Vector2 vs Powertap P1

Triathlon Forum
1

Ok I am leaning towards buying pedals. Not so much for switching between bikes but more for when I travel and rent bikes where I go.

I can buy the Garmin pedals for ~$200 less than Powertap which is the reason for the debate.

Pros for Garmin:

  1. Lower price
  2. cycling dynamics- I have no idea what this is.
  3. Second generation so a lot of initial bugs seem to be worked out

Cons for Garmin:

  1. Harder to install (separate POD)- looks like really no need for torque wrench though
  2. Some negative reviews but have not heard any bad on Vector2

Pros for Powertap

  1. Easiest Install
  2. battery
  3. Bluetooth and ant+

Cons for power tap

  1. Pedal is slightly different to look
  2. Higher price
  3. Just released

Any advice

2

I have not ridden either but own a shop that sells both. The P1s and the new chainring from PT really appear to superior to their competition. We will know for sure in 6 months. PTAs great customer service so I would not fret horribly about first generation. I am probably going to sell my trusty SRM and get the P1’s.

3

Garmin hasn’t leveraged the cycying dynamics so i wouldn’t even consider that.

I’m currently testing the P1s and so far so good.

4

Unfortunately, the P1s seem to be having major issues with power / cadence spikes (check out the comment thread at DCRainmaker’s P1 review). The big question is whether this a firmware problem or a hardware problem. If it weren’t for that, I’d go with the P1s over the Vectors in a heartbeat.

5

I’ll give you my $.02 on the garmin vector power meters.

I have the version 1, which to install requires you to be semi OCD, ensuring that everything is placed appropriately and whatnot. The V2 takes care of a majority of those problems and installation of the Vector 2 pedals is a lot easier, however it’s definitely not as easy as the powertap pedals… So there’s that.

Right now the Garmin Vectors are bugged as shit, lots of cadence dropouts, lack of connectivity between the head unit and the pedal pods. I have these issues. 90% of the time they work fine, but my last Saturday team ride, there were tons of cadence dropouts, power reading was ridiculously low like 200 watts at a full out sprint. I had to wait until the pedals turned off when we got to the gas station, once i booted the edge back up I was able to calibrate it appropriately and for the last 10 miles of our 50 mile ride, it was fine…

To answer the question about the vector 2’s solving issues, the hardware issues/complications with installation have indeed been fixed, however you will still have firmware/software issues.

That being said, Garmin has announced that they understand there are issues related to their pedal pods, and that a fix is coming soon:

https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?424-Vector

Garmin has definitely made a quality product that’s shrouded in crap. Once they get rid of these issues I honestly think that the garmin vectors could be one of the best power meters out there. I’ve ridden/used briefly an SRM power meter, powertap, and stages. Overall, I do think that pedal power meters are ideal, and I think that the vectors and the powertaps are both at a position where it’s difficult to pull the trigger on which one is actually better.

The Vectors are great, but they have issues that honestly should have been fixed years ago.
The Vector has more “nerdy/data” stuff like cycling dynamics

The powertap pedals were literally everything that garmin vector wanted their pedals to be.

It might be a good idea to wait and see what happens with each company.I don’t know when you plan on pulling the trigger on the pedals, but I honestly think that the vectors will be fixed and be such a great improvement when they fix the current issues, but I must admit that powertap makes a quality product, even with the current issues for such a new product.

6

So far I’ve only had one power spike in a few weeks of riding them. I have noticed some loss of communication with the right pedal (in which case the P1s use the left and double it). I can tell this is happening when my L/R % suddenly gets a lot closer to 50/50 compared to my normal 47/53 and my average power is about 6% loser compared to the PT Hub. I did notice that this didn’t seem to happen when I was only running the P1 and not both PMs (could be a coincidence).

It is (other than a PT Hub) the easiest PM to setup and move (<5 min). The data tracks awesome and other than the right pedal thing which I haven’t seen recently I can’t find any issues with it.

7

SRM and Quarq have to be sitting back with a huge smile. For whatever reason, garmin and PT can’t master pedal pm’s like SRM/Quarq has with crank based. Until Garmin or PT gets a hold on it (not sure if they ever will), I firmly believe crank based PM’s are the way to go.

