Why Would I Want Strava?

CiB

Use Strava because it's there. You can have an account and sometimes not use it, but you can't not have an account and use it sometimes. Better though is that most blokes love gadgets and jump at weak excuses to have more gadgets, and a lot of us like lists in one form or another, and numbers, and stats, and we like riding bikes and being competitive. Strava wraps all that into one.

Is there any pleasure or real need to know that you're now 373rd fastest out of 966 people on a particular stretch of road, having been 395th till this morning? Course there is. That's what Strava does. It fills a gap that no-one ever thought existed, and now that there is something to fill that void it's more fun to use it than not. Fun? Remember that? Welcome Strava.

Bozman

drlodge wrote:

on-yer-bike wrote:

I use the paid Strava its the only way I can be top of the leaderboard, in my age group, on most segments. Its a good way of logging rides and I prefer it to Garmin Connect. iRide is another option.

You don't get any higher up the leader board by paying, you are just able to eliminate younger, lighter (and hence fitter) people from the listings by going premium

I had premium for a year and never used the age/weight filter. The main benefit for me was being able to download other peoples rides via gpx file, and see the HR zone analysis and suffer score. At very nearly 47 and 12 stone I will never make KoM except for a long downhill section (and downhill segments don't count) and I've now plateaued at about 1/3 the way down the leaderboard (e.g. 100 of 300). I've since reverted to the free version and use it to generally track my rides.

Don't be so negative, I'm 46 and 12 st and I've managed to get a few KoMs on busy segments. I don't go out expecting to get them or hold on to them but when everything seems to be flowing well I'll give it ago, 99% of the time I nearly die trying but it adds a bit of fun to a ride.

opus25

I like it mostly for comparing myself to myself, but also because of the challenges and other people's rides.

Currently in the 30-day free premium trial and I'll probably pay for a year.

dag_on_a_bike

I've only started using Strava a couple of days ago so it is early days to form a view.

I did try plotting a route, which seemed quite easy, and rather helpfully it did indicate the profile of the planned ride. I will upload that to my Garmin Edge 705 tomorrow to give it a go.

To be fair I will probably stick with it for a month or so before making any snap decisions about whether or not I consider it beneficial. After all, it is free in its basic form.

john1967

Its great fun and a great training/fitness tool for recreational riders like myself but its only a matter of time before the entire UK road network becomes one long segment.

mm1

Double post

mm1

Not on Strava myself, but I can see the attraction. It can spawn some odd behaviour though, like the occasion on a 2 up training ride, when my companion said "there's a Strava segment just up here" and shot off up a side road, I waited around until he came back and we completed our ride, but had no idea how long he'd be gone for.

More troubling is when someone attacked a segment at the start of a clubrun, blowing out someone else who was on his first clubrun and was never seen again...

Maybe its no different to having a burn up before the cafe stop or sprinting for signs, which I guess are both activities that have been segmentised (or should that be "segmented"?)

cadseen

I dont know if its been mentioned yet but also using Strava has highlighted to me other riders from my village I didnt know and also other local riders who have become virtual Strava Friends and friends I have since met and ridden with. So its also a tool for making friends :-)

Mikey23

plus one

DeVlaeminck

I just use it to have a look at what others are doing. I have targeted a few koms but very rarely as all it really means is nobody faster than you has had a proper go at that hill yet - for me it doesn't replace dropping your mates !

The other thing it's useful for is a record of what I've done as I keep a training log but I tend not to fill it in after every day.

veronese68

Bozman wrote:

I'm 46 and 12 st and I've managed to get a few KoMs on busy segments. I don't go out expecting to get them or hold on to them but when everything seems to be flowing well I'll give it ago, 99% of the time I nearly die trying but it adds a bit of fun to a ride.

Same age and weight and I occasionally do better than expected. I did get an email telling me I'd lost a KOM I didn't know I had. Somebody created a very odd segment along a bit of shared path between 2 gates. I don't normally try for segments but one day I got through the first gate and there was nobody on the path so I had a go and got it back. I don't normally try but it's funny how when somebody takes away something you didn't know you had it irks you a bit. Generally if I get into the top 10% on a busy route I'm happy but I really only use it for myself and to occasionally rib my mates.
Mind you I did see a segment I stand a reasonable chance on, but there are only 4 people on it so it wouldn't be a great victory.

pastryboy

Used it a couple of years ago but kind of tired of setting my phone every day and realising I had pretty much peaked in terms of getting top 10's/KOMs.

