Garmin Stats Pre- vs. Post- Upload

[Clean39T]

Ok, this is a trivial question, but I'm going to ask anyway..

Why does my Garmin (230 watch) show more distance and elevation gain live than when I upload it to the Garmin site, and then to Strava?

I was feeling all satisfied closing out a 60mi ride w 7,650ft of climbing yesterday; and then when it uploaded it came down to 58mi w 6,800ft...

How am I supposed to set silly goals mid-ride or put in the last digs to tick over some numbers when things change after-the-fact?

Would it be different if I was using a Wahoo or something bar mounted?

[makoti]

First off, they never, ever match. The garmin is different on the unit than it says on garmin connect, and that's different than what it says in Training Peaks or Strava. Every time. Two garmins on the same ride will read different stats, sometimes by hundreds of feet.
Second, how do you know which is right? For AVS speed, distance, elev. gain the BIGGER number is always right. For elapsed time or lap times, the LOWER number is always right. Just makes life better that way.

[Clean39T]

First off, they never, ever match. The garmin is different on the unit than it says on garmin connect, and that's different than what it says in Training Peaks or Strava. Every time. Two garmins on the same ride will read different stats, sometimes by hundreds of feet.

Second, how do you know which is right? For AVS speed, distance, elev. gain the BIGGER number is always right. For elapsed time or lap times, the LOWER number is always right. Just makes life better that way.


Cool. Confirms it's not just me...

And the ride was incredible regardless the stats at the end of the day, I was just curious. I've been doing the wrist GPS thing just to keep it out of sight/mind during the ride; but as the legs are giving out and it's time to push on home it's nice to see what I've done for the day. Plus, I'm mapping out a 10K- Century in the West Hills of PDX, so I'm trying to get the stats somewhat close...challenge for the end of the season.