8

I’ve been using P1’s for around 3 weeks. I’ve seen one big power spike. It was annoying for the remainder of that ride as my NP and TSS were wrong, as calculated by the head unit, but once I got home and the data was downloaded WKO removed the spike. Slightly frustrating briefly, but no big deal. Aside from that, I’ve ridden them on several occasions with my powertap wheel in, and the data has been very similar which is a good sign. There were issues when I tried to use both a 920xt watch and Edge 510 head unit at the same time, but i suspect this was because of the crank length not being able to be set in the 920xt. It was fine as soon as I turned the 920xt off. When I have used them with the 920xt on its own instead of the edge I did notice a few power and cadence dropouts, but with the edge 510 on its own I’ve seen none. So far, I’m happy.

9

I’ll give you my $.02 on the garmin vector power meters.

I have the version 1, which to install requires you to be semi OCD, ensuring that everything is placed appropriately and whatnot. The V2 takes care of a majority of those problems and installation of the Vector 2 pedals is a lot easier, however it’s definitely not as easy as the powertap pedals… So there’s that.

Right now the Garmin Vectors are bugged as shit, lots of cadence dropouts, lack of connectivity between the head unit and the pedal pods. I have these issues. 90% of the time they work fine, but my last Saturday team ride, there were tons of cadence dropouts, power reading was ridiculously low like 200 watts at a full out sprint. I had to wait until the pedals turned off when we got to the gas station, once i booted the edge back up I was able to calibrate it appropriately and for the last 10 miles of our 50 mile ride, it was fine…

To answer the question about the vector 2’s solving issues, the hardware issues/complications with installation have indeed been fixed, however you will still have firmware/software issues.

That being said, Garmin has announced that they understand there are issues related to their pedal pods, and that a fix is coming soon:

https://forums.garmin.com/forumdisplay.php?424-Vector

Garmin has definitely made a quality product that’s shrouded in crap. Once they get rid of these issues I honestly think that the garmin vectors could be one of the best power meters out there. I’ve ridden/used briefly an SRM power meter, powertap, and stages. Overall, I do think that pedal power meters are ideal, and I think that the vectors and the powertaps are both at a position where it’s difficult to pull the trigger on which one is actually better.

The Vectors are great, but they have issues that honestly should have been fixed years ago.
The Vector has more “nerdy/data” stuff like cycling dynamics

The powertap pedals were literally everything that garmin vector wanted their pedals to be.

It might be a good idea to wait and see what happens with each company.I don’t know when you plan on pulling the trigger on the pedals, but I honestly think that the vectors will be fixed and be such a great improvement when they fix the current issues, but I must admit that powertap makes a quality product, even with the current issues for such a new product.

this has been my experience as well; just last week I updated to V2 so let see if things go smoothly from now on.

10

garmin and PT can’t master pedal pm’s like SRM/Quarq has with crank based.IME, PowerTap has a much better history of making a unit that will work for years to come. I’ve had too many Quarq spiders go bad.

Just last month, both of my Quarqs went bad within a week of each other, and both spiders were replaced because they failed basic diagnostics. The whole reason I have two bikes and two PMs is so I always have something to ride/train on. Quarq’s support has always been fantastic, they answer emails fast, process RMAs quickly, and are up front about issues. I just want to need them less.

11

I was asking the same type of questions a few weeks ago.

After some considerable research I went with the P1’s. No issues so far with the spikes and the set up was very smooth. I run them with my 910xt.

12

Vector 2 hands down. I’ve been using Vector for about a year, and did have issues with installation and balance. However, once I have upgraded to Vector 2, I have had no issues whatsoever. The installation is lightyears simpler, straightforward, and the thing works with no issues at all. The Vector 2 is not noticeable because the pods are black.

As for the cycling dynamics, what the Vector 2 offers is not something to overlook. I am now in love with knowing how long was I standing or sitting in different rides, where I put the pressure on the pedal (on the platform and on the angle). What this tells me is that if I am using for example the right shoes or to attempt a hilly terrain by maximizing the time I sit down. It is really endless once you get into it.

As for price, even if the Vector 2 was more expensive I would still recommend them. Given that they are also cheaper the decision should be a no brainer.

13

I just got the P1s so I can trim what was a growing fleet of Powertaps. A week in I’m pretty happy. I keep getting a message that says “right sensor missing” but oddly power balance still shows up so I’m not sure what that’s about (writing this just reminded me to send PT support a message). Swapping between bikes is super simple. Honestly, there’s no way it could get any easier.

14

I just got the P1s so I can trim what was a growing fleet of Powertaps. A week in I’m pretty happy. I keep getting a message that says “right sensor missing” but oddly power balance still shows up so I’m not sure what that’s about (writing this just reminded me to send PT support a message). Swapping between bikes is super simple. Honestly, there’s no way it could get any easier.

