910xt - impressions thus far?
So I'm going to be in the market for a 910XT soon, and I've looked at some reviews and found that there were some significant issues that took Garmin a while to correct. Little things like the pace being wildly off (like by a couple min/mile) and auto-shutting off when following a course.
The latest bug fix list from Garmin, dated November 2012, mentions fixing these (at least the random shutting off) - but I'm curious whether people here have found the 910XT to be as reliable as the forerunner series tends to be, or whether they've found it buggy (and if so, have the new updates actually fixed the issues?)
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Also, the instantaneous pace using GPS seems very uneven to me. I never had a 310 so don't know how it compares to that. But I always use a footpod, and calibrate the footpod to my threshold pace, and the instantaneous pace from that is dead-on accurate and does not jump around. And it is still good (but not as good) at slower paces - but certainly good enough.
Even with those two issues, I would still buy it again.
It's the best $$ I've spent on a device. I have all my workouts in it...and can set it and go. As the others have said I haven't seen any issues with the pacing. I was never a competative swimmer - so the lap calcs, pacing and times are a huge help. I just never figured out the swim clocks. As Ian mentioned I still have my 500 on my bike and the 910 in parrallel.
If it's just an inventory thing for Garmin in terms of where they sold units, I don't care - but if there's a difference in terms of which GPS satellites it is programmed to receive from - well, then trying to use in around the East Coast may not work too well
"My first one" you ask?
Yes. That's because I stupidly bought the wrist strap that allows you to move the unit from wrist to bike with a simple twist. I was experimenting in training with what I was going to use on the bike at IMCDA. I never put the regular wrist strap back on it, even though I decided to use my Joule on the bike during the race. So as I look down at my watch as I exit the water on the first lap, I look down and see..........an empty wrist strap. The swim contact dislodged it and it fell to the bottom of the lake. $449 + tax/shipping gone.
I picked up my second one and it continues to perform flawlessly. I would highly recommend doing as others suggest and have a separate computer on the bike with the 910 recording/displaying as backup securely on your wrist. I'll certainly never make that mistake again.
The thing is multi-sport is good, but specialization is still better. The 500 has more screens and options. It also sits really nicely on my k-edge. The 610 is just slimmer on my wrist and I actually will often wear it all day if I am feeling sporty. The 210 is really similar, but don't get me started....
Dino - totally hear you on specialization. At some point, I'm sure I'll get a dedicated bike computer - but it may not be until my current wired PT dies and I go with either a wireless PT or a quarq, when I'll be forced to get something like a Joule or a 500.
During wetsuit swims, I avoid the problem of losing it off my wrist by putting my wetsuit on *over* my Garmin. I turn it on, set it for Auto Multisport, and check for satellite acquisition. Then I put on my wetsuit and leave the sleeve over it. The buttons work fine by pushing through the neoprene, and I avoid losing it during the swim plus I don't have any problems taking the wetsuit off in T1.