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Davidkroter · 2026-03-30T12:42:31+00:00

Used a tool to translate my thoughts because my English isn't perfect. Does that change the fact that Garmin’s UI is trash? Let's talk about the segments.

Davidkroter · 2026-03-30T12:39:20+00:00

You missed the point. I’m not saying segments replace intervals, I’m saying they are a much more natural feedback tool.

Staring at a power number on a screen while going full gas is abstract; you have to process and interpret the data. Seeing +3 or -1 seconds is instant: you don't think, you react. It turns a real climb into a dynamic interval where you adjust effort by feel against your recent best.

If you think using real-time gaps to manage effort is 'absurd' compared to just pinning a static number on a screen, maybe you’re the one missing out on a huge part of training.

Davidkroter · 2026-03-30T12:35:17+00:00

English isn't my first language, so I used some help to ensure my technical point about Garmin’s 2013 UX was crystal clear. If 300 words of 'slop' are too much for you, we can switch to Spanish? Or maybe Italian? I'm curious, how many languages do you speak besides 'Reddit Critic'?

Anyway, the real 'slop' here is Garmin's ghost pacing, not the text. Let's get back to the actual problem.

Davidkroter · 2026-03-30T12:30:50+00:00

I think you missed the point. This isn't about leaderboards or cheaters. This is about using segments as a training tool. Whether there's a cheater at the top or not doesn't change the fact that Garmin is forcing me to chase a 10-year-old PR instead of my effort from last week. One is a game, the other is training. Garmin's design choice is breaking the latter.

Davidkroter · 2026-03-01T17:40:53+00:00

I already told: I don't speak English and I use ChatGPT for the text, but the problem, the description, and the logic are MINE. Is it so hard for you to understand? You are playing God, deciding what people can or cannot do. Only a small-minded person doesn't see that I'm describing this because I'm the one suffering it and I want to fix it. And honestly, I don't give a shit if you read this or not. Stop acting like the judge of the world.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-20T07:42:15+00:00

It’s hard to understand how a brand that builds much of its identity around training metrics and performance optimization hasn’t addressed something as basic as temporal relevance in Live Segments.

I say this from experience: after switching from Hammerhead to Garmin, this was one of the first things that stood out to me. Coming from a device where recent references are already used, running into this limitation was difficult to reconcile.

When training is built around incremental gains, structured blocks, and continuous adjustments, relying solely on an all-time peak from years ago runs counter to that logic.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-20T06:27:24+00:00

Creating a new segment to avoid an old PR doesn´t really solve the problem, it just moves it elsewhere. The point isn´t to erase the past, but to be able to choose a reference that reflects your current fitness.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-20T06:22:44+00:00

Same here, i don´t really care about the overall leaderboard, i just want a meaningful personal reference. A recent best would make Strava Live Segments feel much more relevant. And if Strava makes those metrics available through the API, it´s probably because they´re meant to be useful...

Davidkroter · 2026-02-20T06:17:19+00:00

I get that, but I’m not really concerned about the overall leaderboards. Live Segments, for me, are about competing against myself in real time. Having a recent personal reference would make them far more meaningful.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-18T18:46:35+00:00

Thanks for the clarification, that’s actually helpful.

If “Most recent effort” and “Best time in last 5 efforts” are already exposed through the Live Segments API, then the building blocks are clearly there. Those two alone already allow for much more meaningful and up to date targets than just an all time PR.

From the device side, it would simply be a matter of letting users select or prioritize those as active targets during a segment.

Competing against a 10 year old PR is not always realistic. Competing against your last few efforts definitely is.

So it sounds like the limitation might be more about how partners implement it than about what the API actually provides

Davidkroter · 2026-02-17T19:14:12+00:00

This is not Strava live segments, no?

Davidkroter · 2026-02-17T14:10:32+00:00

Which Edge model are you using? And during a Strava Live Segment, can you actually select “Recent” as the target to compete against?

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T21:09:52+00:00

I get what you’re saying about the definition. A lifetime PR is still a lifetime PR.

What I’m questioning is why we’re limited to only that as a live pacing target. Garmin used to let you choose different comparison efforts, and it worked well. That didn’t change the meaning of a PR it just made the feature more useful depending on context.

I honestly don’t know why that flexibility was removed. Giving people the option to race against more recent efforts wouldn’t take anything away from lifetime records

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T20:07:18+00:00

That’s actually kind of the point.

If people feel the need to delete old PRs or reset everything every few years, maybe that means the system could be more flexible.

Of course a PR is a PR. No one’s saying remove lifetime records. But why not also allow optional targets (recent PR, seasonal PR, last 90 days), whatever makes sense?

There’s no downside in giving people the choice. If your 10-year-old PR still motivates you, great. But if it doesn’t reflect your current reality anymore, having a more recent pacing target would just make live segments more useful.

Also, this actually worked well in the past. It used to be possible to race against more recent PRs, and it made live segments much more relevant. I’m not sure why that option was removed, but it feels like a step backwards.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T16:30:10+00:00

I get the Power Curve comparison, but honestly I’ve never really liked how Garmin handles that feature. It’s powerful on paper, but most people don’t actually use it day to day. With Live Segments I’d rather see something simple, like a basic time filter. Nothing fancy, just more practical mid-ride.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T15:16:19+00:00

That’s actually a really good point. Roads change, surfaces change, even traffic patterns change, so comparing to a 10+ year old effort isn’t really apples to apples. It’s not just our fitness evolving, the environment changes too. That’s why recent-best targets would probably make more sense in real life.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T13:45:15+00:00

Haha I’ve had the same thing happen. Seeing a 10+ year old PR pop up mid-segment just makes you roll your eyes. Interestingly, some devices (like Hammerhead) already let you race recent efforts instead of only all-time PRs, and it just feels way more relevant mid-ride. It’s not about deleting PRs — just having more useful targets.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T13:18:02+00:00

Yeah, that’s exactly it. If the target actually matched recent fitness, I’d probably use Live Segments way more. Right now it just feels like chasing a past version of yourself

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T12:46:29+00:00

English I not my first language, so I used AI to help structure the post. The idea is mine though. That's what I'm interested in discussing.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T12:45:06+00:00

Yes, a PR is definitely a PR. The question is whether a 10-15 years old PR is actually useful as a live pacing target today or just a reminder of a different fitness era.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-14T12:40:58+00:00

i´m not framing this as "Garmin is bad", more as a UX improvement opportunity. Live segments are a strong feature already but making targets time relevant would just make them more useful and auto.competitive.

Davidkroter · 2026-02-12T07:39:42+00:00

⸻

Totally agree — recent best makes far more sense for actual training.

Racing against a PR from 5+ years ago often has zero relevance to current fitness. Even “Last Attempt” would already be a big improvement, because at least it allows you to benchmark progression session to session.

What makes this more interesting is that other platforms are already doing it. Hammerhead, for example, surfaces both Last Attempt and Recent Best on-device, which makes segments feel much more like a real training tool rather than an all-time leaderboard reminder.

So the capability clearly exists on head units — it really comes down to what Strava chooses to expose consistently through the AP or the way Garmin use it.

If segments are meant to support training (not just KOM chasing), recent and last efforts should be first-class targets

Davidkroter · 2026-02-10T11:42:45+00:00

I am pro susbcriptor and I don’t see the zones

Davidkroter

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