Understanding Strava/Garmin Live Segments (Former Wahoo User)

For Garmin segments to work when following a course the course needs to be download from Garmin Connect. Garmin Connect overlays your segments to find matches with the course and inserts them into the course file so that they will get executed when you run the course. Course files from other sources will not have the segments embedded in them.

For courses from other sites you would need to import them into Garmin Connect and then export them from Garmin Connect.

Thanks, that gets me one step closer to understanding the problem.

Unfortunately that means, if you are planning through a non-Strava third party app with the intention to download the planned course via a CIQ app you are out of luck with regards to segments.

Just in case if you happen to know the answer: Aside from sending a Garmin Segment to the Edge: Is there anything else I need to do to make the unit aware of Garmin segments? Will Garmin and Strava segments work in tandem?

It is an either or case when it comes to segments. You either pick Garmin Segments, which are free and the default or Strava segment that require a Strava subscription.

Which ever one you pick deletes the other type of segments that may be on the unit.

So in terms of getting segments when following a course the course needs to be authored on the site that matches your segment choice. Garmin Connect for Garmin Segments or Strava for Strava segments. For Strava the course MUST be downloaded to the Edge via the built in app on the Edge for the segments to get included.

Thank you once again for helping me out here.

A follow-up question regarding the switch of the segment source: Let's say I open the Garmin Connect web site and change my segment provider from Strava to Garmin: Would that delete all Strava segments from my Edge the next time the Edge syncs? At least in theory? And should I then be able to see the synced segments on the Edge?

Switching will send a delete all segment message to the Edge and send a request to queue up all the segments for download from the selected source.

It might take 2 syncs to complete everything, but it should delete all your existing segments and replace them with the segments from the new preferred provider. 

I find with live segments on my 530 that the time in front / behind is very inaccurate and varies wildly thus making using them less motivating. I guess this is due to the inferior Sony GPS chip that they have. 

Sorry for the hiatus - I finally found some time to test a few things.

I started with testing Strava Live Segments:

Test #1: Simply ride and encounter a segment: 

Result: Segement is triggered 

Test #2: Follow a course created in Garmin Connect:

Result: Segment is not triggered

Test #3: Follow a course created in komoot and downloaded by the komoot CIQ app: 

Result: Segment ist not triggered

Test #4: Follow a course created in Strava that contains the complete segment and is downloaded by the build in Strava CIQ app:

Result: Segment is triggered

Test #5: Follow a course created in Strava that contains only the start of the segment and is downloaded by the build in Strava CIQ app:

Result: Segment is not triggered

Test #6: Follow a workout without navigating a course: 

Result: Segment is not triggered

Test #7: Follow a workout and a course created in Strava that contains the complete segment and is downloaded by the build in Strava CIQ app:

Result: Segment is triggered

So in conclusion: 

• Strava live segments are available during navigation only when the route is created or transferred to Strava and downloaded via the CIQ app
• Strava live segments can be triggered during workouts but one has to follow a course created in Strava (as above) 
• Even when following a course created in Strava segments are only triggered when the segment in its full length is part of the course

The one remaining question is: Will my PRs and the segment leaders be updated if I follow a course created in Strava that resides on my Edge? Or to rephrase the question: Do I have to re-download the course from from Strava to get the updated segment times (provided, that the segment times are up to date on the Edge)? 

I kinda miss the "it just works" approach of the Wahoo: Simply select wether you want to get segment notifications always / only when not following a workout / never but I guess I can live with the Garmin way of handling things (unless the segment times are backed into the course only during the import by the CIQ app - it would suck to re-download courses simply to get updated segment information during a ride). 

I might re-run the experiment using Garmin segments if I actually manage to switch to Garmin segments. So far, after performing the switch in Garmin Connect (web) has no effect on the segment data stored on the Edge. 

The segments are stored in their own files and will update when you sync to get the latest leaderboard data. The course file just makes reference to the segment UUID for those segments.

A Strava live segments ‘on/off’ switch would be really useful on the Edges/forerunners/Fenix’s. 

Some days I may like to go off route or deviate slightly from a workout to try for a PR and other days I may want to stick to the plan...

is it difficult for Garmin to implement via a software update?

You can do that under the activity profile settings. You can just toggle segments off.