We travelled to the Castle Combe motor racing circuit to get the lowdown on the new Vector power pedal at a training day hosted by Garmin for their dealers. 

We heard presentations from (and put questions to) Garmin product manager, Andrew Silver, and Madison-Genesis rider, Liam Holohan, a qualified coach and long-term advocate of power-based training.

Over the next eight pages, we’ll look in detail at the American firm’s much-delayed offering in the power market, and report our own early experiences.

We’ll be conducting a long-term test on the pedals, riding them throughout the looming winter months, and providing regular reports on their performance in conditions likely to be less favourable than those we experienced on a glorious August day in Wiltshire.

We’ll set the ball rolling with some key facts. 

Garmin Vector at a glance

The Garmin Vector costs £1,349.99, and so represents a significant investment even for the most dedicated cyclist.

Force on the pedal is captured by eight strain gauges in the spindle, and combined with the crank cadence and length to calculate power in watts.

Garmin claims accuracy to within +/- two per cent, an ‘industry standard’ arrived at after 18-months of comparative testing on machines also equipped with PowerTap and SRM devices.

Data metrics include Functional Threshold Power, Normalised Power, and a Training Stress Score. Future metrics will be downloadable from Garmin Connect and are likely to include pedal stroke analysis.

The Vector provides power data to any ANT+ enabled device, including  the following Garmin units: the Forerunner 310XT and 910XT, and Edge 500, 510, 705, 800, and 810. More sophisticated models offer greater functionality.

The pedal pods and all aspects of the Exustar-manufactured composite pedal are replaceable.

The cleat is LOOK Keo compatible only but future iterations could encompass other platforms. A mountain bike pedal is likely to be the next development.

You can now ready our full review of the Garmin Vector Power Pedals here.