It's fair to say
that all PM users make their own individual journeys in relation to their power measurement devices, and how thy use them - but it seems that there may be some typical patterns
that evolve - particularly in relation to self-coached athletes - some common errors
that self-coached athletes tend to make - some of which I have myself previously worked my
way through.
I've been training with a power meter for a number of years now, and have read and accumulated a large amount of information on the topic. I've put many ideas into practice - with varying rates of success. Keep what works, discard what doesn't - adapt and evolve..
The following is a
summarised version of an insightful discussion thread from a well known forum,
mixed with some feedback of my own. One post in particular resonated with me, as it touched on some common and key issues that I have experienced - and also frequently come across both on-line and in conversation..
They picked up "The Book" (Training and
Racing with a Power Meter), possibly Joe Friel's book, a power meter, and then
set about trying to figure this all out. Granted this isn't everyone. A lot of
people just slap the power meter on for fun, and never really make an effort.
But a lot of analytically minded people, with various career backgrounds and
interests, figured they'd give it go. ..
Keith Hack has posted his latest creation and accompanying DIY guide for the V3 cycle power meter. This design and accompanying software are claimed to measure L/R power. Fabulous..
Since the announcement of the Garmin Vector 500 there has been much interest in the first commercially available pedal based cycling power meter system. It's an exciting development in the power meter space, and all over the web I have seen many questions raised about the specifics of how the Vector will work (and other related questions) - but to date have seen few answers.
All moving parts for the pedal are covered under warranty from Garmin.
Garmin will take a parts and accessories approach to the individual components of
the Vector system (for incidents not covered under warranty). The
following components will be offered as accessories:
A) Pedal Body (outside, the PR2 platform piece)
B) Pedal Cartridge (this is what the spindle lives in)
C) Cleats (both a 6-degree cleat and a fixed cleat)
D) Pedal Pod
A, B & C may be treated as a single component.
Pedal Pod Vulnerability:
Should you break the pedal pod (transmitter), the replacement part is available as an
accessory per above. Expected to be approximately $50usd (seems they will be sold in pairs).
Data Transmission:
The two pedals work as a
master/slave system. The right pedal is master, and the
left pedal the slave. From a data transmission standpoint, the left
pedal sends data to the right pedal using a non-ANT+ proprietary network protocol, which is then transmitted from the right pedal
to the head unit using ANT+.
When transmitted from the right
pedal to the head unit using ANT+, total power is transmitted alongside
of % of power of the right pedal (which allows the head unit to do
simple math for the left pedal).
In the event the left pedal is
broken/removed/stolen/etc, the system will still transmit right pedal
power. However, if the unit loses the right pedal it will not transmit
power.
Calibration and Auto-zero:
Unlike most of
the power meters today using foil strain gauges, these use silicon
strain gauges mounted in glass on stainless steal. With this change additional manual calibration doesn’t need to occur
once it leaves the factory.
Auto zero of the unit will be possible – either manually or automatically.
Power (Trainingpeaks) Mertics:
The Edge 500, 800, FR310XT
and the new Forerunner to be announced will all report the TrainingPeaks
metrics of TSS (Training Stress Score), IF (Intensity Factor), and NP
(Normalized Power). These will be included within the same update reportedly scheduled for
later this month.
Pedal Manufacturer Support:
Doesn't seem that other pedal manufacturers will be supported (Speedplay, etc). Garmin cite commercial factors as key driver..
DC Rainmaker's original article is very thorough, and really serves to
fill those gaps in the detail around this product that seem to be absent
from the public arena to date.
I recommend you take a look if you are seeking the detailed lowdown around the points mentioned herein. Full credit is due to the creator of the original article..
