Garmin Officially announces Vector -pedal based Power system

[RobGrinter]

Garmin have officially announced the the release of the much anticipated Vector pedal based power meter system.
Expected release in Australia is March 2012 with estimated price of $1499

Those travelling to the Aus bike show in Melbourne this weekend will be able to see it live at the Garmin stand.

Keep a look out for our link tomorrow where customers will be able to place a pre-order deposit to commit to being the first to obtain this long awaited Power system upon its release in March.

More information to follow....


Garmin® Brings Power to the People with Vector™

Posted August 18, 2011 | 06:02 AM in Outdoor/Fitness | Permalink



OLATHE, Kan./August 18, 2011/Business Wire — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the unveiling of Vector – a high-precision pedal based power meter – designed for cyclists, by cyclists. Vector is the lightest weight direct measurement power meter on the market, and designed for quick installation, portability, and ease-of-use. Taking only minutes to install, Vector provides accurate and reliable power data and uniquely measures and presents right and left leg power balance to ANT+™ compatible head units.



Vector was announced in preparation for a world unveiling tour beginning at Australia’s Ausbike, then climbing to Germany’s Eurobike, and finally sprinting to Las Vegas’ Interbike where it will be prominently displayed at Garmin booths in each location.

“We are excited to get this innovative product into your hands – and under your feet,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin’s vice president of worldwide sales. “From picking it up at your local bike shop and installing at home in minutes, to giving you accurate and reliable total and independent leg power measurements, Vector becomes one of the most desirable solutions in the cycling market. It’s similar to going from 2D to 3D,” Bartel continued. “There’s a richness in data and capabilities that come from the combination of our location of measurement – the pedals – and Vector’s sensor design.”

Quick and easy: For many cycling enthusiasts, purchasing a power meter is an intimidating and potentially complicated process, often involving mechanical tradeoffs for their bikes. Vector simplifies the decisions and the process. Cyclists can now walk into their local bike shop, walk out with a Vector power meter in hand, and install it themselves in minutes. There’s no need for a custom order process, no need for a mechanic, and no downtime while their bike is in the shop. With integrated cadence measurement, there are no external sensors to install, and all calibration is performed before the Vector power meter hits the store shelves. Vector’s easy-to-install design makes it easy to swap between bikes, and easy to take to out-of-town events when renting or borrowing a bike. Vector’s light weight and durable injected carbon fiber pedals are LOOK Keo compatible, and its ANT+ wireless pedal pod transmitters fit most major cranksets. Vector has also been designed to be easy to update as software enhancements are made, thanks to its ANT+ wireless technology. To see Vector in action, go to www.garmin.com/Vector .

Wizardry behind the watts: Vector works by measuring the normal deflection in the pedal spindle as you pedal, throughout your entire pedal stroke. By comparing the measured deflection to a factory-calibrated deflection caused by a known load, Vector can determine how much force you’re applying to the pedal. With force measurements, the cadence measurements from Vector’s integrated accelerometers, and time, Vector accurately calculates watts. The force sensors are permanently and securely sealed within the pedal spindle, one of the most robust components on the bike.

Get an ‘Edge’ on the competition: For users already using a Garmin Edge® 800 or Edge 500 cycling computer, adding a Vector power meter will take their training to the next level. Not only will the Edge display total power, left and right leg power, and cadence, it will now also display in real-time the widely adopted power metrics from TrainingPeaks™: Normalized Power (NP ™), Intensity Factor (IF ™) and Training Stress Score (TSS ™). The Edge 800 adds a new interval summary page to enhance the power-based training experience.

“Vector’s easy-to-own design has the potential to make power-based training more accessible and usable by a broader range of athletes,” said Hunter Allen, founder of Peaks Coaching Group and widely regarded as a leading expert in training with a power meter. “In addition, by integrating the TrainingPeaks metrics of Normalized Power, Intensity Factor and Training Stress Score directly into the Edge head units for real-time display, Garmin continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to advancing power-based cycling tools.”

Complete the suite: For post-ride analysis, mapping, course and workout creating and detailed power metrics, Garmin Connect™ is a tool for every level cyclist. With over 1 billion miles logged, users will never be stuck without a new route to explore. At Garmin Connect, cyclists can explore other user’s workouts and send them directly to compatible Garmin fitness products to follow. Having all of their cycling electronics and analysis from one brand means they can trust the equipment, the user experience and the support.

Vector will be available in March 2012 and will have a suggested retail price of $1,499.99.

Vector is the latest breakthrough from Garmin, which has spent more than 20 years developing technologies and innovations to enhance users’ lives, making Garmin a household name in the automotive, aviation, marine, wireless, outdoor and fitness industries. For more about features, pricing and availability, as well as information about Garmin’s other products and services, go to www.garmin.com , www.garmin.blogs.com and http://twitter.com/garmin . To watch step-by-step, feature-specific tutorial videos for the Vector and other Garmin products, visit the online learning center at www.garmin.com/learningcenter .

[RobGrinter]

Check out Garmins new website for the Vector pedal;

http://sites.garmin.com/vector/#info

[toolonglegs]

US $1500 ...yeah I think I will pass on that till price drops about 200% .

[RobGrinter]

Note: The Vector will be using the LOOK Keo peal system, with other brands expected to be supported after release.

