General Discussion Triathlon Talk » Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt Rss Feed  
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2013-10-26 10:44 AM

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Subject: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
So I know there's a pretty well known issue with instantaneous pace on the 910 being all over the place and mostly useless but I never had any real big swings (less than +/- 10-15sec) in pace during any of my runs since I got the unit in June. That is, until I upgraded to the 3.0 firmware. Now all the sudden my pace is reading all over the place, pretty much within a 2min/mi range. So one second it will say I'm going 8:00 pace (which I know is right). I maintain that pace pretty consistently. Then during a 15 second period it will swing down to 7:00 and as high as 9:00. Sometimes it will swing from 7:15-8:45 even.

This is absolutely infuriating. How did Garmin F up one of the main reasons people choose to run with a GPS watch instead of their phones? It worked perfectly on all of the older models but for some reason they changed something in the 910 and now it's total . I fully believe it's a hardware issue at this point. If it was a software bug they would have easily fixed it by now so there is some fundamental hardware flaw in these things. My old $100 Forerunner 205 was rock solid, but couldn't get wet so I upgraded. I wish I'd have gotten the 310 now

And I know, there are people here who haven't had any issues etc, etc... yeah yeah. I also know people have developed workarounds like having the lap count set at 1/4 mi intervals and just reading the avg lap pace. I don't want to "work around" anything. I want this $500 piece of hardware to work the way it's supposed to. If I wanted to work around something I would have kept my 205 and stuck it in a plastic baggy to keep it dry or something.

So infuriating.


2013-10-26 2:47 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
I set my intervals to .25 miles and am just using that now since the reliability of instantaneous pace is so lacking
2013-10-26 3:27 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt

Originally posted by aliddle9876 So I know there's a pretty well known issue with instantaneous pace on the 910 being all over the place and mostly useless but I never had any real big swings (less than +/- 10-15sec) in pace during any of my runs since I got the unit in June. That is, until I upgraded to the 3.0 firmware. Now all the sudden my pace is reading all over the place, pretty much within a 2min/mi range...

This is one of the reasons I'm of the opinion with Garmin's products not to upgrade firmware unless you're having a specific issue that you're trying to fix.  I'm one of the lucky ones who has never experienced any of various reported issues with the 910 that I wasn't able to identify as user error.  Because of this, I've never upgraded the firmware.  I'm still running 2.6.  Did you upgrade hoping to fix a specific issue you were having, or did you just do it assuming (logically so) that the newer version would be better?

If it was the later, I'd try reverting to the old firmware and see if it fixes the issue.  If you go this route, please post back to let the rest of us know if that worked.

 

2013-10-26 3:45 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876


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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Though I don't have a 910, I read about this.

Garmin software and software maintenance seems totally amateur. I have a Garmin 305, and one day and one software update, multisport uploads stopped working. And they have never worked since. The response from them has pretty much been complete indifference.

When I buy something new, it is not going to be a Garmin.
2013-10-26 6:49 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Originally posted by aliddle9876

I wish I'd have gotten the 310 now


hah, well I bet there are about 50 people on this forum that would trade you.
2013-10-26 8:42 PM
in reply to: dfroelich

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
So is the 910 not worth getting? My 305 has been solid but is starting to show its age, and will be wanting to upgrade soon and thought the 910 would be the way to go! Maybe I need to look other directions,


2013-10-27 12:55 AM
in reply to: mambos

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Originally posted by mambosSo is the 910 not worth getting? My 305 has been solid but is starting to show its age, and will be wanting to upgrade soon and thought the 910 would be the way to go! Maybe I need to look other directions,
N=1, but I love my 910. I used a 305 for 5 years before upgrading to the 910 the beginning of this year. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I've not had any problems with it. Before you make a final decision, consider that someone who is unhappy is more likely to post about it than someone who is happy is going to post that everything is running smoothly.
2013-10-27 11:06 AM
in reply to: mambos

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
I've had mine since May '12.
I have over 600 workouts logged, and so far only 1 was corrupted and lost.
I have not had any weird instant pace issues, although I do use the ~$30 footpod.
I have messed up auto-multisport during a HIM, but that was my own doing. Just practice the button presses a few times.
My only complaints:
I am a slow swimmer and it tends to miss a few lengths every time I swim. The fast people do not have this problem, and supposedly v3.0 firmware made this even better.
Sometimes, it takes several tries to load a workout onto the computer. This is annoying, but rarely does it take more than 5-10 minutes. You can just about eliminate this problem by "deleting old workouts after upload".

