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Garmin 310 & Power Meter

danjohnstondanjohnston
in General Training Discussions

 I just got a SRAM Quarq power meter installed on my bike. I'm super excited for my first ever ride with power this weekend.  I have a Garmin 310 which if I understand correctly will enable me to see my current, lap, and average power but i will not be able to see IF, VI, or TSS.

1. Is this correct?

2. Will I be able to see my IF, VI & TSS once I download to WKO?

3. I keep seeing mention of a Garmin software update....will this apply to my 310?

Thanks....power noobie

Comments

  • John WithrowJohn Withrow
    1) yes
    2) yes
    3) eventually, supposedly. Garmin originally said it would have happened already, but it hasn't. I would guess it will happen after the demand for sales of the 910xt slows a bit.
  • charrischarris
    Re: #3, Garmin initially said it would be made available but later reneged on this and said "Nope, we take that back, 310XT users are out of luck."

    I hope John is right, and he very well may be down the line, but the official line is no. The good news is, in my experience (despite some comments to the contrary from people here that I have a lot of respect for) the lack of these in real time really doesn't matter SFA.

    The 310XT is a great unit - enjoy training with power!
  • danjohnstondanjohnston

     So what are the benefits and how important is it to have these data points (IF, VI, TSS) in real time....

    A) during training rides and

    B) during races?

  • chris malonechris malone
    a. not very...IF is kind of cool to know but avg power or norm is the same info if your ftp is accurate
    b. VI is good info but again, you'll have learned to pace properly and avg or norm power will give you the essential info. But I think tmi can be distracting during racing. I need to keep it simple. Power and HR and RPE.
  • kurshingkurshing
    Wait, p norm and avg power aren't the same...are they. Even if your FTP is accurate, they still aren't necessarily the same, unless you are conducting your FTP test.

    @ Dan - I used my 310 for a year with my power meter and it is fine. P Norm (to me) is very useful as it tells you your 'effective' average power, but, if you are riding fairly steady (which you will be during races anyways), then it's no big deal not to have that metric. The others are similar...nice to have but not must haves. Hopefully, before long, Garmin will allow them to be recorded on Garmin Connect...but, not holding my breath.

    You can roll with what you have an be just fine.
  • chris malonechris malone
    No, but if you have either number while racing or training, you'll have the measurement you need. Training you might hammer hills and not pace as well so there will be more variation. In racing long you won't, so the number you see, average or norm, should be close enough to ride from. If you're racing short, you don't really need the data anyway. Well, a little....
  • Dino SartiDino Sarti
    normal power and average power are not the same. One goal can be to make them the same, if you can ride with a VI of 1. Short answer is that average is just that. - average power for the ride based on samples. Normal power is more like a weighted average and gives more points to bursts and short efforts. The popular saying is Pnorm reflects how tired you felt compared to the average.

    You don't need any of these for real time. The longer the ride, lower your ability to change or increase these averages....
  • kurshingkurshing
    Dan - short answer is that the 310 will suffice.

    In time, getting something with these other metrics would be good...but a realtime power number is all you really HAVE to have.

    FWIW - Garmin Connect now displays, online, these numbers. My guess is that you have to have a device that reads them, but, it might be that the 310, once uploaded, will actually display these post workout...which is when they are most valuable anyways.

    Check it out.
  • Scott AlexanderScott Alexander
    Many people function just fine with the old little yellow computer (LYC) that came with their powertaps. That only shows their real-time power (maybe 3-second avg?). They're not lesser athletes because of it, by any means. The software analysis afterwards will help you know where you over- and under-performed. You shouldn't and cannot (most of the time, any way) "make up" for a low NP or AP - don't even try.

    Just focus on staying close to the number you want/need at that time (ex, interval in training, HIM-intensity in racing, etc) . Of course it'll bounce up-and-down, but try to steady it.
  • William JenksWilliam Jenks
    If you can predict what your VI will be,( e.g., you've done this race 3x before, and you always have a VI of around 1.04), then just divide the AP target by the VI to get what you should be targeting for your AP. The target powers are for NP, so if you shoot for the same number AP as you are supposed to by NP, you are going a little hot.

    In my example, if you were aiming for 200 W NP for a HIM, say... you would shoot for 192 AP.
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