I’d also take issue with the idea that everyone using Strava is some sort of competitive, speed-crazed nutter chasing segment times with no regard for others. Most of the Strava users I know use it simply as an easy way to record their rides and keep track of what their mates are doing.

Yes, some people get stupidly competitive over riding a particular bit of trail quickly, but they’d be just the same out riding with a bunch of friends. As far as ‘cheeky’ – hate that twee label – trails go, I don’t really get the ‘it’s okay for me to ride them, but not anyone else’ thing.

Perhaps all those pesky footpaths need deleting from Ordnance Survey maps as well?

Speaking of big data, what does the Strava Heatmap look like for Kinder, and at what stage does that become a sort of e-‘mass trespass’?

I did a blog on that subject (kind of) last year…
http://unduro.co.uk/thoughts/our-mass-trespass-is-already-happening/

You can’t put the genie back in the bottle, everyone knows it’s happening so let’s shift the conversation to “look, it’s already happening and there isn’t really a problem”.

I was out walking the dogs on a footpath through the local woods yesterday when three fat storm troopers on full sussers came hooning around a blind bend nearly wiping us out.

If you have to pretend to be hardcore whilst riding on a path please do it considerately.

Most of the Strava users I know use it simply as an easy way to record their rides and keep track of what their mates are doing.

totally agree with this, I genuinely don’t know anyone who’s competitive about it.

As with most things in life, not being a dick about it is the best course of action.

Reads as if they’re saying ‘don’t be a dick’, especially not a recorded and uploaded one.

I’d agree with the “don’t be a dick” message but why deliberately equate Strava use with being a dick?
The two are not actually intrinsically linked, and I’m still not clear if Strava is offering up some evidence of dickish behaviour by cyclists on shared routes or its just the general assumption that it is/will…

Feels a bit like being bollocked for something you haven’t done and were never going to do just because of someone else’s assumptions…

As with most things in life, not being a dick about it is the best course of action.

Sadly a significant poportion of the population struggle with this.

The problem is that Strava doesn’t discriminate between dickish cheeky trail usage like

I was out walking the dogs on a footpath through the local woods yesterday when three fat storm troopers on full sussers came hooning around a blind bend nearly wiping us out.

and someone riding that same trail considerately at 7am on a Thursday when there is no one else about.

Also, there seems to be a pervading opinion on here that Mountain Bikers are by definition “Not Dicks”, which based on my experience of dealing with some local riding groups, is simply not the case.

The problem is that Strava doesn’t discriminate between dickish cheeky trail usage like

And who knows if they were on Strava or just smashing it for fun…

And who knows if they were on Strava or just smashing it for fun…

I think you missed my point… The point was that with strava the dickish behaviour is recorded for posterity and visible to pretty much anyone and everyone via the heatmap.

For the record, I bet one of the three was using strava!

The heat map doesn’t tell you much more than footfall. Logging or not the desire to race hard has very little to do with Strava, those that want to hammer it do it anyway

Until you make it private. Then you can be an anonymous stravadickory rider.

If you want to smash segments then use a bit of common sense and ride to what the trail location, conditions and traffic allow.

For the record, I bet one of the three was using strava!

Pretty easy to find out.

https://www.strava.com/activities/search

Podge I posted one video of a 3hr ride recorded in the Peak, it had everything in it and didn’t identify the co-ordinates of anywhere unless you already knew it. It wasn’t a vid that I personally shot but you took offence. I imagine it’s because you never ride cheeky. My point was THAT descent had featured in the boggies ride where 30 went down it.

Brant no idea what you said but I got pushed and shouted at riding in Hebden. Apparently he was annoyed that ’17’ night rider’s often ride down this path every week. Not sure if any were wearing expensive middle aged slacks though 8)

Podge I posted one video of a 3hr ride recorded in the Peak, it had everything in it and didn’t identify the co-ordinates of anywhere unless you already knew it. It wasn’t a vid that I personally shot but you took offence. I imagine it’s because you never ride cheeky. My point was THAT descent had featured in the boggies ride where 30 went down it. Inclusion on Strava gives ANYONE an invite but not just that-to compete and beat times. That is what also can make it dangerous. That element.