I had a brief conversation with PT rep regarding this. It apparently has to do with the Garmin device looking for the left pedal as the master but the P1 uses the right pedal as the master (or maybe I have it backwards). Regardless, it is a non-issue that you can clear and power reading will be there. They mentioned they are working with Garmin and internally to provide a solution.

If you follow the other P1 thread on ST there is mention that PowerTap is coming out with cycling metrics as well. I would guess it will be similar to what Garmin is offering.

I’ve had my P1’s for about 1 month and they seem to be perfect so far. Hardest part of installation is removing the old cleats from my shoes and lining up the new cleats.

15

I just got the P1s so I can trim what was a growing fleet of Powertaps. A week in I’m pretty happy. I keep getting a message that says “right sensor missing” but oddly power balance still shows up so I’m not sure what that’s about (writing this just reminded me to send PT support a message). Swapping between bikes is super simple. Honestly, there’s no way it could get any easier.

I had a brief conversation with PT rep regarding this. It apparently has to do with the Garmin device looking for the left pedal as the master but the P1 uses the right pedal as the master (or maybe I have it backwards). Regardless, it is a non-issue that you can clear and power reading will be there. They mentioned they are working with Garmin and internally to provide a solution.

If you follow the other P1 thread on ST there is mention that PowerTap is coming out with cycling metrics as well. I would guess it will be similar to what Garmin is offering.

I’ve had my P1’s for about 1 month and they seem to be perfect so far. Hardest part of installation is removing the old cleats from my shoes and lining up the new cleats.

Good to know, thank you.

16

I don’t use either but have 2 friends with the Vectors and both have had major issues with accuracy and drop outs like crazy. One of them has had new pedals shipped from Garmin and ended up with the same problem for the second set too. I love my Garmin watches and head units but the Vectors seem like crap.

17

Been riding first gen Vectors over a year now. Tons of swapping between bikes. Zero issues.

18

P1 user here. Swapping between bikes is simple/fast. Have not experienced spikes/drops w/ power or cadence. Just spin the pedals, zero out (calibrate) on the Garmin and off I go. I do get the right power meter missing message from time to time, but all measurements including right/left balance is visible and downloads. Just waiting for Garmin to update 920 & 520 firmware to allow crank length adjustment.

I’m happy with the purchase.

19

I don’t use either but have 2 friends with the Vectors and both have had major issues with accuracy and drop outs like crazy. One of them has had new pedals shipped from Garmin and ended up with the same problem for the second set too. I love my Garmin watches and head units but the Vectors seem like crap.

Are they using the (grey) Vector 1s or the (black) vector 2s?
That is apparently a BIG factor. Reading above, the second gen seems to solve a lot of issues present in the first gen.

I’ve got the P1s since release and have been riding 3-4 times per week. I have had 2 power spikes, both at really inopportune times, in a TT and while doing a Sufferfest in golden cheetah train mode. The first messed up my AP number and the second made the little power plot worthless. I can work around the race-day spike messing up AP by changing that field to lap AP and hitting the lap button. Sure, it won’t be for the entire race, but a TT should be pretty steady, so as long as I am not constantly getting spikes (which it doesn’t) that’s fine. I do not know how to fix the second issue. Perhaps if there is a different plot in GC that only shows a 30 second window and not the whole activity, I’d just wait till it clears and then re-scales.

The biggest pro: super easy install. Seriously, it is crazy fast. I should time it next time, but I’m certain it is under 5 minutes…probably 2-3. It is a little more than swapping around a PT wheel, but you don’t have to touch a greasy chain. I follow the DCR advice and make sure to get a couple hard stomps to make sure they seat.

My biggest con: battery life. I use rechargeable eneloops and sometimes I get 5-6 rides and sometimes I get a low battery warning after putting in freshly charged batteries. Sometimes I power cycle the garmin and that clears the message and the pedals last several rides. Sometimes it doesn’t and I worry that they will die mid-ride. The rechargeables have a lower initial voltage, so I am sure that is the cause of the battery warnings. I may just give up and use alkalines. With those, people are getting 50+ hours.

As for cleats being ‘not quite looks’…eh. You can get replacement cleats for $20 from PT or $10 if you search around. They are somewhat standard Wellgo RC-7.

20

OK leaning towards the Powertap pedals. I know they use a slightly different cleat Wellgo???

With that said if I want to buy non powertap cleats for my other bikes can I by wellgo pedals to work with the powertap cleats?