Vamoots58
05-30-2016, 07:55 AM
Been in the market for a power meter for over a year. I spent as much time comparing the various non-crank options as I did debating whether I should even bother. As an almost 52 year old cyclist, what am I really going to gain? I am a little data/numbers obsessed, so intellectually it seemed like it would be interesting to get a better understanding of how I perform mechanically. Ended up deciding on the Vector 2. Major factors in decision were same manufacturer compatibility with my Edge 810 and given the redesign of the pods, the installation looked a lot less finicky, so swapping between two bikes shouldn't be a big deal. Installation was super easy! I do 100% of my own wrenching so how hard could this be? In retrospect, I was a little cavalier with the instructions and cost muself a bunch of work. Did the initial install, set the installation angles of the pods (thats the calibration, right?). Headed out and the numbers didn't make sense. Big ring flat road grind 110W?? 3 degree uphill climb in little chainring 600W??? Normalized Power 125W, Avg Power 90W (feeble). Back to the manual, Oh, there is another calibration step...dope!! Second ride back to the flat road big ring, 23 mph, putting out 110W, wow would have thought it would be higher. Normalized Power 100W, Avg Power 88W (yikes, I hope I did something else wrong) Oh wait, you didn't input your crank length, nope they aren't 100mm, double dope!! OK installation angles set, Calibrated, crank length set. Third time is a charm, quick 20 miles to confirm my initial stupidity (x2). Normalized Power 202W, Avg Power 178W, more like what i expected. In retrospect, the set-up could of and should of been super easy. The Edge 810 pages were very easy to customize. Already learning things about my pedaling mechanics. Right/Left balance opposite of what i thought. If you're in the market for a non-crank power meter I would give an early recommendation for the Vector 2. Going to be a ton to learn and hopefully I don't let all this data get own the way of enjoying the ride!! Already took in the need to slow down and pay attention to the directions!! Apologies for the rambling length!