Strava has done...

[#campyuserftw]

What has Strava done to/for your cycling?

[thegunner]

nothing, i think people who yell strava and blow through intersections on descents are assclowns.

it just lets me log my miles without having to keep a spreadsheet. which is nice i guess.

[#campyuserftw]

nothing, i think people who yell strava and blow through intersections on descents are assclowns.

it just lets me log my miles without having to keep a spreadsheet. which is nice i guess.

LOL! I had no idea people did that. We can't get people to announce "On your left" or simply say, "Hello"...yet they scream, "STRAVA!".

I did not know this. Will look out/listen for it.

[avalonracing]

I'm so sick of hearing friends talk about their Strava "accomplishments"

I - DON'T - CARE - !!!!

[blessthismess]

I dont use Strava or even have a Garmin for that matter but like Gunner said it appeals to me strictly as a way to help keep track of miles etc. I have to many projects open right now but when they are finished I will consider joining for that reason.

[Chris]

I just started using Strava. After my Garmin broke again I switched to the cateye stealth and now use the Strava log as my calendar. I make every ride private so I don't get caught up on the comparisons/competition. Tracking with the iPhone and the instant download is nice.

[1centaur]

I enjoy it for many reasons.

It has revealed ascents to me I did not know existed via the "Explore" tab.

It has shown me what I can do with effort vs. genetics.

It has shown me how gifted the best local riders are.

It show me (specifically) how performance drops off with age, but sometimes not.

It has changed those rides I want it to by giving me objectives other than average speed or better stroke, etc. So it has created variety in my rides.

Those objectives have given me achievements that please me. I'm not Mr. KOM since I'm not that genetically gifted, but if I beat my own best with greater effort or better technique that gives me some satisfaction.

That said, I did have a KOM recently on a segment with 105 times, and some guy with better genes (judging by his age and power) beat me by 3 seconds (1:41 for context). I hope to get that back if only to make somebody else work a little harder. If it takes 375 watts over 90 seconds to win a KOM I'm not going to get it, but I take some satisfaction from making the strong guys work to beat a desk jockey.

I know where I rank in the local pantheon, in general. When I bust a gut I can be in the top 10% on the full leader board, and I feel like I can get a little better. I like goals and I am motivated by achievement, but I'm not all uptight about the competition.

So all in all, a positive. But those "rip your legs off" guys from Roadbikereview.com are always going to be out there, puffing their chests and fretting about not deserving to wear rainbow stripes, etc., etc. So Strava is blood in the water for a certain kind of rider. Does not make THAT what Strava is about, any more than 25-year-old Cat 2s from RBR are representative of cycling.

[phcollard]

It has actually pushed me a bit because with my three best buddies we don't always ride together, but we certainly watch what's the others times on popular segments. Bragging rights included.

I also like to see that I'm doing better as the season goes.

I can also explore the most visited/popular roads. Not for competition but if those segments are popular it must be good no?

Strava makes me count the miles easier as well.

Best of all it's free.

[craptacular]

I turned off Strava on my rides after moving, working a lot, and having another kid. I just don't want to see how far I've declined. I still hate getting the "uh oh" emails from them saying someone just stole my KOM.

[parris]

I started using it a few weeks ago with my phone. I didn't know that it tracked elevation and such which is pretty nice. I like not having a computer on the bars to take my attention from the scenery and this is a decent way to keep track by downloading at the end of the ride.

[witcombusa]

Strava has done...


absolutely nothing to my cycling

[gavingould]

Other. As far as performance, i use my power meter and analysis software for that. i don't gun for segments or KOMs. mainly it's something that I can see what rides other people are doing and "friendly" competition for times we're not on the same ride schedule.

[false_Aest]

Because of Strava I'm able to hunt lions with Vlad.

[bironi]

never used it, never will. How long is your dinky? I don't care.

[pbarry]

strava is yet another way modern technology removes us from physical experience. Yes, you're on your bike pushing hard, but there are no tactics, interactions with team mates, or others in the pack. Every ride is an individual TT. Might as well go for triathlons. But, those online bragging rights... :rolleyes:

Get a racing license and put yourself out there, people. Way more fun sprinting for a finish against your peers than rushing home/to your phone after a ride to see if your KOM still stands.

