Garmin Vector Power Meter Installation

ByAnthony Chan
At a Glance

A straightforward DIY install of Garmin Vector power-meter pedals — about 15 minutes to mount and another 15 to update firmware — with a bonus head-to-head showing the Vectors read almost identical average power to a Quarq S975.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Installed Garmin Vector pedals in about 15 minutes, plus 15 for firmware
  • Needed a torque wrench and a crowfoot adapter, sourced from Sears and Amazon
  • Box includes pedals, cleats, pedal pods, ANT+ USB adapter, and washers
  • Vectors read almost identical average power to a Quarq S975

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Lean on good guides: DC Rainmaker’s in-depth review made a self-install approachable
  • Firmware has a quirk: you must pull and reseat the pedal-pod batteries to trigger the update
  • Have the right tools ready: a torque wrench and crowfoot adapter make the job easy
  • Trust the data: matching numbers against a Quarq validated the Vectors’ accuracy

Thanks to the extensive and comprehensive of D.C. Rainmaker’s Garmin Vector installation and in-depth review, I took it upon myself to try and install them. Finding the spare installation parts were easy – I got the torque wrench at Sears, crowfoot adapter on Amazon 😎

The installation took me about 15 minutes , and then an additional 15 minutes updating the firmware through my Macbook. I have a ton of old race t-shirts, so they have been repurposed as a placemat for the Vectors , lol

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Once you open everything up, you will see the pedals, cleats, manuals, pedal pods, ANT+ USB adapter, and washers. Really straight forward stuff.

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The next part was a bit trickier because in order to update the pedal’s firmware, you need to connect it to the computer. When you have the ANT+ stick plugged in and the Vector Update program running, you will need to take the batteries out of the pedal pods, then put them back in before the update can begin. But once the pedals were detected, the process was quick. I walked away and came back and it was all done.

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Overall, I had an easy time installing the pedals. I’ve been testing them for the past couple of weeks so stay tuned for a review.

Note: I installed the Vectors on my Slice so that I could compare power meters. Vectors VS. Quarq S975 – the result, almost identical average power!

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