How To Calibrate Garmin Rally Pedals

Garmin Rally Ability Meter Pedal Review

The Garmin Rally ability meter pedal is a cycling gadget that whatever gear junkie is going to be intrigued by.  We were too, so we gave the pedals a two-month exam. Over many miles and many types of rides, hither is what we idea:

Overview and How Nosotros Tested

We decided to give Garmin'southward Rally power meter pedals a really good exam.  Snagging a pair of these dainty pedals, we used them on ii different bikes (one triathlon and ane gravel) for a couple months, logging several hundred miles on the Rally pedals.

Our road test included a number of conditions – nice dry pavement, rougher gravel roads, steep mountain climbs, and even some single track riding.  We used the SPD-SL model, which was groovy the road but if we were doing mainly gravel and off-road we may lean toward the two-sided SPD option.  The Rally as well comes in the Look Keo model.  Your decision on which to use is really a broader decision, and for that we would straight you to our bike pedal and cleat guide.

We found that the pedals work well for use on multiple bikes every bit long every bit you take a pedal wrench handy. It can be dainty to switch them from bike to bike, since they are at a price point loftier enough that you may not desire to own multiple sets of the pedals.

Check price on Garmin Rally

First Impression of the Garmin Rally Pedal

One time we installed the pedals – which included working difficult to get the quondam pedals off ane of the bikes equally they had not been touched for a long time – we gave them our first spin.  We loved the feel and the surface area on the SPD-SL platform. They provide a prissy, large surface for maximum power transfer.

The pedals are lite – which is pretty amazing given the amount of technology that is built-in to them. More than on the weight below, just we did not exact to actually shave a few ounces off when compared to the less-advanced pedals we had been using.

To be exact, the SPD-SL pedals counterbalance-in at a featherweight 160 grams. When you consider that some regular SPD-SL pedals weigh over 300 grams, it is pretty amazing that you lot not but get a power meter, simply likewise a really nice pedal in this package.

It took a picayune piece of work to get the pedals to calibrate with our devices, but later on some trial-and-error we realized information technology was a compatibility issue, which is important to know well-nigh.  (More than on that side by side.)  When we finally used the pedals with a Garmin Fenix vi, they continued quickly.

Information technology is really important to make sure that your crank length setting is done correctly in your Garmin Connect app, which then talks to the pedals.  You should only have to do this once, only 1 of our testers constitute that skipping over this step resulted in incorrect readings from the pedals.

You will want to calibrate the pedals, both at beginning but besides relatively oft every bit you ride. Switching bikes and hitting the pedals on hard objects can knock the calibration off to a betoken where the readout is no longer valid.  A 1-minute scale (which you exercise with your phone, watch, or any device with Garmin Connect) is all it takes to get scale dorsum on track.

Setup is pretty like shooting fish in a barrel in Garmin Connect, so your watch or bike computer can read it.

Real-time cycling stats and numbers are available as you lot ride, both on your watch but also a bike computer.  It is definitely safer to have the numbers appearing on a computer.  The watch face up tin be a bit pocket-sized, and nosotros would not want you scrolling through the screens while rolling.  There is a LOT of potential data to intake, and a computer is a better setup.  However, for looking at your stats post-ride, anything works as long as it is a uniform device….. You just need to exist sure the device tin read the watch'due south output during the ride.  We made the mistake at beginning of thinking Garmin Connect on our iPad could process all the info mail service-ride, but it can simply practise that if the pedals were ridden with a compatible device.

One thing nosotros loved almost the Rally pedals is that they are dual-sided, meaning you lot don't simply get information from one pedal, but rather from both sides.  This is actually really of import, considering one of the major benefits of using power meter pedals (versus other types of power meters) is that you volition empathize the symmetry of your pedal stroke.  We had many rides where we were cranking way harder on 1 side than the other, and one of our testers learned that his early-ride stroke power was skewed very heavily to the right leg.  Once he got warmed-up, information technology balanced out.  He had no thought prior.

The data that you process subsequently a ride can be a bit overload, but information technology is pretty incredible.  This is all-time washed on the Garmin Connect app where you lot tin comfortably scroll-through your post-ride stats.  Don't try to understand everything at one time.  Choose a few things yous desire to focus on, compare rides, and and then expand the things y'all are watching.

Of course, the major thing nosotros look at it the ability, and it certain is fun to see how much power y'all can become on a tough climb or a long, flat straightaway.

Compatibility

Device compatibility is a petty tricky on the Garmin Rally pedals. Basically, to be able to process the data coming off the pedals during your ride, you volition need to ride with a compatible Garmin bike figurer or uniform Garmin habiliment.  Older devices may not be compatible with the pedals, and they won't transmit in-ride data directly to your phone (although the telephone or Ipad is a preferred manner to process the data afterward a ride).  This slight fleck of clunkiness is something that is merely really an issue at beginning.  One time you take your devices all setup, the data flows smoothly and like butter.

Garmin publishes a list of compatible devices for the Rally pedals, merely in brusque, the pedals are compatible with the newer Edge bike computers, and most of the newer watches from Garmin including the Fenix, Forerunner, Marq, Quatix, and Tactix. The key is to have a relatively new device (roughly ~2 years erstwhile and newer).  Older models might not able compatible with newer pedals.

