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Social training: Strava goes mobile with Live Segment App & Wahoo partners with Zwift

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Strava, whom we all either love or love to hate, is now fully rolling out their Live Segments functionality to mobile devices by way of their iOS and Android apps. The Premium members-only feature was developed to try to inspire cyclists to push even harder when out riding popular segments, and of course to provide immediate feedback to those of us who just need to know right now how we did.

Also working to improve the social training experience, although this time inside, indoor trainer maker Wahoo has paired up with Zwift via a new firmware update to their smart trainers to take virtual social training up a notch with more integrated control and ride feel. Check out the full details on both after the break…

Strava Live

Live Strava Segments had been introduced to the newest generation of Garmin computers back in July when paired with a phone and data connection, and were already in beta on Android since last December. But now with the official roll out, Strava can offer real-time audio cues to segments, visual feedback to how you are doing on the segment, and more.

With many athletes using their smartphones as the their primary training devices, Strava puts a good bit of development might behind their mobile platform. With Live Segments, cyclists (and runners) can opt to get live notifications announcing the start of popular segments, and then can see a live-updating graphic showing how they are comparing to previous efforts. Color coding during the effort makes it easy to see live progress, and when you are done a summary will show how you did, then go back to the regular app’s ride stats screen.

Popular segments will come up automatically (when live functionality is selected) and you can also individually star segments that you are interested in to track your performance on the go. The audio feedback can also be turned on or off depending on your preference. While the function had worked previously for Premium users with Garmin’s paired to phones, it made sense for Strava to go straight to the mobile data connection source and add the functionality to their phone apps.

Wahoo Fitness + Zwift

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The Wahoo update follows on their recent update to the functionality of their Element GPS. This trainer update goes a step further to recreate the real-world changes in power output and inertial movement that you get rolling in and out of hills riding outside. Now their Kickr and Kickr Snap will better match up to the live virtual environment of your Zwift ride, by way of ANT+ FE-C communication. Using their heavy flywheel and high-torque brake, these Wahoo trainers now carry their real-world ride feel over, matched to the gamified Zwift experience.

As Zwift puts it, now when “you approach an ascent and begin to climb, the pedaling resistance you feel will be even more in line with what you would feel when starting a climb on a real road. By the same token, this is also true when you crest a climb and the effort required lessens as you begin the descent.”

Available now, Kickr and Snap users can update their firmware through Wahoo’s iOS and Android apps.

WahooFitness.com

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max
max
8 years ago

I’m not sure encouraging users to look at the screen instead of looking at what’s about to happen in front of them is a good idea?

Saul Berg
Saul Berg
8 years ago
Reply to  max

Um… I think you are missing the point. I ride with my phone in my jersey pocket, and the app provides AUDIO cue’s. So this is less of a distraction from staring at a garmin, LOL.

dr_lha
dr_lha
8 years ago

Does anyone actually mount their iPhones on their handlebars anyway, other than Freds?

Gabe
Gabe
8 years ago

Now even riders too cheap to invest in a cycling computer can know where to stop on the trail 500 feet before a segment to “rest up” so they can get that all important KOM……………

Flatbiller
Flatbiller
8 years ago
Reply to  Gabe

You obviously don’t know about the Airplane Mode On-to-Off-Start-the-segment-you-want-KOM-to-On Strava hack.

TheKaiser
TheKaiser
8 years ago
Reply to  Flatbiller

Flatbiller, Are you just talking about a way to check your location relative to a segment on a ride like Gabe mentioned, or are people using this “hack” to game the system and get credited with a faster time than reality? Not that I would ever use such a thing but, when using the replay function to see where the fastest riders gained/lost time on some of the segments in my area, I have noticed that that a few of them have way fewer breadcrumbs/milestones/waypoints or whatever you call those markers that strava uses to determine if you completed a given stage, and I wondered if there was some funny business going on. It could also be a phone setting reducing the pings to save battery I suppose.

dan
dan
8 years ago

So is this a premium feature still or not. I couldn’t quite work it out from the text.

Zachary
Zachary
8 years ago

If I’m doing intervals out on the road or (thankfully, the mostly deserted and underutilized paths around my house), I’m pretty good at looking at my Garmin display to see my target zones/wattage/etc. without running into things. I think other people are the same.

Ryan S.
Ryan S.
8 years ago

Audio clues would be preferred; I think they mention adding that too but didn’t sound nearly as involved as the new visual ones.

Jess
Jess
8 years ago

I thought the live segment feature would be fun/motivational when I got my Edge 520, but good lord was it distracting! It could be a useful training tool, if you’re into “training”, but sometimes riding is the best part of a ride, you know?

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