In checking it recently, where I was once sat in the top 10 I'm now outside the top 80. Seems to have become very, very popular.

fwgx

I use it for general tracking of my activities, although I did spend a while trying to get a KOM on my way home from work. I had been close in 4th place, but now I've been demoted to 26th. There are some segments on my commute, but they're so exposed and dependent on the weather that it's impossible to compare. Essentially the leaders are only there because they had a 30mph tail wind and not a 30mph head wind.

VmanF3

Use it mainly for logging miles now, both running and cycling. I used to get quite competitive on there, but now just can't be bothered; I now train for my needs and don't get sucked into playing that game!

I was in some clubs on there, mainly to get route information, but noticed some bizarre behaviour of some folk; for example, on one occasion I was leading the club totals board in all three categories (only may I add because I was off work) and someone as of Sunday evening was 10km off total distance, within half an hour, they'd gone out again for another 12km to get ahead of me? And they had done that on purpose because they called the ride Top Spot Nobbler! I found that a bit tragic (but also quite funny, I gave them Kudos!).

SCR Pedro

CiB wrote:

Is there any pleasure or real need to know that you're now 373rd fastest out of 966 people on a particular stretch of road, having been 395th till this morning? Course there is. .

I wish I could see it that way. I just see 372 people who are faster than me. The bästards.

veronese68

SCR Pedro wrote:

CiB wrote:

Is there any pleasure or real need to know that you're now 373rd fastest out of 966 people on a particular stretch of road, having been 395th till this morning? Course there is. .

I just see 372 people who are younger than me, had a tailwind or were on a motorbike. The cheating bästards.

Try this way, much better for maintaining zen like calm.

BigMac in France

I use Strava because I DON'T have a Garmin. This is not your case so, not a valid reason. I think a lot of bikers use it because it runs on iPhones as well as Android phones. You don't need a specific GPS/counter. Because it is "open", you can effectively use the trails or roads that others have mapped out if you're going to an area you don't know well. I imagine you would have a lot fewer maps if using Garmin Connect, just because of the number of riders using Strava. As mentioned by others, it's free. you can try it and chuck it if you prefer Garmin Connect. ddraver's comment was interesting; use both!

ben@31

Why Would I Want Strava?

It has totally transformed my running and cycling to the point where I've never been fitter.

Now I log every run and cycle on there.

What I love about Strava....

- I know I'm not going to get KOM but I can aim for the top 2% or 5%. But I do find the running leaderboards more accurate and less effected by wind than cycling. Running is more consistent, theres no way somebody who runs a >50min 10km can suddenly run a sub 40min 10k overnight.

- I use it as a diary or a log for my runs and rides. It shows on a calendar what days I've been out and the accumulated distance. It's good for setting distance goals so you don't slack during the week. It even shows how much milage my different pairs of running shoes have had (they tend to last 500 miles).

- It's shown me routes that I've never knew existed before. It provides me a goal of trying different segments rather than sticking to the same route.

- I run for a charity. A lot of the other charities' runners are also on Strava. It's been a good way to communicate, ask questions and pass on training advice.

- When I've had a lazy day off and I've seen another friend has gone out for a run, it's inspired me to go out too.

- I've met people at sportives and running events and later became friends on Strava. Passing on advice, routes, training tips, etc.

- Strava has enabled me to see how well I've done during sportives and running events. Especially when it's broken down the course into segments. It enabled me to see how I well I did cycling up a hill mid-course or on the straight road into wind. The last Sportive I did I became separated from a friend, Strava shows how far apart we were / time difference.

- I find the Strava interface more user friendly than Garmin Connect and provides more data than Endomondo.

ben@31

VmanF3 wrote:

Sunday evening was 10km off total distance, within half an hour, they'd gone out again for another 12km to get ahead of me? And they had done that on purpose because they called the ride Top Spot Nobbler! I found that a bit tragic (but also quite funny, I gave them Kudos!).

I put my hand up, I'm guilty of doing that. Because I was having a bit of friendly competition with others in my charity group. I saw it as a good thing as it got me motivated to go out training instead of sitting around indoors. Sometimes friendly competition is a good thing to push you a bit, gets you achieving things you wouldn't have done otherwise.

apreading

Strava just confuses me...

Cant find stuff I am looking for and dont seem to be able to do any sensible ride comparisons against myself. I really couldnt care less how I compare with other people over piddly little small segments, and besides I dont compare well enough to find it encouraging even if I was interested. I have some set training rides and just really want to see how I am progressing over whole rides, compared to how I have done in the past, particularly looking at average speed over similar rides. I also want to be able to set myself monthly and annual mileage targets and see how I am progressing against those. I can do all of this easily in old Garmin Connect but tried Strava because some elements of this dont work properly in new Garmin Connect. I just find the whole Strava interface a complete muddle of stuff and really hate it.

