VASA just announced a new power meter for their VASA swim trainer (“PM3 Power Meter with ANT+ and BT Wireless Connectivity”) with the site mentioning TR "1. Use with 3rd Party iOS and Android Applications (i.e. …TrainerRoad®) … do any of you know what that means? (E.g., looking to understand how the new meter might be incorporated into my TR program). Thanks!
I’ve got a few pieces of good news for you:
- If you already have the Vasa Ant+ Power Meter, you can pick up one of these–CABLEINFO - CABLE - Connect ANT+ to BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) (npe-inc.com)–which will convert the Ant+ signal from your Vasa Power Meter to bluetooth. This allows you to use your Vasa SwimErg with TrainerRoad via your phone, etc.
- There is a Vasa Team on TrainerRoad–can be accessed at the following link (Log In to TrainerRoad)----there is a full library of Vasa workouts you can utilize when pairing your Vasa power meter with TrainerRoad.
Hope this info is helpful!
P.S. You’re not able to have two separate FTP’s (bike and swim) in TR, so I typically just load Vasa workout and lower intensity to my Swim FTP (which is about 30% of my bike FTP) . To ensure the Vasa workouts don’t mess with my bike Adaptive Training, I delete the completed Vasa workouts from my TR calendar after completed and just manually add in a “Swim” workout with comparable time.
If you’re using a PC, I’d suggest a USB ANT+ over the CABLE. The VIIIIA HRM would be my next choice for non-PCs. The Cable works, but it was a PITA for me.
Agreed on Ant+ if using PC. I’ve had some issues maintaining connectivity via Cable, but it’s been working fine lately.
New to TR and the forums - will definitely look at the team!
- The new power meter is supposed to have Bluetooth (so the CABLE shouldn’t be needed with it - some other folks seem to say it can be a pain). Hoping to learn soon what new features (besides BT) it’ll have.
So the PM3 is simply adding Bluetooth connectivity?
Pretty sure you’re right—it’s just the addition of Bluetooth connectivity.
I see this verbiage too—“The Vasa PM3 Power Meter also displays the power balance between right and left arms, which is useful for correcting stroke mechanics and strength discrepancies.”
Does the current Ant+ version not show power balance between right and left arms?! I was thinking it did, but could be wrong.
Correct (though that said, I’m hoping for other features being added as well - haven’t heard one way or the other yet) …
Yes - that functionality was already there. You can see it in their FAQ page.
Yes, the new PM3 model will now connect to TR app on your phone or iPad or even computer via BLTE and without the need for a dongle or bridge, which is pretty sweet IMO. You still need to adjust your FTP to your SwimErg “FTP” when you do a Vasa workout at least when using it with TR. The TrainerDay app that they were promoting on the promo email and are giving away a 90 day free trial to when you upgrade allows you to have two FTPs.
1 Like