[1centaur]

[SIZE="1"]Get a racing license and put yourself out there, people. Way more fun sprinting for a finish against your peers than rushing home/to your phone after a ride to see if your KOM still stands.

Strava is probably best for people who don't find any resonance in that sentiment whatsoever. If you're a racer, race. Racers who Strava (verb?) to "win" are where the perceived "problem" is.

[T.J.]

Strava has done...


absolutely nothing to my cycling

Strava not compatible with freewheels and down tube shifters??

[T.J.]

I'm so sick of hearing friends talk about their Strava "accomplishments"

I - DON'T - CARE - !!!!

Bwahahaha .

[beeatnik]

The kidz in LA really like it. And by kids, I mean dudes under 25. They all have iphones and like the social networking aspect of it. I guess it's just another part of the facebook/twitter/instagram paradigm. Anyway, it normalizes an activity that can easily be marginalized, ie, kids wearing lycra (spandex, kit, cycling apparel, etc) and telling the world they ride bikes. Not a bad thing. It's the future; I'm getting used to it.

[Jaq]

nothing, i think people who yell strava and blow through intersections on descents are assclowns.

it just lets me log my miles without having to keep a spreadsheet. which is nice i guess.

Exactly this.

Strava's a tool, nothing more or less. I'm on because I can hit record, tuck my phone in my back pocket, and go. Don't care about KOMs, calories burned, any of that stuff. Don't care about cross promotions like "ride 800 km in a week!" But if others do, good on 'em.

On the other hand, it has made me far less interested in a cycling computer; I keep my Strada wireless on the bike, but really only for cadence/interval work. So if I'm not doing intervals (and damn, I need to be doing more intervals), I just slip the computer in a pocket and watch the world instead of data.

Across the hall there's a post about Strata data that's a map of all of Strava's users' rides. It's actually pretty damn cool, and when I zoom in, I can see ghostly images of my specific routes/rides. It's fun to be a part of that.

[phcollard]

strava is yet another way modern technology removes us from physical experience. Yes, you're on your bike pushing hard, but there are no tactics, interactions with team mates, or others in the pack. Every ride is an individual TT. Might as well go for triathlons. But, those online bragging rights... :rolleyes:

Get a racing license and put yourself out there, people. Way more fun sprinting for a finish against your peers than rushing home/to your phone after a ride to see if your KOM still stands.

I don't quite get it. I'm still out there riding my bike and talking to people. I'm not cycling on my Xbox. And I do as many group rides as I can.

I'm totally unable to race and I never get KOM's neither. Still I like the pseudo competitive thing about Strava. It's not the end of the world though. I could live without it, like another gadget.

That being said I totally agree with you about people being more and more disconnected. Sad times, better not think too much about it.

[false_Aest]

I forgot to mention that I'm gonna buy a scooter + hook my garmin up to it.

[phcollard]

I forgot to mention that I'm gonna buy a scooter + hook my garmin up to it.

Lol. Use digitalepo.com would be cheaper :)

[blessthismess]

Lol. Use digitalepo.com would be cheaper :)

Wow:rolleyes:

I thought this was gonna be an erichie type fake link but I guess truth is stranger than fiction.

[earlfoss]

Strava is fun. I have met some nice people who are supportive and the friendly competition for KOMs has been pretty motivational.

I'm all for it.

[pbarry]

I don't quite get it. I'm still out there riding my bike and talking to people. I'm not cycling on my Xbox. And I do as many group rides as I can.

I'm totally unable to race and I never get KOM's neither. Still I like the pseudo competitive thing about Strava. It's not the end of the world though. I could live without it, like another gadget.

That being said I totally agree with you about people being more and more disconnected. Sad times, better not think too much about it.

No judgement. If it works for you and makes you faster, then that's a good thing. You are not talking to people while you ride; my point.
Something being lost here, but you understand that.

