Power measurement is a valuable training aid for all levels of cyclist, and Garmin’s all-options range of Rally pedals will bring your watts into play with any one of the three most popular pedal systems. The electronics giant has persevered with pedal-based measurement, citing the simplicity of swapping between the multiple bikes many of us ride as the main driver. That doesn’t mean there is any compromise in accuracy, though: the Rally units all fall well within the industry standards for reliability and repeatability in measurement, and are on a par with all the crankset-based watt meters in this price range.

The Takeaway:

• New SPD compatible XC pedal bodies for mountain/gravel/cyclocross use and a new Shimano SPD-SL version for the roadies. Look Keo version continues.
• Bodies sold separately so users can swap power axles into different bodies based on the season or current needs
• Upgrade bodies compatible with Garmin Vector 3 axles
• Single or dual-sided power options

Garmin’s Vector 3, launched in 2017, was a big step forward for the brand’s power meter pedals. Gone was the wonky pod that dangled off the crank like a carbuncle. This simplified installation and made the pedals more durable. Added was Bluetooth connectivity which made the pedals play better with apps like Zwift and allowed the pedal to connect with Garmin’s smartphone app. The latter allowed the user to update the pedals more easily and tweak some settings.

Though it has a new name, the Rally power meter is a moderate update to the Vector 3. The Rally’s axle is almost identical to the Vector 3’s, “From a mechanical design perspective, they are the same,” Kenny Carlson, Garmin’s senior product manager, told me. That’s important, for reasons I get into below.

There are some tweaks to the electronics. “The design of the circuit board was updated, which also comes with a minor firmware update but isn’t something that we can bring back to Vector 3,” Carlson said. This change “Improves our sleep current which makes our 120hr battery life much more robust in more use cases and also helps ensure the product comes out of the box for a customer with good battery life.”

So as far as the power meter’s functionality and features, the Rally is essentially identical to the Vector 3. What’s new are the bodies.

Garmin Rally—Three Power Pedal Options

While the axles are primarily the same, the Rally bodies are new.

Most noticeably, there’s a double-sided dirt-friendly pedal (Rally XC) compatible with Shimano’s SPD cleats. This is a big deal for mountain, gravel, and cyclocross riders looking for a power solution that’s not tied to ever-changing drivetrain standards. Doubly so, since SRM’s X-Power dirt pedal seems to be vapourware.

For the road, there’s a Shimano SPD-SL compatible body (Rally RS) for riders who prefer this pedal system to the Look Keo platform that most power pedals use (Garmin’s Vector used the Keo system). This is Garmin’s second go at a power meter for the SPD-SL system: In the Vector 2 days, Garmin, somewhat quietly, offered a kit to fit their power meter axles into Shimano’s Ultegra 6800 road pedal bodies. With Wahoo’s Speedplay-based Powrlink power meter pedal coming, riders now have three road pedal system options for their power meter pedals.

The final option is the Rally RK, which uses Look Keo cleats. It is essentially the same pedal as the Vector 3, though with the updated axles.

However, Garmin made some changes to the battery door compared to Vector 3. All the pedals have metal thread inserts in the body for the battery door; an upgrade from the Vector 3’s had plastic threads. They also redesigned the battery holder’s contacts. Garmin says these changes are the result of updated robustness testing.

As before, Garmin offers the Rally as a single-sided option (100 series) with the power meter in the left pedal or as a dual-power option (200 series) with power axles in both pedals.

• Rally XC200 MTB/Gravel Pedal Power Meter.          R23 649
• Rally XC100 MTB/GravelPedal Power Meter.          R13 849
• Rally RK200 Keo Pedal Power Meter.         R23 649
• Rally RK100 Keo Pedal Power Meter.          R12 799
• Rally RS200 Shimano Pedal Power Meter.          R21 649
• Rally RS100 Shimano Pedal Power Meter.          R12 799

BUY YOUR GARMIN RALLY PEDALS HERE

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