Garmin Rally RS200 power meter review
The sports tech wizards release their new power meter pedals, Jack Sexty puts them to the test...
The Garmin Rally range has replaced the Vector 3 as the brand’s power meter pedal offering, but is it a worthy successor?
While the Vector 3 was simply available in single or dual-sensing versions with Look Keo compatibility, now you can have Shimano SPD-SL and SPD pedals, with conversion kits available for an additional £179.99 to swap between road and MTB-style pedal bodies (on test is the SPD-SL-compatible RS200 Dual-sensing).
Crucially, Garmin claims to have improved the seal where coin cell batteries are inserted, as some Vector 3 users experienced battery drain and dropouts caused by water ingress.
The price has risen considerably, but another big player in the power pedal market, Favero, offers its popular Assioma Duo pedals for considerably less, while a Shimano retrofit kit was recently added to the existing Look Keos.
Garmin claims +/-1% accuracy and 120 hours battery life. Compatible with Bluetooth and ANT+ devices, you can link most third-party apps and take advantage of Garmin’s indepth cycling dynamics on Garmin Connect post-session or during on some head units.
These include left/ right pedal balance, seated/standing position time and power phase. Cleats are included, and Q-factor is 53mm/55mm with washers.
To start, we attached the RS200 to our bike (no specific torque required), connected it to our computer and calibrated it. We noticed the Bluetooth connection dropping in multiple locations, finding it best to ‘forget’ the pedals, reconnect and recalibrate before each ride – an extra minute of faff, but no real problem.
On the road, we got nothing other than highly reliable power measurement with no dropouts and what we recognised as accurate numbers on screen, with no spikes at any cadence or effort level.
The 320g weight is comparable to normal pedals and underfoot they’re solid and familiar, exactly like highend Shimano SPD-SLs.
To test accuracy, we ran the pedals and Elite Direto XR-T simultaneously, analysing data with a comparison tool. The pedals slightly underread compared to the trainer, with a 225- watt session average compared to 228 watts for the trainer, and no unusual spikes on either. This is just off +/-1%, meaning the pedals and trainer can both be considered highly consistent, compared with each other at least.
There’s very little that needs improving here. Quicker, more consistent calibration and a rechargeable system would be nice, but otherwise issues with the Rally’s predecessor have been addressed successfully.
The main sticking point is price, especially considering Favero’s more affordable, highly-rated alternative. It might just come down to Garmin’s conventional looks and transferability.
Verdict: Prohibitively priced, but otherwise highly accurate and reliable.
Score: 90%
Jack Sexty
Editor at road.cc 
