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• Discussion (23)

23 Comments

1. David E.

   March 28, 2021 at 4:45 pm #1

   Notice that RIVAL firmware update. I’ve sort of lost the plot on the RIVAL. Have they added any significant features that were missing (eg, structured workouts) or corrected any of the HR or GPS issues that seemed to make the watch such a disappointment when it was released?

   Reply
   • Ray Maker

     March 29, 2021 at 2:28 am #2

     Nothing major unit. Most of the things would be smaller/minor things – like the paused timer reminder (if you forgot to unpause and started going again), though, broadcasting running pace from Rival via ANT+ & BLE is a nice touch (and appropriate for winter).

     The full list is here: link to support.wahoofitness.com

     My understanding is GPS has been improved a bit as well, and I’ll probably circle back around to testing it soon as other features near.

     Reply
   • David E.

     March 29, 2021 at 5:43 am #3

     Cool. Thanks. My 935 has been acting a little squirrely lately. Wish the Rival was where it needs to be. Or wish Garmin would just go ahead and release a 955. Sigh.

     Reply
   • Ben C

     April 9, 2021 at 4:14 pm #4

     Im also holding off buying another watch and waiting for the 955. Knowing my luck if I bought a 945 today, the 955 will come out tomorrow.

     Reply
   • Brian

     April 10, 2021 at 5:04 pm #5

     My 935 is also acting “squirrely” lately. Sometimes, mid-way through a run it will stop recording and display the “caution” triangle sign on the screen. Only plugging it in will help get it out of this mode, and each time I discover the battery had not run out and it didn’t delete the workout that was in progress – it just got “stuck”. Also, over the past year or so, the battery life has progressively degraded a lot; it no longer has the awesome 2-week battery life it once did, now only lasting 4-5 days. The only additional feature I really want is maps, although pulse ox would be fun to play with too. I’m thinking the 945 is the new one for me and keeping my fingers crossed that once the 955 comes out, the 945 will drop in price. I think I only paid around $300 for my 935 new when it was on sale. Honestly, spending more than that for a watch – especially one that will only last a few years – is the most I’m willing to pay.

     Reply
   • Ryan Colligan

     April 13, 2021 at 11:32 am #6

     My 935 has also been finicky lately. Only getting through 1 or 2 workouts a week without needing a charge… I’ve been hopefully about the 955 for just over a year now but to no avail…

     Reply
2. A Zwifters

   March 28, 2021 at 5:58 pm #7

   I did a quick post on my blog with the complete pace partner schedule: link to zwiftforkids.com

   Reply
3. Mike Richie

   March 29, 2021 at 4:36 pm #8

   Garmin is doing a sale right now (until April 4) on the Vivoactive 4 for $100 off ($249) which is reflected in the link above from Amazon as well (not $279). Now I just need to decide if I should get this or a 935. Decisions, decisions (but I am tired of not having open water swim capabilities).

   Reply
   • Mike Richie

     April 3, 2021 at 1:58 pm #9

     Not sure if anyone will see this in time, but Amazon just dropped the price of a NEW (not refurbished) Forerunner 935 to $269.00. That just convinced me to pull the trigger as it’s only $20 more than the on-sale Vivoactive 4. The 935 doesn’t have Music or Garmin-Pay nor the Maps of the later 945 or Fenix 5 Plus (and above), but it has most of the important fitness activity features (at least to me) with most of the later watches really just refining stuff or adding frills. And my Apple Watch has Maps, ApplePay and Music (which now does Spotify).

     Reply
   • Ray Maker

     April 5, 2021 at 2:42 pm #10

     Thanks for the heads up Mike! Added it in!

     Reply
4. Duncan74

   March 29, 2021 at 7:34 pm #11

   @DC Rainmaker – there’s an easy way to tell if the pace partner is ahead or behind. If you aren’t sure, she (they) are behind. When in front there’s a big column of blue that goes up to the clouds showing where they are. And that’s visible from way way back. So if you aren’t sure if ahead or behind then 99.99% they are behind. At least the ‘gap’ indicator is working properly now and shows it in the right order as you are detaching from the front.

   And Coco is just right for a couple of hours of quality riding. B and A have their places I’m sure, but if I’m doing a short intense workout then I’ll do a structured session not pace partner.

   Reply
   • Ray Maker

     March 30, 2021 at 2:12 am #12

     

     So I used to get the column, though I don’t see that anymore. I often – but not always – see the chevron, like in the attached image. Though, it can disappear just as easily often (fwiw, this was, and usually is, Apple TV).