Perhaps some of the features I am looking for would be in Strava premium but I cant really be bothered shelling out to try and find out.

Am sticking with GConnect for now, while the old interface is still available at least.

ben@31

Apreading... What your trying to achieve can be done by opening two windows on your computer. One window with the activity you've just done and the other window with the same route on a previous day (easier if you know the date) You'll be able to compare the two activities that way. Especially if there's lots of segments throughout the route. Basically opening up Strava twice.

If there isn't many segments you may get more info by using the same two window technique with Garmin Connect. As that allows you to press a play button and it will replay the route from start to finish with a constant feed of data, it will show your speed, heart rate, cadence changing as your cycling down a road.

apreading

Thing is, I dont give a damn about segments - the only segment I am interested in is the whole ride. And the only person I want to compare with is myself, all the previous times that I have done the same ride. My activities list gives me some of what I want but not enough columns of data. The dashboard is just a confused mush of all sorts of rubbish that I dont need or want. And the most important thing to me is the mileage goals, which I seem to have to go premium for and pay money, without knowing if they will actually do what I want. As for finding courses etc near me or in a specific area, this seems confusing and hard work too.

I think the problem with Strava is too much information from too many users all thrown together in an incoherent way. Or maybe its just me but it makes my head hurt...

ben@31

@ Apreading ... There's nothing to stop you making your own really long segment that covers your route. You can even make it private so just you can use it.

On Strava. If you open up your segment, on the left of the screen it will have a box marked "my results". Click on that and it will show you every time you've cycled along it, with your speed, time, heart rate, est power for every attempt.

With the premier account. if you cycle a route and click on it. It will show distance, moving time, elevation, some difficulty rating? , set avg power, energy output, avg speed, max speed, avg heart rate, max heart rate, avg cadence, max cadence, calories. temperature, elapsed time, device used, bike used, map / sat photo of route, elevation profile, route broken down into segments, the time / percentage spent in different heart rate zones , est power curve, set power distribution, Watts/Kg.

* I'm guessing the est power stats would be actual power stats if I could afford a power meter.

sloppyschleckonds

ben@31 wrote:

* I'm guessing the est power stats would be actual power stats if I could afford a power meter.

How much would you save by not paying for Strava Premium?

mrbenj

For those already addicted to Strava support is available. https://www.facebook.com/stravaholicsanonymous. If you're not already using then it's a cautionary tale....

norvernrob

apreading wrote:

Thing is, I dont give a damn about segments - the only segment I am interested in is the whole ride. And the only person I want to compare with is myself, all the previous times that I have done the same ride. My activities list gives me some of what I want but not enough columns of data. The dashboard is just a confused mush of all sorts of rubbish that I dont need or want. And the most important thing to me is the mileage goals, which I seem to have to go premium for and pay money, without knowing if they will actually do what I want. As for finding courses etc near me or in a specific area, this seems confusing and hard work too.

I think the problem with Strava is too much information from too many users all thrown together in an incoherent way. Or maybe its just me but it makes my head hurt...

Open Strava in a browser, click on the ride you want to make a segment. Click on the spanner to the left of the screen, then 'create segment'. This displays a map with the whole ride on it, make the whole thing a segment and make it private so only you can see it. It takes a couple of minutes max.

apreading

Nope - created a private segment and under fastest times on the right it is blank. Has no leaderboard at the bottom and no option to click on to show my times.

Dont know if this is because it is private or if it is because it includes my home which is in the 'privacy zone'.

Even gave it 24 hours because it said it might take a while to repopulate the leaderboard.

If this because I dont pay for strava premium???

Dippydog3

apreading wrote:

Nope - created a private segment and under fastest times on the right it is blank. Has no leaderboard at the bottom and no option to click on to show my times.

Dont know if this is because it is private or if it is because it includes my home which is in the 'privacy zone'.

Even gave it 24 hours because it said it might take a while to repopulate the leaderboard.

If this because I dont pay for strava premium???

Private is not a problem.
Segments ending or starting in a privacy zone are a no no.

RTFM.

apreading

Dippydog3 wrote:

Segments ending or starting in a privacy zone are a no no.

Not much use to me for my training runs then.... Back to Garmin Connect it is.

pipipi

can you not just edit the segment so that it starts and finishes outside your privacy zone?