Cheers

[kramnnim]

I like Strava a lot, for the motivation as well as the social aspect. It's also nice to be able to compare my own data on the various segments that I frequently ride. Yes, Golden Cheetah is probably more useful, but Strava makes it easy to track the start/stop points.

I follow a lot of people that don't live anywhere near me...it's interesting to see their rides.

I've met local riders through Strava, as well.

[fiamme red]

I forgot to mention that I'm gonna buy a scooter + hook my garmin up to it.http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=1271352&postcount=19

[ofcounsel]

I'm a fan of Strava. I'm fat and slow, so I'm in no danger of ever getting any KOM's. But I use it quite a bit to keep track of my fitness. There's several MTB loops that I do where I can see how I'm doing fitness-wise.

[Thiel]

I like it for all the normal reasons even tho I'm fat and slow.

I also use it to track what I wore riding in the shoulder season and winter... And to record whether I was over or under dressed. Useful.

[aramis]

It's fun, you see how much your friends are riding and what loops they are doing. You can make comments on their rides or whatever. You can look at your performance on different segments over time and see if you've improved.

Yes there are people that take rankings too seriously (have had my rides flagged when I've beaten peoples KOM's) but it's even fun to get an awesome time on a segment just from sitting in on a paceline or using a segment as a TT or interval spot.

[rando]

I liked it for a short time after they opened up the site to free accounts. Spent $30 on a Forerunner 305 and feel I got my moneys worth thus far. (If only because I didn't deal with Garmin to replace my Edge yet again.)

At that time I was living out in the country and made no headway convincing the guys on group rides to try out strava. So I made tons of segments and mostly just rode over them without gunning to set a bar. There were a few exceptions on pieces of road I enjoyed far above just being a random hill or whatever. Gave everyone carte blanche to destroy my pile of KOM's when I moved and surprisingly a large number of them have held up despite the site getting much more popular.

Moving forward to today, the site interface combined with the social aspect has me ready to buy and SRM and PCx head unit and give away the Garmin. If I'm not on the front pulling everyone else around I have no interest in bettering my placement on a segment. Besides, just so nobody gets butthurt, it takes a half hour to scroll through numerous pages of followed riders on the weekend and leave kudos/apologies for misfortune/analysis and look through horrible hipstergram photo links. I'm all but done with Garmin and Strava.

[bicycletricycle]

the less technology the better for my cycling.

[dd74]

My bike looks much more like a bike without a Barfly/Garmin. Thank you Strava.

[PQJ]

Nothing. Every time I try use it it loses the GPS signal after about 2 mins.

[biker72]

I'm so sick of hearing friends talk about their Strava "accomplishments"

I - DON'T - CARE - !!!!

nothing, i think people who yell strava and blow through intersections on descents are assclowns.

it just lets me log my miles without having to keep a spreadsheet. which is nice i guess.

+1 All of the above.

[VPI]

I was intrigued at first, but lately most segments I ride will not give me data as someone has marked them as hazardous. It would appear some do gooder has marked everywhere they can with hazardous here to keep people from trying to set records.

[laupsi]

I am one that hasn't fully embraced all the new technology of the past 10 years but have to admit I really find Strava helpful. I don't use it to compare times w/my racing friends but do find it good at:

1. keeping track of my workouts
2. providing power and work load data
3. pushing me to train just a bit harder when doing intervals over a selected segment
4. realizing just how inferior I am when I see other people's times on really difficult segments :mad:

[redir]

I can't say that it helps me in anyway but I do find it amusing. The problem I have is that I often forget to turn the darn thing off or even forget to turn it on!

I'm a big fan of GPS related apps and in fact am working on some now. I've always been one to embrace technology especially GPS and Internet tech so yeah I find it amusing.

[Lewis Moon]

I'm an old racer rather than a new age, bespoke latte sipping, Rapha wearing hipster... so I love it. Unapologetically.

