Power drop or something else? L/R balance

hi all , I bought a used Garmin vector 3 dual. They are my first power meter so I am not sure what to expect.

I found the L/R is always 48/52% , although my dominant leg is the right leg. I found a lot of dots on the left side on the graph(attached) barely any on the right side, on the Garmin 530 when riding when I start spinning the left pedal always start a second or 2 before the right pedal (is this normal?) 

Is this something faulty with the pedals or this is how they work ? Any fixes if this problem is common ? 


  • Does the left pedal wakes first and records then it wakes the right pedal ? 

    that’s the only conclusion I have is that the left pedal wakes first and starts recording while the right pedal is activating 

  • Mine looks quite similar. The 100% left usually corresponds with zero (or very low wats) and usually very low or zero cadence. Often the zero cadence is just before the 100% left. I thought it was maybe an artifact of the left starting just before the right - or the pwr reading of the left being sent first. I was just guessing. I think I asked a similar question a few years ago.

    I contacted Garmin support and sent them data files but never got a satisfactory answer. I also have approx 52/48 balance even though my right leg is dominant. This can vary and some times I get 50/50 or even 49/51 although not very often. I do note that if I have a balance displayed while riding I tend to get 50/50 when climbing hard - that is when pushing my power. When at low power the balance is often miles of of  50/50. 

    I always calibrate before a ride.

    Nick

  • That’s exactly what’s happening to me , you very well described the issue, I checked your thread and I have exactly the same issue.

    the main reason for the balance being incorrect is that the left pedal record an input at the start while the right is still not registering any data I guess.

    hope that Garmin or someone can shed some light on this issue or how to fix it if there is something that can be done.

    i calibrate after each ride.

  • The only way to get Garmin's attention is to raise the issue with Garmin support. I did this and supplied a number of power files comparing Vector 2 and Vector 3 and never got a satisfactory answer. I believe there is a bug in the L/R balance related to all the 100% R we see. However it doesn't affect the overall power to any (IMO) measurable extent. I have two sets of Vector 3 and they both behave in the same way. Different when compared with the V2 which I no longer have. 

    The more people raise it with Garmin support the more likely Garmin are to do something. However I don't hold out much hope for any action.

    Hey ho - they now have Rally and I suspect V3 will be quietly forgotten.

    Best of luck with Garmin support 7280542. Garmin seldom act on anything on this forum.

    Regards

    Nick