I’m thinking about making the jump to a power meter as a Christmas and birthday present. Because of my bike setup (one 2x11 campagnolo, one 3x9 shimano) I’m pretty much limited to pedal based solutions and am torn between the Vector 3 and the Favero Assioma.
Normally I’d probably side with Garmin as I already have a few of their products but the reports of dropouts and battery issues are making me nervous. Anyone used either/both and want to offer me some feedback? The Assiomas are a little cheaper where I am but not hugely.
Same. Have had Assioma Duo for the past 4-5 months and they’ve been perfect. I was especially surprised by battery life and how well they hold a charge even when not being used.
@pirnie ditch the cleats they come with. I used them for about a month and indeed had issues with tension. Luckily (I guess?), I foolishly “hiked” a short trail to the top of a volcanic crater that came at the end of a climb—shredding those cleats to pieces in the process.
Picked up Keos as a replacement and they’ve been much much better.
I have dual sided Vector 3s. Once I got the replacement battery covers, I’ve had zero issues. Batteries also lasted me about 3 months with roughly 6-7 hrs of use per week. Cleats are basically Keos. I’d recommend them now. When they first shipped and I first had them, I wouldn’t have. Now? I think they’ve got all the issues fixed so definitely recommend.
Vector 3 also, still using the shipped battery. Purchased mid July. No issues with the cleats. TrainerRoad says the battery is still at 25%. 6 to 7 hours a week also.
I’ve had my Assioma’s since the end of January (?) and they’ve been awesome. No issues switching between my bikes and solid indoors and outdoors (just raced today in -2°C with 50km/h wind gusts for extra wind chill and they behaved fine as well, along with in wet triathlons this summer). My buddy who picked up the Vector 3’s has had alot of issues with consistency and big jumps up and down between rides, but that’s the only person I actually know who’s running them (and I’m the only one with the Assioma’s).
I actually have used both and I would say I prefer the Assioma by a long shot. The vectors have had a number of issues, such as spikes and drops, replacement of the battery door, and issues calibrating. Plus battery life is less than ideal.
I’ve used the Assioma’s for about 10 months, had no issues with dropouts. Well supported with a couple of solid firmware updates.
The Assioma’s are cheaper, more accurate, support oval rings, and come without the production problems of the Vectors (although supposedly this is now fixed). It seems like a no-brainer.
About the only thing that Garmin has at the moment is Cycling Dynamics, although supposedly Assiomas will adopt this shortly when the ANT+ pedalling dynamics standard is published. Plus I guess global support for the Garmins are better
The default spring tension is extremely firm, but I loosened it right off and now have no problems. I am still on the supplied cleats, but it’s probably about time I installed the Keo’s I have sitting in my spares box …
Hi, I’ve had/have all dual Vector versions, and now Vector 3 dual power meters. I upgraded my Vector to Vector 2 when I got my Vector 3 but I’ve not riden them because I’m saving them for fiancé’s bike. The Vector 3 is a much better solution than the previous versions and are basically complete plug and play so I would recommend them. I’m not familiar with Assioma?
Thanks for the input everyone! Sounds like pretty much a wash between the two now Garmin seem to have their battery issues sorted! Good to know. I’ll see if either goes on a good deal between now and Christmas and make a decision if they do
I would guess he has a calibration issue. I had spikes when I would switch between bikes because I just didn’t calibrate them with my Bolt after switching. Rookie mistake. Once I started calibrating them any time I made a setup change, they’ve been consistent. Calibration takes about five seconds.
I’ve got the Vector 3 dual sided powermeters. It’s a real eye opener to how hard or not you are working! Just some of the stats like total time coasting etc are surprising. With the Garmin Vector 3 you also get the cycling dynamics which are great for data nerds (like me) or scientists as @Nate_Pearson says . You get to see L-R balance amongst other stats. I’ve had no problems with mine regarding the battery problems but I did only manage about 50 hours of use with the first set (did say I was a data geek) but that might be down to how long they were in the box before I got them? Overall I’d recommend them, even more if they’d drop the price a bit.
It was happening between rides without changing anything while his bike was on the trainer too, which also helped show how out of whack things were against his Neo.
That’s probably the battery cover issue, especially if he bought them before, say, June. I had drop outs and spikes until I contacted Garmin for the newly designed covers. They sent them out for free. Since replacing them, I’ve had no spikes or drop outs on the road nor on the trainer.
. You get to see L-R balance amongst other stats. I’ve had no problems with mine regarding the battery problems but I did only manage about 50 hours of use with the first set (did say I was a data geek) but that might be down to how long they were in the box before I got them? Overall I’d recommend them, even more if they’d drop the price a bit.