16-06-2014 Sofware release version 1.10.28

[redlace]

Comparison time:
Leikr with sw 1.10.28: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/374896448
6.61 km, 42:30 minutes
Endomondo on iPhone 5: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/374884064
6.62 km, 42:55 minutes

The time is a little off as I had to start the iPhone app before putting it into a belt pouch, and then couldn't stop it till I had taken it back out. The time difference is mox-nix because of this.
The distance measurement was interesting - throughout the run, I would get a vibration on my wrist for each km from Leikr (autolap was on), and at the exact same time I would get a notice from the Endomondo app for the same km. So Leikr was spot-on with my iPhone.
Obviously, I don't claim the iPhone/app combination is the gold standard of GPS reference equipment, but it seems to be a good enough tool for the masses who who can't be bothered to pay for a dedicated GPS training watch . . . so I'll say that "good enough" is good enough.

Interesting note: pedestrian underpass at 3.47 km and again at 6.15 km. I did not lose all satellite reception going through this steel-lined concrete tunnel, and immediately had 7 or 8 satellites upon exiting. Looking at the Leikr plot, I can see that the tunnel caused a sideways error in position with a complementary spike in pace at the 6.15 km point. The rest of the plot seems consistent enough.

On the other hand, I am still having random difficulties syncing the watch over wi-fi, but I have been in touch with Team Leikr to address that issue. As others have mentioned, it would be a very good feature if I were able to download my workout data directly to my computer, or to have unfettered access to the data without it being first filtered by Endomondo, Strava, or MapMyRun.

[admin]

@Skywalker: can you please tell me if more about the conditions you have when your see your very different training experiences?
Are you using/not using assist data?
How long do you wait between the last time you turned on/docked your watch in range of your Wi-Fi and when you start your training?
DO you always start your training from home/same spot?
@ Redlace: thanks for your reporting, direct file uplaod is in the plans.

thanks
Cris

[skywalker]

Hello

I always start my watch in range of a wi-fi, and synchronize it so that I am sure I have the latest software. The issues mentioned are when it has been started at the exact same spot (give or take a few meters). But! I have been running almost every day since the post I made earlier, and since then I have gotten the habit of letting it stay turned on for 5 minutes prior to my exercise, just letting it lie on the kitchen table while I get dressed. It really helps a lot! I haven't had a single issue with it since then, so I guess that's perhaps just what you have to do That being said, the altitude measurements are still way off, and aren't making much sense - some of them looks like I have been running up and down mountains steeper than those currently being rode in the Tour de France !

[admin]

OK,
not sure about the behavior you have seen previously but happy to hear your watch is now more consistent.
Regarding altitude reading: while we are working on it you can use Strava, where reading are taken directly from the topology

thanks
Cris

[Dr. D]

I went out for a lunchtime run today (July 24th). Clear skies, humid and warm.

The Leikr was on my left hand, Garmin Fenix2 on my right.
Autolap was on and both watches had clear view of the skies.

The Leikr recorded 13.24miles, the Fenix2 10.16miles, and miCoach app (on Sony Ericsson Xperia Active) 9.92miles.
From mile 7, the Leikr went off track (especially between miles 10 and 11, 12 and 13).

GPS Data below.
Leikr - https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/376166261
Fenix2 - https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/378814103

[redlace]

I'm trying to check out your plot trails, as I am starting to get up into longer distances (for me) of 10 miles or more. Unfortunately, the links you provide don't seem to show the same course.
The Leikr plot trail goes to a walking workout on the 20th called "Walk with Steve Agather [Leikr]" near the intersection of Leesville Road and Northern Wake Expressway.
The Fenix2 plot trail goes to a running workout on the 24th called "10Blue40Green10Blue" near the intersection of Triangle Exressway and Northern Wake Expressway.

So far, my experience with my own Leikr has been fairly consistent with other GPS recording methods, but I don't have any longer runs to show a deterioration of Leikr data capture over time. That said, I have a ten-mile training run on the 26th, I think I'll bring along my Garmin 305 and my iPhone 5 with Endomondo. I'm also comparing my distance to a map plot on Google Maps. Last weekend's run was 9 miles, and the Google Maps estimate is right on with the Leikr distance: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/375726084
Comparing the start point and turnaround point (out and back, 4.5 miles each way, on the same path with minor deviations) between the actual Leikr plot and the Google Maps plot reveals a pretty good symmetry.
I'm running the same track on the 26th, with an extra mile tacked on, so I'll be curious to see how close the different devices are to each other.

[Dr. D]

@redlace - many thanks for pointing out the mishap!

Here is the Leikr plot: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/378810390

[Dr. D]

I was too fast with the submit button.

For the majority of my workouts, the Leikr and the Garmin track very closely.
There is the odd diversion every now and then and I struggle to pinpoint the root cause.

[redlace]

Comparison: Leikr vs. Garmin 305 vs. iPhone with Endomondo

On a tangent - if I continue to do these comparisons, my Endomondo mileage is really going to tick up quickly!

Leikr: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/379659968
16.01 km, 1:50:40
Garmin 305: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/379659092
15.73 km, 1:51:16
iPhone: https://www.endomondo.com/workouts/379593614
16.01 km, 1:51:14

I turned on Leikr and 305 at home, before driving to the location where I would start my run. IPhone was already on, of course.

Leikr on left wrist. 305 in pocket of Camelbak, with antenna facing up (clear view of the sky). IPhone in pocket of Camlebak, with clear view of the sky. Autolap "On" on all three devices. Leikr software version 1.10.28. Autopause "Off" on all three devices.

Disregard the time differences - I had to start the Endomondo app and put the phone away, then start the 305 and tuck it away, then started Leikr. Leikr was the first to get stopped at the end of the run, then had to pull 305 and iPhone out of pockets to stop them.

For those who may not have followed my previous posts (comparing Leikr against my 305), I have found through careful analysis that my 305 typically under-reports the distance travelled. I've noted this on courses of known distance, and it appears to be consistently about .02 mi short, per mile travelled. Considering the distance of 10 miles on this day, that gives an offset of about .20 miles from the actual distance travelled. 305 reports a final distance of 15.73 km (9.83 mi), but adding back the .20 mi brings it to 10.03 mi, or 16.048 km. Were I not aware of this peculiarity of my 305, I might consider Leikr and iPhone to be mis-reporting. However, both iPhone and Leikr are spot-on against each other, and both compare favorably to 305's adjusted distance.

Taking it a step further, I plotted the route on Google Maps, and found that I was in about the location I had expected to be at the 8km turnaround point.

Compared to both iPhone and 305, Leikr's track is still more variable (less smooth).

Heart rate averages and highs are consistent between the three devices.

Elevation chart is consistent to the point of suspicion between iPhone and 305, but Leikr is substantially different and - in my opinion - more closely reflects the actual terrain. For example, there was not a sudden elevation change of 51 meters between 2.55 km and 2.7 km, as indicated on the 305 and iPhone charts. Consistent pace and heart rate on that stretch are good indicators of what actually happened, if my knowledge and memory of the trail will not suffice.

Spot checks of pace on Leikr during the run were still disappointing. Pace display continues to vary significantly, though my pace remained consistent (slow). I didn't do any spot check on the other two devices during the run, but my experience with 305 is that it is fairly consistent with my actual pace and has less moment-by-moment variability.