Hi Guys!
I am about to buy my first ever power meter (besides the one on my smart trainer) and am thinking about either getting the Garmin Vector 3 (Or 3S and then upgrade) or a Quarq Crank spider based on (as they seem to be very good).
One concern i have is that the Quarq will only fit the current groupset (For me the Ultegra 6800) and won’t be useable on a new bike.
Do you guys have any recommendations?
Best regards,
Alex
I think both are good options and my only advice is that powermeters are like bikes: one is seldom enough.
Maybe I’m just lazy but I like being able to pick the bike I need/want to ride and not have to fool around switching cranks or pedals.
Is switching between bikes important? Yes = pedals; No = crank
Is future compatibility important? Yes = pedals; No = crank
Do you prefer a particular pedal (Speedplay, Shimano, Look, etc.)? Yes = crank; No = pedals
Is L/R power important? Yes = pedals; No = crank
Is total power important? Yes = crank or V3; No = V3s
Is switching between bikes important? Not yet, but probably soon
Is future compatibility important? Yes
Do you prefer a particular pedal (Speedplay, Shimano, Look, etc.)? Only used Shimano Pedals / Cleat system so far, but ultegra/dura ace pedals seem rather similar compared to the garmins…
Is L/R power important? Never had this feature yet, so hard to determine it’s worth
Is total power important? asaf. you do get total power with 3s aswell, only it is extrapolated (i.e. 2x left power)
So probably the garmin ones are the smarter choice for me?
L/R power is probably not a big deal. I have it, and I like it—I can see how my power balance changes with fatigue and effort, but it is not really actionable.
Total power is different. I think it is important, and 3s pedals do not give you total power. They double left power, which can be very inaccurate if you have a power imbalance.
L/R power is probably not a big deal. I have it, and I like it—I can see how my power balance changes with fatigue and effort, but it is not really actionable.
Total power is different. I think it is important, and 3s pedals do not give you total power. They double left power, which can be very inaccurate if you have a power imbalance.
I think i go with the Vector3S and try them as i then still got the chance to upgrade and get the mentionned feature
Many thanks for your help!
Is switching between bikes important? Yes = pedals; No = crank
You can swap cranks faster than pedals. You can swap a rear wheel faster than you can swap cranks.
yeah the left crank (like stages, which i heard isn’t any good) you are probably right, but for the crank-spider i guess it is a bit inconvenient
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You can swap cranks faster than pedals. You can swap a rear wheel faster than you can swap cranks.
Not for everyone. And, only if the BBs are compatible; that is getting less common as well. I prefer to swap pedals over cranks any day. A hub PM was not on the OP’s original list.
You can swap cranks faster than pedals. You can swap a rear wheel faster than you can swap cranks.
Not for everyone. And, only if the BBs are compatible; that is getting less common as well. I prefer to swap pedals over cranks any day. A hub PM was not on the OP’s original list.
I don’t like hub powermeters as you would need two separate meters for cheap training wheels and race wheels
Have you considered a Power2Max crank based pm? I now have two - tri bike and road bike - and have had zero issues in nearly two years of use. Changing a battery is all I’ve done. I don’t have personal experience with either the Vector pedals or a Quarq, but am just chiming in as a very content P2M user.
Have you considered a Power2Max crank based pm? I now have two - tri bike and road bike - and have had zero issues in nearly two years of use. Changing a battery is all I’ve done. I don’t have personal experience with either the Vector pedals or a Quarq, but am just chiming in as a very content P2M user.
haven’t heard much about it yet, but will dig deeper! many thanks 
yeah the left crank (like stages, which i heard isn’t any good) you are probably right, but for the crank-spider i guess it is a bit inconvenient
People who haven’t swapped have no idea.
You can swap cranks faster than pedals. You can swap a rear wheel faster than you can swap cranks.
Not for everyone. And, only if the BBs are compatible; that is getting less common as well. I prefer to swap pedals over cranks any day. A hub PM was not on the OP’s original list.
Not trying to pile on here, but another factor is that some folks use several sets of pedals on the same bike, and thus might choose a crank-based power meter. My travel bike is a cyclocross bike; sometimes I use it with speedplay pedals and light road wheels; sometimes with MTB pedals and fatter tires. And I can swap the crank to my road bike.