Brant no idea what you said but I got pushed and shouted at riding in Hebden. Apparently he was annoyed that ’17’ night rider’s often ride down this path every week. Not sure if any were wearing expensive middle aged slacks though 8)

I always ride early, slow/stop and chat. If I was on a timed Strava section would I even slow?

I’ve had a good rant at an mtb-er riding fast down a footpath who nearly hit my dog, its a busy walkers path in the Surrey Hills near Guildford with signs at all entrances which say “no cycling”, its an area with Bridleway alternatives, I have seen it being used by a group ride of more than 10 people too.

As above Strava has been used in the US to ban mtb-ers as it shows how fast they are riding down trails with other user groups.

As above Strava has been used in the US to ban mtb-ers as it shows how fast they are riding down trails with other user groups.

So basically Strava will get people banned from where they are not strictly supposed to be? I think it was covered above that Strava was a convenient help to people who had decided to ban bikes.

Grasp the nettle use it as a force for good

Most of the Strava users I know use it simply as an easy way to record their rides and keep track of what their mates are doing.

+1 for reality without the paranoia

with signs at all entrances which say “no cycling”,

and since when did some random sign allow you to have a go at others …..

Strava has been used in the US to ban mtb-ers as it shows how fast they are riding down trails with other user groups.

ban away, who is going to enforce this in the UK? Answer = nobody

with signs at all entrances which say “no cycling”,

our trails have signs that say ‘dogs must be on a lead’ they never are ….

Our local one says no walking cycling etc then another one a it further about mind the gaps 😉

and since when did some random sign allow you to have a go at others

Conversely why should anyone do anything they shouldn’t without thinking there will be consequence, even if the consequence is simply being called out for their actions? Seems to me plentry of people are happy to do what they want as their God given right but can’t deal with being caught out. A lack of respect deserves no sympathy.

If I was on a timed Strava section would I even slow?

No of course not, because one of the conditions of using Strava is that a small explosive implant is inserted in your brain – once you enter a timed segment, any backing off and the implant will blow your head to pieces…

Or you might just be a responsible, sensible rider who uses Strava as a social recording devices and rides just the way they would without it. I guess it depends on the individual and their level of impulse control or, in more basic terms, how much of a dick you are.

Another shocking fact: competitiveness & consideration for others aren’t mutually exclusive.

BWD if your uploading your ride then surely you wont want your peers thinking you are a slacker on a bike. There’s that element.

if your uploading your ride then surely you wont want your peers thinking you are a slacker on a bike

I upload it all, I’m sure nobody has the time to go through it all. Last Sunday morning was a ride done at a real slow pace showing someone around but what the hell it adds to the monthly total so it’s uploaded.
At times people should stop putting their attitudes onto other people’s motives.

As long as you don’t compare your times on segments against others crack on. If you do and aim to move up higher where yu share trails with other users then no. Disagree.

I can’t do both? Good trials with good sight lines I’ll go for it, some of our best ones ban walking along with bikes so I’ll crack on through them.
What if it forgot my Garmin didn’t record the ride but went fast anyway?
Is my fast too fast or me pushing it or can I ride just a shade slower than Peaty or Bryceland and be OK for not trying to move up the list?

BWD if your uploading your ride then surely you wont want your peers thinking you are a slacker on a bike. There’s that element.

I think you may be confusing me with NBT… but in all seriousness, why would I care? Some people are faster than me, some are slower, some days I ride quite briskly, other times I potter along and look at the scenery. But, as above, I try to be considerate, polite and friendly to other trail users regardless.