Pre release ordering is now available. http://www.highlytunedathletes.com.au/Garmin-Vector-Pedal-based-Power-System_p492E5126-92F6-4E8A-B1B2-2B9DB554E5C5.html

[sogood]

US $1500 ...yeah I think I will pass on that till price drops about 200% .

You'll break it anyway.

[toolonglegs]

US $1500 ...yeah I think I will pass on that till price drops about 200% .

You'll break it anyway.

Actually I seem to be pretty good with pedals .
$1500 plus a head?...seems like a lot of money.I was thinking they were going to pump them out at a reasonable price.

[Oxford]

Price aside (yeah it is a bit exxy) and assuming they have the back ground firmware and software sorted accurately it sounds fairly good. I'm not that experienced with this sort of thing but being able to monitor left and right leg independently sounds like a great way to monitor a riders development. I'm sure most people favour one leg over another, this could help sort out imbalances.

[Comedian]

Ok... the thing I wanted to know was that I can buy an 800 and know it will be compatible should I ever want to go that way. Excellent.

[HAKS]

Been following this since Garmin acquired Metrigear last year. Good to see it finally coming to market but disappointing no speedplay option to start with. I recall Metrigear had been working around speedplays which gave me some hope but guess I'll have to wait a little longer.

[duke6amer]

Why no mention of compatibility with an older Edge705 model?
Are there different features available with the 500 & 800 Heads?
Most expensive pedals in the world at this stage.

[duke6amer]

Note: The Vector will be using the LOOK Keo peal system, with other brands expected to be supported after release.

Pre release is now available. http://www.highlytunedathletes.com.au/Garmin-Vector-Pedal-based-Power-System_p492E5126-92F6-4E8A-B1B2-2B9DB554E5C5.html

Hi Rob, where is that statement?

[MichaelB]

$1,499 - Holy Hell Batman - I thought it was meant to be more affordable than the other options.

Makes it still out of reach for most people. Probably pretty damn good though. Be interestuing to see user feedback once it gets out there.

Does the Garmin team use it then ?

[bomber]

It's not actually Look Keo pedal but rather Exustar 'Look compatible' pedal i.e. you can use the same cleats.

[nutsack]

I was really keen on this system but was hoping for a sub $1000 price point.

Maybe in 12 months or when the dollar reaches US$1.50

[MikeyD360]

Prior to seeing this, I had only ever seen the carbon fibre FSA power meter crank at the cheap price of $4,500, so $1,499 for the Garmin power meter seems pretty reasonable to me... is there another available product that is cheaper?

[RobGrinter]

We have just had confirmed that the pricing for Vector pedal will be locked at maximum $1495.

If prices change it will only be down not up.

Standard warning too is that this will be a hot product and sought after. Stocks will be limited.
Get your 'no quibles' refundable deposit in asap to get yourself in the queue. We have had pre-deposit buy up since only midnight last night and sales are strong.

Pre-Order with deposit herte; http://www.highlytunedathletes.com.au/Garmin-Vector-Pedal-based-Power-System_p492E5126-92F6-4E8A-B1B2-2B9DB554E5C5.html

More information will be loaded on to our website this afternoon.

[twizzle]

Prior to seeing this, I had only ever seen the carbon fibre FSA power meter crank at the cheap price of $4,500, so $1,499 for the Garmin power meter seems pretty reasonable to me... is there another available product that is cheaper?

Yes.

[winstonw]

I had been putting off buying a 500 and 800 to see what the next step up was. Knew they were working on a pedal power meter.
Will wait to see what the first 3-6 mths in the wild reveals about the product.

[Aushiker]

Hi

DC Rainmaker has a bit of a write-up on the Vector. Worth a read in my view.

Vector will deliver both combined (standard) power wattage numbers to any ANT+ power meter, for example a non Garmin unit, or older Garmin units that support power – like the FR310XT. However, for the Garmin Edge lineup they’ll also deliver Left/Right power. In fact, the Garmin Edge 800 will also be getting an update to bring it other power meter data fields it previously didn’t have. The Edge 800 will be receiving a firmware update that enables a new interval mode, which allows you to track power across a series of intervals.

Additionally, both the Edge 500 and Edge 800 will be getting Normalized Power (NP), Intensity Factor (IF) and Training Stress Score (TSS) data metrics/fields added. For folks that train by power meters, these highly requested fields will be more than welcomed.

Andrew

[sogood]

Good. Look Keo users can be the guinea pigs while I wait for a SPD-SL version.

[Rockford]

Then there is the Brim Brothers one (if it ever gets released)
http://www.brimbrothers.com/2011/06/announcing-zone/

[Marty Moose]

Looks good could spell the end of SRM and the others if its reliable, its much cheaper.

MM

[sogood]

Looks good could spell the end of SRM and the others if its reliable, its much cheaper.

Or the competition will force a price drop.

[Marty Moose]

SRM cost around 4k that's some price drop! I hope you are right

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk

[sogood]

SRM cost around 4k that's some price drop! I hope you are right

I think it'll be a major risk to SRM if the quality of data is on par. Fact is, SRM (and PowerTap) has significant production cost compared to Vector and a price war will hurt them a lot more. Yet again, Vector will be stretched to keep up with demand and there's no reason to lower their price point and margin for a while to come, I suspect.