Background about me: Mid to BOP (see - not trying to KQ), never used power, not heavy on data, looking to finish an IM, finished a half. 32 year old male. I’m not trying to break the bank on all new upgrades, unless absolutely necessary.
I am just getting to the point of dipping my toes into the power meter arena from HR. I’ve done some reading on the Garmin Vector 2 and 3. I know the 3 is just now hitting the market. I’ve talked with potential coaches, none of which said they need dual sided power to accomplish what I’m looking for. As such, I’m really probably only looking at 2s vs. 3s. I’ve read about the pods being gone and done quite a bit of research on both.
My question is this: If I am just getting into the power meter game, do I really NEED the 3s, or will the 2s suffice? Thank you in advance for any and all help.
2’s will suffice but its nicer to have dual side. I have that metric on my Garmin to know what percent is going on each side and try and alter the way I sit to get to 50/50.
You don’t need dual-sided power, but you do need accurate power. Taking power from one pedal and doubling it is not accurate. If price is a concern, I’d take a pair of dual-sided Vector 2 pedals (not 2s) over a pair of the single-sided 3s any day. That said, if you plan to swap pedals across more than one bike, the Vector 3’s without the pods will be infinitely easier.
Get the Vector 3 pedals. I had the Vector 2 pedals and installation was annoying, the pod is annoying, etc. Further more, it did not track consistently against my SRM or PowerTap units. I installed every time with a torque wrench, calibrated every ride and still had those issues.
I have the new Vector 3 pedals and they are great. Lighter, more aero, track perfectly with my SRM units (a couple of watts higher because of where they are measuring, but the power tracking is spot on), installation is a breeze, etc. They are everything the Vector and Vector 2 promised to be but weren’t. I bought some from the BicycleDoctor who sometimes list on here and they were like $810 shipped. Best price I’ve seen so far.
The other thing I’ve noticed that would likely be a deciding factor is the 2 is weighted to only 200lbs. The 3 is weighted to 231lbs. I am curious as to how true to form these numbers are.
There were some really good sales on the Vector 2 that are almost the same as the Vector 3s. I’d go with the 2 if you don’t plan to switch bikes very often. I have 2 sets of the Vector 2 and IMHO they are great. I don’t switch bikes very often anymore now that I have 2 sets, but when I did, I didn’t have any problems with power (matches my Kickr trainer very closely). I got so good, I don’t even need a torque wrench anymore. I can pretty much ‘feel’ when I have the torque over the required value.
I will eventually get the Vector 3, but since I’m in no hurry, I’ll wait till next year when I can get some 20 to 25% sales.
I’ve read the weight limit is Garmin just being very conservative.
If you get the Vector 3 pedals (and why wouldnt you, great battery life, easy to swap over, takes look keo pedals, light), you can pair them with a Wahoo bolt but to get them to pair with the phone app and update them, you need to connect the 3s to a Garmin computer the first time. After that all seems fine, but for some reason (and Garmin doesnt know), they wont connect to the phone app or Garmin express (even tho my laptop picks them up) without first being paired with a Garmin computer.