Vector 3 L/R Balance and Coasting

Hello--I searched the forums and couldn't find this question asked and/or answered:

When coasting on the road with the Vector 3 I noticed frequent spikes to 100%L for L/R Balance but with corresponding Power of 0 (or very low <10W).

I'm wondering if the L/R balance algorithm ignores these Zero Power readings?

Hopefully enclosed is a screen capture from a portion of a recent ride that shows 3 examples of 100%L Balance and 0 Watts Power.

Vector 3 L-R Balance.pdf

0 Nicklas over 4 years ago

I have the same issue but even more so as I get these 100% spikes quite often. I have so far only got the suggestion from support to update to the latest software (which I already had).

Have you come any further in understanding the reason for this?

0 sboggs4 over 4 years ago

I frequently see 100% spikes generally on the left pedal. I thought something must be wrong with one of the pedals but Garmin says they are working normally. When I corelate the spikes to cadence and power, it seems they generally occur at very low rpms and power output. My assumption is one of the pedals is just more sensitive than the other but it doesn't really seem to skew my total or average power.

0 Luko79 over 4 years ago in reply to sboggs4

as i read, the beta firmware is fixing this (or the right pedal problem) issue, so lets wait the public fw and check it again.

0 f|33tStA over 4 years ago in reply to sboggs4

you cleaned battery body with alcohol and you use bayboil?

0 PaulDN81 over 4 years ago

Hopefully the beta software will take care of this. Another suggestion if you are experiencing weird issues is to try using CR1/3N batteries. They aren't "officially" supported by Garmin but they do work (and there are posts here where Garmin has implied them being ok without outright saying it). If you do try them it's very important you make sure you get the polarity right when installing them but the remove a potential failure point since there is no longer contact between 2 batteries.

0 VeloManR over 4 years ago

Do you habitually stop pedaling with the same leg down? If so, that may be the explanation. You’re not pedaling, but one pedal is bearing your weight and the other is not. This seems fixable in software, but essentially it is not in itself a defect or a source of bad or confounding data.

I contrast this with the power spikes that follow data drop-outs. These screw up all my power statistics!

0 alancanfield over 4 years ago in reply to VeloManR

Hey, that is an excellent insight! My left leg is definitely my dominant leg even though I have the most problems with it. I will try to think about coasting with my right leg forward and see if that affects the results.

0 alancanfield over 4 years ago in reply to PaulDN81

Thanks for the reply! Yes, I have been using the CR1/3N batteries. I'm not sure they made a difference but they work fine.

0 alancanfield over 4 years ago in reply to Luko79

Do I need to manually download this beta firmware update?

0 alancanfield over 4 years ago in reply to Nicklas

Sorry for the delay--but no, I haven't really solved this issue (other than mostly riding indoor without the pedals).