+2, it is a great watch. 95% of the problems are reported and 95% of the happy people don't bother, so naturally you will see more complaints than praise. Additionally, it is expensive, so everyone expects it to be perfect...thus more posts when it isn't.
2013-10-27 11:37 AM
in reply to: #4885021

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
The watch is great other than the pacing. Saying you are using the foot pod though kind of makes your post mostly irrelevant though. Since we're talking about pacing issues and you're augmenting the watch with a device that exists only to track cadence and pace your experience doesn't really bolster the argument that the watch is fine.
2013-10-27 11:54 AM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Absolutely, but even without the footpod, many people (myself included) have reported that the number has much more acceptable swings: +/- 15 seconds or so.
And of course, this leads to another argument against the watch: inconsistency between units. Sorry if you got a bad egg, but the rest of the carton is fine!
2013-10-27 12:05 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
I just upgraded from 2.7 to 3.0 and thankfully didn't see any pace problems. I use a screen with distance and current pace then a screen with current lap pace with laps being set at 1 mile. Sorry to hear so many are having problems. The only issue I've had is getting out of the pool to use the restroom and it counting an extra lap which is totally my fault.


2013-10-27 12:19 PM
in reply to: mambos

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Originally posted by mambos

So is the 910 not worth getting? My 305 has been solid but is starting to show its age, and will be wanting to upgrade soon and thought the 910 would be the way to go! Maybe I need to look other directions,


i love mine - never liked the 305.
2013-10-27 12:25 PM
in reply to: sheesleeva

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt

Originally posted by sheesleeva
Originally posted by mambos So is the 910 not worth getting? My 305 has been solid but is starting to show its age, and will be wanting to upgrade soon and thought the 910 would be the way to go! Maybe I need to look other directions,
i love mine - never liked the 305.

910xt is a worthwhile upgrade over the 310. Yes the instant pace is broken.  I hope the fix it. But there are workarounds and it has enough other advantages I feel it's worth buying.

2013-10-27 1:19 PM
in reply to: #4885522

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Other than the pace issue I really do like the watch. It's great in the water and on the bike. I just really depend on that pace
2013-10-27 1:53 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt

Originally posted by aliddle9876 Other than the pace issue I really do like the watch. It's great in the water and on the bike. I just really depend on that pace

Actually, you just think you need the instant pace - but honestly, you don't.  If you're keying off your pace, then lap pace is more than adequate, in fact I would argue it is ideal.  When I had my 305 I used to key off instant pace, and had lap pace as a smaller sub-screen, along with HR.  I've now changed that around to make lap pace what I key off, and instant pace is just there to glance at once in a while.  But in all honesty, you know what pace you're running for any given lap, and your pace at any given second doesn't really matter that much.

I know you're complaint is the fact it doesn't work, and it's valid - but I don't think it should have any impact on your ability to pace yourself properly.

2013-10-27 3:35 PM
in reply to: aliddle9876

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Originally posted by aliddle9876

Other than the pace issue I really do like the watch. It's great in the water and on the bike. I just really depend on that pace


that is why I changed my lap to .25 miles - gives me enough feedback


2013-10-28 10:03 AM
in reply to: TriToy

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
I have always had mine lap at 1 mile and I feel I can pace great with it I planned on 7:50/m in my half marathon last weekend and did 7:52 avg for the race...

I did not update from 2.8 to 3.0 though due to the same reasons as others have mentioned no issues working great and I do no trust garmin.
2013-10-28 11:32 AM
in reply to: rjrankin83


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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Originally posted by rjrankin83

I just upgraded from 2.7 to 3.0 and thankfully didn't see any pace problems. I use a screen with distance and current pace then a screen with current lap pace with laps being set at 1 mile. Sorry to hear so many are having problems. The only issue I've had is getting out of the pool to use the restroom and it counting an extra lap which is totally my fault.


That's your only problem...why are you getting out of the pool to use the restroom? The pool is the biggest toilet I use
2013-10-28 12:08 PM
in reply to: #4885557

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Those are some good points on only the bad issues being reported. I think that if you can get an average lap pace then that is enough! I concentrate more on HR and RPE during races so the instant pace issue may be a mute point'. Now if I can just find someone to buy me one.....
2013-10-28 1:54 PM
in reply to: brucemorgan

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt

Originally posted by brucemorgan

Originally posted by sheesleeva
Originally posted by mambos So is the 910 not worth getting? My 305 has been solid but is starting to show its age, and will be wanting to upgrade soon and thought the 910 would be the way to go! Maybe I need to look other directions,
i love mine - never liked the 305.

910xt is a worthwhile upgrade over the 310. Yes the instant pace is broken.  I hope the fix it. But there are workarounds and it has enough other advantages I feel it's worth buying.

I really wish actual statistics were available, because my gut is telling me that instant pace works fine on more 910's than it doesn't, and that it only seems like it doesn't work on any of them because of the number of users posting reviews online saying it doesn't work on theirs.  Mine works fine, and other than these threads, I've never posted a review online saying it.

Overall, I still feel the 910 is the best option currently available for the serious triathlete, even with the issues that some users have had.

 

 

2013-10-28 3:16 PM
in reply to: #4886302

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Subject: RE: Firmware 3.0 has pretty much ruined my 910xt
Haven't upgraded since the last upgrade screwed up my altitude readings. Last week I ran 5K on the track (it's extremely flat as are most tracks) and the 910 gave me 220 ft of climb and 175 of descent. ???? Living in a very hilly area, I would appreciate that Garmin correct this problem, but it seems to have fallen on deaf ears.


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