I have used Quarq’s since their beginning…they are amazing. Outstanding customer service. Easy to setup and use. Calibration simple. Same BB - super easy to swap between bikes…but I have 3 Quarq’s - one on each bike - partly due to BB issues and partly because I’m too lazy to swap them.
You can get L/R on the Quarq’s by the way - but I don’t really focus on that info - mine almost always read within 2-4% of each other.
And with the new Quarq’s - you aren’t limited as much with the cranks - mine are - I couldn’t switch the length if I wanted … but now - you can - and you can use a wide variety of crank options… (unlike say Pioneer - which will not work with carbon cranks).
Just to let you know. Have no experience with Garmin Vector 3s … but my friend has an earlier version - PITA to set up and calibrate. Another friend had an issue with a pod - due to damage while riding or something… but they seem pretty simple now to use as well.
I have used Quarq’s since their beginning…they are amazing. Outstanding customer service. Easy to setup and use. Calibration simple. Same BB - super easy to swap between bikes…but I have 3 Quarq’s - one on each bike - partly due to BB issues and partly because I’m too lazy to swap them.
You can get L/R on the Quarq’s by the way - but I don’t really focus on that info - mine almost always read within 2-4% of each other.
And with the new Quarq’s - you aren’t limited as much with the cranks - mine are - I couldn’t switch the length if I wanted … but now - you can - and you can use a wide variety of crank options… (unlike say Pioneer - which will not work with carbon cranks).
Just to let you know. Have no experience with Garmin Vector 3s … but my friend has an earlier version - PITA to set up and calibrate. Another friend had an issue with a pod - due to damage while riding or something… but they seem pretty simple now to use as well.
Many thanks! The Quarq’s seem very good as i think i never heard anything bad about them…
The only thing making me hesitate is that my bike is nearly 3 years old and I am just not sure whether the next groupset i will use will be compatible or if I then need to get a new Powermeter as well…
I have used Quarq’s since their beginning…they are amazing. Outstanding customer service. Easy to setup and use. Calibration simple. Same BB - super easy to swap between bikes…but I have 3 Quarq’s - one on each bike - partly due to BB issues and partly because I’m too lazy to swap them.
You can get L/R on the Quarq’s by the way - but I don’t really focus on that info - mine almost always read within 2-4% of each other.
And with the new Quarq’s - you aren’t limited as much with the cranks - mine are - I couldn’t switch the length if I wanted … but now - you can - and you can use a wide variety of crank options… (unlike say Pioneer - which will not work with carbon cranks).
Just to let you know. Have no experience with Garmin Vector 3s … but my friend has an earlier version - PITA to set up and calibrate. Another friend had an issue with a pod - due to damage while riding or something… but they seem pretty simple now to use as well.
Just to touch on this briefly. I had Vector 2 pedals and I was not happy with their pods, setup or accuracy. They never tracked well with my SRM power meter or my Powertab Hub. Anyway, I am loving my Vector 3 pedals. Accurate, easy to install, no more dicking around. They track perfectly with my SRM and Powertap. All within a few percentage points, which is expected due to where they measure. Anyway, they are great. Whatever way you go there are a lot of good suggestions here. Vector 3 pedals (get the dual), Quarq, Powertap, SRM. All very very good.
Have you considered the power tap pedals? I had the Garmin Vector 2 and I much prefer Powertap pedals. Easy peasy to install much like the Vectors and less expensive.
Have you considered the power tap pedals? I had the Garmin Vector 2 and I much prefer Powertap pedals. Easy peasy to install much like the Vectors and less expensive.
I actually did use the Powertap pedals after getting rid of the Vector 2 pedals. I did like them, but I ended up giving them to my girlfriend. I had no issues with them at all, but they are a bit heavy and tested a bit slower for me in the tunnel because of their profile. Accuracy wise they were pretty good. Much better than the Vector 2 pedals, but didn’t always track consistently against my SRM. The Vector 3 pedals I actually bought from BicycleDoctor for ~$810 shipped…for the dual. I think that is cheaper than the old Vector 2 pedals and Powertap stuff. The Vector 3 pedals are what Garmin promised with the old versions years ago, but only could deliver now.
At any rate, the Powertap pedals are another very good option!