Power Meter Head units
I am shopping for a power meter and have a few questions about a head unit. I have a Garmin 310XT. Is that adequate for use in training and racing? Also, if I were to purchase the joule and use both it AND my 310XT during a race, what would happen? Does just one unit pick up the power signals or both?
0
Comments
If you search there are many threads on the garmins vs Joule... it comes down to the Joule is awesome as it has TSS/IF/NP but you pay a premium for it, the edge 500 is the best bang for the buck.
The 310 can be used as your only computer, but it does not have 3 sec or 30 sec power averages which makes it a little harder to use at first while you are learing. Plus it's limited to 4 data elements on the screen. Both the edge 500 and Joule have many more features and options for training with power.
I trained exclusively with the 310xt as my head unit for the better part of a year-- it's definitely doable. I also since acquired a Joule and raced Ironman Wisconsin last weekend with the Joule on my bike and the 310xt on my wrist, your power meter will blast out it's ANT+ signal which can be read by as many different head units as you care to. As Matt said, if you do a search for the Joule you should be able to find quite a few threads, I've written somewhat extensively about my thoughts on Joule coming from Garmin-land.
All of that being said, my recommendation to you is to stick with your 310xt for now. Buying a power meter and training with power is an expensive proposition both in real money and in the mental investment it takes to learn how to train and race with power effectively. You are likely already somewhat familiar with your 310xt and it will dull some of the sting of buying a power meter in that you don't also have to buy a new computer right out the door. Once you are sufficiently versed in power, should you feel that you are limited by the somewhat modest size and feature set of the 310xt you can always purchase a new head unit.