To turn things around, I’ve never looked at a mate’s Strava upload and thought they were ‘a slacker on a bike’, mostly I’m just intrigued as to where they’ve been and who they’ve ridden with. I guess some people might think like that, but it’d be a pretty chimpy way to carry on.

As a load of people have said, some people will ride like anti-social dicks whether or not they’re using Strava that’s just people for you.

Where I ride around Darley Dale/Matlock a lot of the best trails are footpaths unfortunately and there’s no way we aren’t going to ride them. They are naturally going to be created as segments as they are some good descents. My ethos is simply try and be aware of/courteous to walkers

Why anyone is remotely interested in putting anything on strava for others to see is beyond me. Use it as a training device for yourself, fine. But otherwise, why not cut to the chase and just post a photo of your cock next to a ruler?

Why?
It’s great motivation
I can see what my mates are up to around the world
It keeps me honest in my training
It sorts out the “I was just behind you all the way” bs
It challenges me
It’s fun

Why do you feel so threatened?

Because I’m inadequate. Obviously.

dannyh – Member
Why anyone is remotely interested in putting anything on strava for others to see is beyond me. Use it as a training device for yourself, fine. But otherwise, why not cut to the chase and just post a photo of your cock next to a ruler?

It’s a bit of fun, creates a bit of banter and I haven’t got a ruler big enough

Calm down, it’s not my fault all your rulers are broken.

@CookeAA asked:

Is this just preemptive paranoia or are there really groups out there gunning for Sustrans and using Strava data to do it?

Yes, I can say categorically that in my advocacy work I have witnessed anti-MTB’ers approaching public authorities and quoting strava as proof of cyclists riding “illegally” “recklessly” and “racing” on footpaths.

Brant no idea what you said but I got pushed and shouted at riding in Hebden. Apparently he was annoyed that ’17’ night rider’s often ride down this path every week. Not sure if any were wearing expensive middle aged slacks though

Oh I posted something more about the fact that cheeky trails and KOMs don’t work for me as KOMs don’t count dabs.

But that didn’t make sense in the context of this thread so I deleted it.

I assume this is the incident on Midgets Pit or Tron or something like that at the back of the Fox and Goose. Or maybe not. You have mentioned that many times before.

Strava is clearly a land management Trojan horse app.

Yes, I can say categorically that in my advocacy work I have witnessed anti-MTB’ers approaching public authorities and quoting strava as proof of cyclists riding “illegally” “recklessly” and “racing” on footpaths

But I didn’t ask about footpaths, I said sustrans (and by extension I suppose any other shared use path) routes where cyclists already have a ROW.

TBH fair enough if they spot some cycling activity logged on a footpath, although I am still not clear what the consequences are, has there ever been a conviction for cycling on a footpath? I doubt our local authority have either the will or funding to chase these evil cyclists through the courts…

When we dug a trail at Glentress for the EWS a couple of years ago I was pretty chuffed that rest of the Trailfairies went for the name I suggested for it. But then a rider found it and put it on Strava before we were allowed to acknowledge its existence and gave it a different name, which now seems to be how most people know it.

I understand that this is a trivial aspect of the debate but I am petty and trivial, so it rankles me. 🙁

Well, in answer to that Cookeaa, Yes, part of their complaint was about cyclists illegally racing on bridleways, as they (rightly or wrongly) interpret Strava use as equivalent to time trialling.

(we are into technical definitions of what amounts to a ‘trial of speed’ in law here, and you could make a case either way)

as for consequences – the group I am discussing have successfully prevented increased bike access on one well known trail in the past, and as discussed above are now using strava to reinforce their arguments for signs and gates, and have tried to get the council to impose byelaws – might not mean anything to the minority who din’t give a toss about anyone but themselves, but if you want to see improved access and a brighter future for your kiddies, then it certainly has the potential to hold us back – at the same time, you could spin Strava data differently, and use it to form an evidence base for increased access demand, potentially even in the longer terms as evidence for a bridleway/RB applications on basis of use.