     However, what I don’t understand is why the Pace Partner icon on the mini map comes and goes. Meaning, if the point of it is to show me the pace partner location on the mini-map, why does it seem to not be there most of the time. It’s almost as if the mini-map icon is tied to the main icon. And if one is working, the other is, but if one isn’t working, the other isn’t.

     Reply
   • JP Miller

     March 30, 2021 at 7:13 am #13

     I also don’t like how her chevron is almost the identical color to the thumbstorm of “ride on”s that is always present in her group

     Reply
5. Bob

   March 29, 2021 at 7:52 pm #14

   I can not get my Edge 130 plus to recognize my Bontrager ANT+ lights. Old Edge 520 did work.

   Anyone got this to work?

   Reply
6. Will

   March 29, 2021 at 10:37 pm #15

   For anyone interested… there are only a couple hours left in that REI 20% off Members Sale and they just added the Garmin Rally line to their website (note: they qualify, but the sale ends at midnight PST, USA on March 29th)

   Reply
   • Ray Maker

     March 30, 2021 at 2:13 am #16

     Ahh, bummer, caught this about 12 mins too late!

     It’s funny, I had a feeling REI might do that. Or more specifically, might be why they held back on adding them last week. REI has a quiet tendency to supposedly go out of stock of Vector 3 every time the 20% sale is on, and then magically the day after it ends, they come back in stock.

     Used to be the same with Wahoo & Tacx trainers, until they finally got pressured enough to add in the ‘no indoor trainer’ clause last year.

     Reply
   • Will

     March 30, 2021 at 8:47 am #17

     That was my suspicion as well when they didn’t have them at all last week and Amazon was out of stock. I just happened to check one last time. We’ll see if power pedals get added to exclusions for the anniversary sale.

     Reply
7. usr

   March 30, 2021 at 4:21 am #18

   That Apple Watch rumor almost sounds like a company used to dominating the status category panicking upon realizing that in some circles, the Apple Watch might actually be considered the poor man’s Fenix.

   Or perhaps it will be awesome, the mechanical engineering of the Apple Watch has always been exceptional (whereas Garmin, judging by FCC internals, seem almost delightfully “good enough”: “what’s the point? it’s a piece of electronics, just make a small PCB, hook it up with battery and display and call it a day” – and they are right about it!)

   Reply
   • Ray Maker

     March 30, 2021 at 4:53 am #19

     In my opinion it’ll totally come down to two B words: Batteries & Buttons.

     If Apple changes neither, then it won’t impact Garmin considerably. If Apple changes one of them, then it’ll impact Garmin. If Apple changes both of them considerably, then Garmin could be in a touch spot at the low-end (e.g. Vivo series).

     The higher end (e.g. Forerunner/Fenix) is more tied to the platform, which Apple is nowhere near when it comes to the sports functionality that people expect in an endurance sports watch. It would take years for them to reach that level of maturity. Developing deep endurance sports watch/bike computer platforms is ironically not an area you can easily throw money at, as much of it takes many iterations with real-world feedback. In Garmin’s case, we’re talking roughly 10-13 years of finding out the nuances of what Type-A athletes love and hate.

     It’s easy to dismiss the depth of that, until one tries to make a competitor product, and we look at the never ending graveyard of companies that have tried to enter the endurance or even mid-range market.

     Reply
8. Pavel Vishniakov

   April 1, 2021 at 2:09 am #20

   Regarding the bike against the wind challenge – I don’t think those riders qualify. As far as I remember from previous years, you are supposed to ride a typical Dutch city bike – that heavy gearless non-aero thing. Looking at the pictures, I see modern road bikes.

   Reply
   • Patrick Utrecht

     April 1, 2021 at 8:20 am #21

     It’s not qualify as “you’ve competed successfully” but they get an automatically assigned slot to participate in the next event. So they’re qualified and allowed to compete in the next time the event takes place (which is rather random).
     As for the event itself, you’re correct. You get the bike from the organization and are by no means modern road bikes.

     Reply
9. Jason van Donovan

   May 23, 2021 at 10:59 am #22

   Hi DC love maker

   When the mother fudge do you think we will see a 955 or Fenix 7?

   Reply
10. Paul

    March 30, 2022 at 9:57 pm #23

    Hi DC Rainmaker, Im sure you have been asked this question many times previously, but can we expect a Garmin Forerunner 955 model this year? or are models like the Enduro and possibly the Epix considered there replacements. If you were currently testing a Garmin Forerunner 955 then you wouldn’t be able to discuss until Garmin officially launches the product.

    Cheers Paul

    Reply