money on Garmin, now all of you, go buy their vector so I can retire early.

The Home of Advanced Running
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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Big-Pete wrote:
FINALLY!

we prepare for a number of product launches in the back half of 2013

Vector has entered mass production and we expect to deliver the product to retailers soon.

Finally what? Another promise that it will be availible within the next 6 months? Haven't they been doing this every 6 months for the last 3 years? Now if there was an exact date for sales to start, I would be less skeptical. I guess you could assume that "Mass Production" means they are serious.

Proud Member of Chris McDonald's 2018 Big Sexy Race Team "That which doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger"
Blog-Twitter-Instagram-Race Reports - 2018 Races: IM Florida 70.3, IM Raleigh 70.3, IM 70.3 World Championships - South Africa, IM North Carolina 70.3
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [bullshark] [ In reply to ]
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This seems higher than what has previously been discussed?
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [ZackCapets] [ In reply to ]
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ZackCapets wrote:
This product is like a sasquatch or the loch ness monster.

I'm not giving them my tree-fiddy until I see it on the shelves!

I'm not really in the market but I think it's cool that it's finally ready for release.

This. It has been delayed so many times that I wonder if it will actually ever make it to market. For the $1699 price tag, it better have some features to boast about that the Quarq doesn't have.

Bob
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [bobonker] [ In reply to ]
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Right / left power? Don't have to worry about crank bb compatibility across bike either.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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Like others, I was excited about this YEARS ago. I got tired of waiting and purchased from another company. We'll see if they actually hit this mark or not.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [bobonker] [ In reply to ]
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It's priced well. It was the start up company that said they could do it for so cheap. Garmin is a big name and people will buy it because of that. They aren't all sitting on ST learning about different powermeters. Also you don't really want to under cut everyone on price when people then may view it as an inferior product.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Big-Pete] [ In reply to ]
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I would actually be interested in it if Garmin ever produced a product that didn't die within 12-16 months. While their products have great features and sell well because of this, they have zero credibility when it comes to durability. Not sure how this plays out in this price range...
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [alexaqui] [ In reply to ]
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alexaqui wrote:
I would actually be interested in it if Garmin ever produced a product that didn't die within 12-16 months. While their products have great features and sell well because of this, they have zero credibility when it comes to durability. Not sure how this plays out in this price range...

I've had my 500 for 3 years and it's fallen off my bike numerous times at 20mph+ and has riden through more rain and dirt and crap that I hate to admit. It's tracked more than 20,000 miles on it. Still works like the day I got it.

My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [Creatre] [ In reply to ]
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Creatre wrote:
alexaqui wrote:
I would actually be interested in it if Garmin ever produced a product that didn't die within 12-16 months. While their products have great features and sell well because of this, they have zero credibility when it comes to durability. Not sure how this plays out in this price range...


I've had my 500 for 3 years and it's fallen off my bike numerous times at 20mph+ and has riden through more rain and dirt and crap that I hate to admit. It's tracked more than 20,000 miles on it. Still works like the day I got it.

The 500 seems to be one of the few winners Garmin has ever produced in terms of product reliability. Every other Garmin device I've ever owned (310, 405, 800, Garmin Swim and 910) has gone back to Garmin for warranty replacement. The 310 went back multiple times, the Swim died within 6 weeks of getting it. My current 800 is about to die the same way the old went (USB charging port corrosion).

I like Garmin's, I will probably continue to buy them. But while I'm sure there are plenty of people who have had good experiences with their products, as a whole Garmin's Into Sports products are known for very high failure rates and an absolutely dismal track record for firmware issues.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [deh20] [ In reply to ]
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deh20 wrote:
Yeah, I might have been interested 1.5 years ago when I decided not to wait and any longer and went with Powertap. Time to market: you snooze, you lose.

Pretty much this. I gave up and went with a Quarq.

Kinda like the Microsoft Surface. Late to the game, nothing to really differentiate itself from the established competitors.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [tgarson] [ In reply to ]
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tgarson wrote:
My current 800 is about to die the same way the old went (USB charging port corrosion).

Have you tried giving the port some WD-40 and putting the cable in and out a couple of times to loosen the grit/rust? Worked on my Edge 500.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [tgarson] [ In reply to ]
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tgarson wrote:
The 500 seems to be one of the few winners Garmin has ever produced in terms of product reliability. Every other Garmin device I've ever owned (310, 405, 800, Garmin Swim and 910) has gone back to Garmin for warranty replacement. The 310 went back multiple times, the Swim died within 6 weeks of getting it. My current 800 is about to die the same way the old went (USB charging port corrosion).

I like Garmin's, I will probably continue to buy them. But while I'm sure there are plenty of people who have had good experiences with their products, as a whole Garmin's Into Sports products are known for very high failure rates and an absolutely dismal track record for firmware issues.

