Strava app leads to high end bicycle theft.

ademort

https://news.sky.com/story/cyclists-war ... s-11273754

Anybody got any views on the above story. Personally iprefer to start my app once i get out into the countryside and not outside my front door. Also informing everyone of your bike and specs is a little stupid. Sending any info Live is also a big mistake as it let,s thieves know you are not at home.

shirley_basso

Use the privacy function

singleton

^ This, and don't list your expensive bikes. If you want to know which bike you were out on, just list "summer" or "winter".

awavey

so even the police acknowledged not all the high end bikes were being stolen from users of Strava, IMO its an easy assumption to make but theres never been any hard proof that its being used nefariously to track peoples bikes.

it doesnt hurt to setup the privacy part and then not post publically a whole bunch of info about your shiny expensive bike online, though Ive always said you can if you put your mind to it, still work out the location by triangulating rides.

but I think whats more likely happening is these bike thieves are just spotting riders out on roads, and simply following them around in the same way high end cars get tagged, you dont need to cyber hack into peoples online stuff to do this, just a pair of eyes, or ability to pay attention to certain things.

like Im sure my postie/local couriers know I have a bike, because they are forever delivering things from bike shops to me. anyone who services my bike will know what bike Ive got and where I live, or anyone who gets access to a sportive entry list,even people who live on the same street as me, who Id hardly call close neighbours as I barely know them, but will often refer to my bike/and my biking if they stop to chat in the street, who to my knowledge at least had never even seen me on a bike, but clearly they had and noted it was something I did often enough that it was therefore was something they could chat as smalltalk with me on.

cougie

Old news. This warning has been issued years ago.

http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/lates ... ist-205098

It's only common sense.

MiddleRinger

This story/assumption pops up and does the rounds every now and then. I don't think there's ever been any direct link, just a lot of speculation. Either way, it's a good reminder to check your Strava settings and set up some privacy zones around your house, office, lover's hotel room, etc.

jakejhonson44

Some of these mobile apps are really inaccurate and unsecured.I would rather use the personal ,software 3G gps tracker ones, and can be shared to your chosen authorized people you know only.

TheGardenGnome

No need for hacking involved, just check if it's a Strava user and see if their journeys are consistent during the week. Unless Strava has changed something about the privacy zone, anyone that has enabled it will be lured into a false sense of security as you just center in on the circle. Thieves aren't cavemen, they've been evolving like the rest of us.

thistle_

TheGardenGnome wrote:

No need for hacking involved, just check if it's a Strava user and see if their journeys are consistent during the week.

Park up, set your strava recording, click the flybys button...

I don't think strangers can go on your profile any more and see your past routes (I send non-strava friends links to rides and they can't see them). Don't accept followers you don't know.

kimchiwitrice

For Strava, you can always set a radius around your post code(s) to hide your GPS tracking - and I personally switch off flybys. It's nice to know who you were near, but how often does that benefit the analysis of your ride? :S