Calibration

Pedal-based power meters install just similar any other pedal, a huge advantage over other styles

Scale of the pedals is very important, and should be done a little more often than yous might think.  Nosotros are not honestly sure what happens within that pedal or in the app when you calibrate, but it but takes a few seconds and can make a big divergence.  Information technology is super elementary and is washed by hitting a push button on the screen of the Garmin Connect app.

Having a mis-calibrated pedal results in information that is off.  The miscalibration can be acquired past a few things – hitting an object with the pedal, switching bikes, or gradual difference from baseline over fourth dimension.

The beginning feel we had with calibration bug was when nosotros noticed our power running many watts higher than normal.  The solution was to jump on the smart trainer (in our case, a Tacx Neo Ii) and compare the ability output on the smart trainer with that of the pedal.  The pedal ability was a consistent 40 watts higher as we rode, and after a very brief and unproblematic calibration, it got dorsum in line to within 2-three watts difference, which is most where y'all desire it.

So, during an intense gravel, pavement, trail, singletrack bike ride, one of the pedals smacked a rock quite difficult. Later the ride, it was clear that the power shifted exactly when that rock contact was made.  The graph of power from the multi-hour ride showed a major wattage drop-off at the exact moment.  Over again, a quick scale got everything dorsum in line.

Garmin Rally Pedal Downsides — Are in that location any cons?

You lot can probably tell that nosotros are fans of the Garmin Rally meter pedals, particularly every bit data junkies for our workouts.  However, we desire to give you a balanced view of our tests.

An obvious downside of the Rally pedals is the cost.  When you are shelling-out this much greenbacks, you definitely call up twice.  The pedal cost is on par with the toll of buying some other (cheap) bike!  For some, it is an obvious no-brainer to use pedals similar these, because it is the side by side step in analytics and precision of training.  For others, the cost is an immediate non-starter.

While the bombardment life was good, there comes a point when the battery conks out and the pedal data is just gone. It might occur in the middle of a ride. All the same, this is the case with most ability meters – your best bet is to replace batteries pre-emptively.

Every bit we learned the hard mode, you lot will demand the right equipment (from Garmin, of course) in society to be compatible with the Rally pedals.  If your watch or wheel computer is too erstwhile, it will non exist able to selection upwardly the readout from the pedals, and y'all will need to upgrade your device.  This can be abrasive for those who are using a wheel calculator or triathlon spotter that they really like and had no intention of upgrading.

Single Sided or Dual Sided?

Dual.

You definitely desire the dual-sided pedals.  Yeah, they toll a chip more, but as nosotros used the pedals ane of the main benefits was understanding the differences between our left and right pedal strokes. They had different ability cycles, dissimilar overall output, and even different residue and centering of our feet on the pedal platforms themselves.  With a unmarried-sided pedal, you lot are not going to get this comparative data, which we think is one of the main reasons to become with pedal-based power meters.

Do yous Need Power Meter Pedals?

Having dual ability meter pedals is pretty absurd and provides tons of data that you honestly never knew existed before.  With that said, nobody needs a power meter, including pedal-based power meters.  But if you take the upkeep and are trying to make your grooming more precise, they can exist a nice splurge.  Plus, they are just really skilful, effective pedals – even when putting the power technology aside.

If your intent is to measure ability mainly indoors, you won't need a ability meter – you should be able to go what yous need on your smart trainer app.

One affair you lot will find is that the data you lot get at first volition actually exist overload, only over time you volition zero-in on things that are important to you.  If y'all simply have $1,000 to spend on your wheel and yous accept not done some bones modifications like upping your wheel and hub game, we might suggest doing that first. Notwithstanding, for some, the Rally pedals will exist money-well-spent as they punch-in their power output and their training.

Alternatives to the Garmin Rally

The Garmin Rally'south light weight is actually impressive.

We cover all of the dissimilar types of power meters in our devoted piece on the topic (come across our power meter guide), if you are at the 101 level of your learning.

If you lot desire the brusque reply, we remember Garmin is the leader when it comes to the pedal-based power meters, and the Rally is the top choice of their lineup.  The other pick is the Garmin Vector, which is older, simply comes in a Keo cleat style, and e'er runs the listing of beingness less uniform with newer products. When information technology comes to Garmin, nosotros e'er propose spending a couple more bucks on the newest models to be sure y'all can use it for a long fourth dimension.

The other choice we know of for pedal-based power meters is the Favera Assiomo, which only measures the power on ane side (the Garmin Rally measures both sides).  We have not personally used it, and then can non provide a review on the pedal itself or the interface with the data.

If you don't demand a pedal-based power meter, the crank-based options accept some merit, such as the product from Stages.  However, we would have to stretch to convert from pedal-based to crank-based. We think the simplicity of pedal-based is the clear mode to go.

Conclusion

We are big fans of the Garmin Rally power meter pedals.  If yous are going to get a ability meter, it is a no-brainer to make it pedal-based. And if y'all are going to become pedal-based, information technology is a no-brainer to go dual-sided versus single.  These are the obvious ones to get.

Check price on Garmin Rally

Von Collins is an accomplished triathlete and cyclist, and the author of four fitness and training books: Smarter Running, Your Outset Triathlon Guide, Fit Foods, and 30 Rut-Busting Workouts.

Von has been cited every bit a triathlon, cycling, and fitness expert by Healthline, CNET, Forbes, Eat This, Non That and other major outlets.

Von has done dozens of triathlons and endurance wheel races, coaches, and is an gorging part of the cycling and triathlon community.

Source: https://completetri.com/garmin-rally-power-meter-pedal-review/

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