I've got a 500 that is proving to be indestructible. My girlfriend's 410cx has survived numerous knocks and immersion that's it's not specced for (to be fair, the first one she got didn't work out of the box and was replaced very quickly on warranty). Everyone I know who has a Garmin has had good life out of it. The most flaky sports electronics/GPS product I've had the misfortune to own is the Timex Global Trainer. I wish I'd spent the extra for the 310 or 910.

Best (n=1) case of Garmin durability is my co-worker's old 305 -- the old pin mounts for the Garmin bike computers were shockingly bad and the pin broke during a road race. He lost the 305 and wen't back to look for it after the race with no luck. Shortly aftwerwards the town was evacuated due to forest fires and after we returned to town someone found his Garmin and returned it (via the local MTB email list). The case is slightly heat damaged, but the unit still works and had his data on it.
That's right - about 2 months in the great outdoors, surviving a forest fire, rain and flash flooding.

Saying they have zero cred for durability is overstepping the mark slightly.

----------------------------------
http://ironvision.blogspot.com ; @drSteve1663
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [link5485] [ In reply to ]
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Quarq provides L/R power now (granted it's "imputed" someway rather than calculated independently). I *thought* I was really imbalanced... turns out, not to be the case. I guess my usual 50/50 balance, sometimes 49/51, could be skewed by my "pulling" up on my right leg, but I kinda doubt it.

I suspect switching between bikes will be a bit of a PITA. Having said that... the flexibility on cranks/BBs and wheels does present potential advantages over the leading systems on the market now. I won't be rushig out to buy one... don't have a need, but if real-world experience is good, then I'd consider it for the reasons I cited.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [alexaqui] [ In reply to ]
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alexaqui wrote:
I would actually be interested in it if Garmin ever produced a product that didn't die within 12-16 months. While their products have great features and sell well because of this, they have zero credibility when it comes to durability. Not sure how this plays out in this price range...

I'm still using a Garmin Forerunner 305 that I purchased the first week they came out in 2006. It still works perfectly after 7 years even holding a decent charge on the original battery. Some of the best money I ever spent went to this unit.

Hugh

Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [drsteve] [ In reply to ]
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drsteve wrote:
Saying they have zero cred for durability is overstepping the mark slightly.

Well that's fortunate since I never said that. I said they have a poor track record for quality. Obviously they don't have a 100% failure rate because that's absurd. Also plenty of Garmin devices that have been hanging in there forever, lots of 305's still kicking. Just as obviously, the fact that I've had so many units fail is no statistical proof that Garmin as a whole as quality issues. But the counter point of citing one specific unit that has lasted forever has no more merit, ignoring the fact that even in your case you got one that was DOA.

However, to say that they don't have quality issues would be not be supported by the many threads on this and every other forum about bricked Garmin's and firmware issues. By most reports, it was in fact durability / quality issues that have chiefly been responsible for delaying the Vector for going on 4 years now. The fact that they feel they have been addressed is a good sign, however I would not be surprised in the least if Garmin had insisted for a much higher MTBF on the Vector than they may concede on some of their lower end products. Warrantying refurbished head units that sell for a few hundred is one thing, having to constantly warranty $1600 products is quite another.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [tgarson] [ In reply to ]
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tgarson wrote:
I like Garmin's, I will probably continue to buy them. But while I'm sure there are plenty of people who have had good experiences with their products, as a whole Garmin's Into Sports products are known for very high failure rates and an absolutely dismal track record for firmware issues.
Known to whom? What do you think their failure rate is? .1%/yr, 1%/yr or 10%/yr.

You can't scale your n=1, anecdotal experience, to their whole business. A company generally doesn't maintain a dominant industry position with high profit margins by selling products with a very high failure rate. Your perception may be clouded by reading numerous stories on the internet of unsatisfied customers without the balance provided by the thousands of happy contented customers who don't usually write about their product experiences.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [tgarson] [ In reply to ]
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Retro, I remember years and years ago Garmin were going to make power pedals like these.


If you are sure you will fail, or convinced you will succeed, you are probably right.....
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [sciguy] [ In reply to ]
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sciguy wrote:
alexaqui wrote:
I would actually be interested in it if Garmin ever produced a product that didn't die within 12-16 months. While their products have great features and sell well because of this, they have zero credibility when it comes to durability. Not sure how this plays out in this price range...


I'm still using a Garmin Forerunner 305 that I purchased the first week they came out in 2006. It still works perfectly after 7 years even holding a decent charge on the original battery. Some of the best money I ever spent went to this unit.

Hugh

This forum is loaded with examples of people with very different experiences. The Garmin forums are out of control with such posts.

I'm the owner of several Garmin devices and will continue to buy them but even I will freely admit that they have some of the worst quality control -- consistently terrible both in hardware and software -- that I have ever encountered in my life.
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Re: Garmin Vectors Going Prime-Time [gregf83] [ In reply to ]
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have you ever had a microsoft product?
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