You can love and use the service w/o being a dangerous prick, too. Go figure.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4eEJ_IVk_dc/Rhph3yaxGWI/AAAAAAAAABQ/IBIs_A6zNdc/s400/god+with+jerks.bmp

[Formulasaab]

I was using MapMyRide before STRAVA came out (or at least before I was aware of it) and to the best of my knowledge the two apps do not play together. I've got years of data in MapMyRide that I'm not willing to trash just to try a different app.

I do have the STRAVA app downloaded and installed on my phone, but don't see it offering anything that MapMyRide doesn't also offer? Maybe it has a bigger user base?

Now if there were a way to port the data across both apps, then I could record with one and play in both sandboxes.

[Lewis Moon]

I was using MapMyRide before STRAVA came out (or at least before I was aware of it) and to the best of my knowledge the two apps do not play together. I've got years of data in MapMyRide that I'm not willing to trash just to try a different app.

I do have the STRAVA app downloaded and installed on my phone, but don't see it offering anything that MapMyRide doesn't also offer? Maybe it has a bigger user base?

Now if there were a way to port the data across both apps, then I could record with one and play in both sandboxes.

French thread vs Italian thread.

No easy way to do it last time I looked.

[Jaq]

What's interesting is that, in Fiamme's thread from last January, I made it out to be something like 55% of folks who answered yes or no responded with a yes.

In this thread, it seems closer to 75%-80%. Some different responders/newer users, but some who didn't use it then and still don't, etc.

I'd be interested to see Strava's subscription numbers/user numbers/profitability. But I'm too lazy to look that stuff up. I have cat videos to watch.

[Pars]

I have it on my iphone, but have only used it once, while commuting, to check the cateye accuracy.

I was both surprised and annoyed when I did use it on a commute home to find that there was a KOM for a segment of the MUP in our subdivision that I use for part of my commute. On this segment is a bridge across a creek that both entry and exit are 90 deg. turns, with foliage making it difficult or impossible to a) tell if anyone is on the bridge before you turn, and b) tell if anyone is on the path before you turn off the bridge. Seemed rather dangerous and foolish, but I suppose this is pretty common.

[zap]

nothing for me.

[krhea]

Strava has done...nothing to make me switch from Ride With GPS.

[FlacVest]

Meh; it's fun, and I used it a lot when I first got it. (College)

After going back home to a small town where nobody uses it, I stopped, mainly because I don't have a Garmin and just used my phone.

If or when I get a used Garmin or whatever, I'll probably start using it again; definitely when I go back to college and can make use of the segments.

[downtube]

I like it and use it on every ride. I don't run red lights, i don't take huge risks but I do I like track my level of fitness. I am 58 years old and love the technology. My wife also uses it on every ride. There is a second part of it that we enjoy. We have several cycling friends but don't always see them regularly. We keep up on their rides and encourage their successes. It is a social thing. All in we will keep using it.
chuck

[bingomck]

I like it and use it on every ride. I don't run red lights, i don't take huge risks but I do I like track my level of fitness. I am 58 years old and love the technology. My wife also uses it on every ride. There is a second part of it that we enjoy. We have several cycling friends but don't always see them regularly. We keep up on their rides and encourage their successes. It is a social thing. All in we will keep using it.
chuck

This is awesome.

I joined strava in early 2012 after my baby was born to log my commuting miles. I was not really a cyclist. On my commutes, I would meet people on the way to work or home. I would look them up on strava after, and those that were members helped solidify the connection from earlier. Through these connections I started racing with a team beginning of this year.

It's a great tool. But ultimately it just comes down to how you use it. I understand if you don't want to use it, that's cool. And there are absolutely terrible Strava users/riders. Just like there are terrible non-Strava riders. And terrible drivers.

[sngk]

In my area (Durham/Chapel Hill NC) there is active competition for "king of" at least one crowded multi-use path. Horrifying.

[1centaur]

Hey, we need Strava for drivers. Driva! :)

[benc]

I don't ride with a computer but I do like keeping track of my riding.

I've never once thought about strava while riding. The concept of chasing KOMs irritates me.

I've slowly started following people and I even joined the strava pace line group.

The kudos and comments I could do without.

I do like seeing what and where my buddies ride.