Outside workout - Garmin 520 only showing Avg Power reading during workout

Hello,

As my Tacx Smart Flow has packed up (might start another thread on that), I tried the ‘Mountfield’ workout outside. What I don’t like, is when it switched to the first 12 minute interval at 207W, the displayed power figure is not an actual, or even a 3 -sec average, but seems to be an average power figure over the duration of that interval.

So, yesterday my 12 minute 207W interval started on the flat and all was going OK for the first 30 seconds but then I went down a long downhill, as I stopped pedalling, the power figure doesn’t drop to zero, just slowly goes down as the average drops. 1 minute later my displayed power figure shows only 125W yet I’ve hit a slight uphill and I know I’m pushing over 300W! The net effect at the end of the interval could average out at the required 207W but also it might not.

Am I doing something wrong?

Any help greatly appreciated.

Paul

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Read the outdoor workout instructions. They recommend making a custom workout screen on your garmin instead of using garmin’s own, which has the average power problem.

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This article walks you through the process of creating a custom Garmin screen:

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Bryce, sorry to highjack the topic, but can you do this with Fenix 6 or it this customable just on edge series?

I do not have hands-on experience with that particular model, but according to Garmin, these are the steps required to customize your data screens:

  1. Hold MENU.
  2. Select Activities & Apps.
  3. Select the activity to customize.
  4. Select the activity settings.
  5. Select Data Screens.
  6. Select a data screen to customize.
  7. Select an option:
    • Select Layout to adjust the number of data fields on the data screen.
    • Select a field to change the data that appears in the field.
    • Select Reorder to change the location of the data screen in the loop.
    • Select Remove to remove the data screen from the loop.
  1. If necessary, select Add New to add a data screen to the loop.

I hope this helps!

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Thanks for the advice everyone, much appreciated. Managed to set up a new profile and layout so will try it out later in the week.

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So glad I found this thread! I noticed the same thing last weekend and was bouncing between screens. Now, I’m excited to try the customized screen this weekend.

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I am in the same boat and need help.

I understand that creating custom Garmin screen on the 520 will solve the average power problem but once I select the workout from Garmin screen, it does not allow me to move away from the Garmin workout screen and I am stuck with the average power.

For the custom screen solution, do we need to go old school and remember the intervals or is there a way to still select workout and move to the custom screen?

Any help will be really appreciated.

Thank you.

You need to set up the custom screen in one of your profiles before you start the workout. I created a profile specifically for outdoor intervals. The custom screen was set as screen 1, then I set up a screen 2 for after the intervals, which just has my usual most looked at data fields.

  1. Turn on Garmin
  2. Select profile which has your custom screen options within it.
  3. Load your workout and go.

The Garmin workout screen becomes the first screen, then if you scroll down your screens will pop up in the order you set them

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That is a big help. Will try it tomorrow. Appreciate it.

Forgot to update here that this worked perfectly. Super happy :slight_smile:

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No worries, I had only recently collated the info together, and it was still fresh in my head!