I wonder what the reason is …
Lol Kona had some empty cages as well. I like the vector idea but from what I have been reading accuracy depends a lot on installing it just right. Perhaps the consistency is not there…who knows.
Taped over SRM spider too.
http://i.imgur.com/w4EErfa.jpg?1
I think Garmin is leaving as title sponsor this year.
I noticed that too, Sky decided to use stages exclusively and i have not seen one image of them using anything different even in training. This is sort of a slap in the face to Garmin if they are your title sponsor and almost nobody is using the Vector, clearly there is an issue.
Not speaking to the vector in particular, but I know (though people who work on pro teams) of at least a few newer power meters that are not usable in the pro tour simply because it’s pretty hard to field test the communication interference that exists with 200 race radios, tv, etc.
Lots of anecdotal evidence on the garmin forums, amazon, and various cycling forums of people complaining they are fragile and temperamental to correctly setup. I don’t know how they would fare in the pro peloton with the crashes and bumping and general beating that most of their gear takes.
They are using SRM?
Nope. It’s an eSs aRe aM, which is a SRM having its logos taped over
Also note that when Rigoberto Uran scouted the Giro ITT stage he won, he, too, was on a SRM.
When you see a team opt-out of using their sponsor’s gear, that’s a big red flag that the equipment isn’t ready for prime time.
Occasionally a top rider will have an individual sponsor that the team will honor (saddle, shoes, lightweight wheels); but that’s the exception.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/...erful-gallery/312939
I wonder what the reason is …
Do we know that they were made available to the team and that the team or riders don’t have previous pedal sponsor commitments?
Is there a stages team? Do they use stages PMs?
Well SRM are still widely considered the gold standard for power meters, reality is they are hands-down the best power-meters. Objections re price and requiring servicing are no issue to a proteam
Accurate power readings are critical, especially since these guys are switching between multiple bikes. Consistency is important but there must be accuracy between bikes. The gap between the top guys is a matter of a few watts.
There have been issues with Garmin, which have already been reported, lack of faith in a PM would severely undermine the riders training and to a lesser extent their confidence in their race plan.
I also wonder what sort of impact Garmin no longer remaining the title sponsor had in this decision too?
Frankly this is pretty shocking publicity, it’s better to not use them then to use them, and then change mid-season back to another non-sponsored brand.
FWIW I am a little bias as I use an SRM
Cos its Garmin, and like every product they make, they never quite deliver on the promise…
405, 705, 500, 910xt, 610… everyone of them has had either manufacturing faults, software issues, or been released with glaring omissions in functionality…
I was bowled over when I went to he garmin warranty centre and saw the floor to ceiling piles of warranty returns awaiting processing… and that was just for Australia market (ie no one lives here 20 mil or so…)
Is there a stages team? Do they use stages PMs?
Yeah, there’s some team called Sky using them.
Team Sky on Stages, and when I toured the Stages Factory, they make sure each PM is within 1% accuracy before sending to the team and rider. Will never run another powermeter myself!
As for SRM on Garmin, it’s because the Vectors are FUBAR.
We coach a pro on the Garmin team, and his power files are all over the place. It’s either 50% high or low. Not even the Garmin mechanics know what they are doing. Wonder if it has anything to do with Garmin pulling it’s sponsorship next year???
If you’re looking at getting Vectors, just get a two Stages for two bikes if you need different crank arms!
Is it more a problem with power meter pedals rather than just Garmin?
Abstract
Powermeters have traditionally been integrated into the crankset but several manufacturers have designed new systems located elsewhere on the bike such as inside the pedals.
PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of the Keo power pedals during several laboratory cycling tasks.
METHODS: Ten active male participants (mean ± SD age 34.0 ± 10.6 y, height 1.77 ± 0.04 m, body mass 76.5 ± 10.7 kg), familiar with laboratory cycling protocols completed this study. Each participant was required to complete two laboratory cycling trials on an SRM ergometer (SRM, Germany) which was also fitted with the Keo power pedals (Look, France). The trials consisted of an incremental test to exhaustion followed by 10 min rest and then three 10 s sprint tests separated by 3 min of cycling at 100 W.
RESULTS: Over power ranges of 75-1147 W the Keo power pedal system produced typical error (TE) values of 0.40, 0.21 and 0.21 for the incremental, sprint and combined trials respectively, compared to the SRM. Mean differences of 21.0 W and 18.6 W were observed between trials 1 and 2 with the Keo system in the incremental and combined protocols respectively. In contrast the SRM produced differences of 1.3 W and 0.6 W for the same protocols respectively.
CONCLUSIONS: The power data from the Keo power pedals should be treated with some caution given the presence of mean differences between them and the SRM. Furthermore, this is exacerbated by poorer reliability than that of the SRM powermeter.
http://www.ncbi.nlm…ubmed/24896154/
I get the impression that installation and calibration are very specific. Also, if they are like my other Time and Keo pedals, the bearings develop and LOT of free play after only 4-6k miles. Hell my Time’s are only 4 months old and I’m debating if I need to replace them. It doesn’t appear that i can pull them apart to re-grease them.
Those types of errors can’t help power meter accuracy.
thanks, i was hoping to see some informed comments.
however, i find the accuracy issue surprising, i and a few other people i know use the vector and have found it to track other pm’s pretty well.
i was thinking it was a problem with durability or wireless interference.
I have a few athletes on them, and they seem to work. I really have a feeling it’s how it is installed, and the wireless transmission could also be an issue in a field of 180 riders. The numbers we were seeing from his race at Tour of San Luis would raise serious red flags.