Been using strava for a week now and tomorrow I’ve decided to extend my commute to work just to get another segment in. Is this normal?

It’ll wear off, enjoy it while it lasts. It’s still fun once the initial obsession is over though.

Possibly.
As long as you dont turn into a segment bagger.
One guy sought out my newly created segment within weeks just to KOM it, he’s never ridden it before or since.
Just to test my theory I’ve created another segment nearby to see if he’s tempted……

This particular segment runs within 20 meters of my house so I think it’s only fair I do it 🙂

One guy sought out my newly created segment within weeks just to KOM it, he’s never ridden it before or since.

That happened to me, so i went out and smashed it again, and the return segment, and another just round the corner. He came back a few times but never got close. Helps they are 1/2 mile from me so that whole ride was under 3mile :0) tho think ive lost them now, dont check that often.

Ive lost plenty KOM overall, not bothered, happy just to create them first so idiots dont make stupid segments on that track with starts before stiles or after a pinch point where a track joins a footpath.

^^ GPS accuracy can be out by several metres, you could probably clock a time without getting out of bed.

If you’ve got a privacy zone set up around your house that segment won’t register.

Yeah this comes, and if you’re normal it goes. While I try for segments I find that’s just another motivation to get out on the bike, no bad thing. I might race a segment, but I’ll still slow for walkers etc if I come across one. What’s changed my riding more is a dropper, no more rest stops to ‘change seat height’.

This particular segment runs within 20 meters of my house so I think it’s only fair I do it

Can i just check, you do have a hidden zone centered around your house? I ask as you wouldnt get the KOM if the start was so near and in your hidden zone.

If not you should turn it on or its easy to see where your house is, risk of enterprising thieves and all that.

[edit] damn, beaten to it [/edit]

Yeah ones past your house need to be your own KOMs.
Alas I only have 3 of the 8 that either pass, stop or start at my house.

If not you should turn it on or its easy to see where your house is, risk of enterprising thieves and all that.

Alternatively just enable ‘request to follow’, that way only people you know can keep tabs on your activities.

Alternatively just enable ‘request to follow’, that way only people you know can keep tabs on your activities.

Dont think that works unless you make every ride private?

If you log a time on a segment i can click on that time which opens the segment in your ride, and gives option to open your ride.

for me im not too bothered about KOM,s, and cups but i have become obssesed with altitude gain a month back i targeted myself with 5,000m in 28 days, which quickly turned into 8500m, 10,000m and now im aiming for 15,000m in the past 28 days. Trouble is i can only get out a couple of days a week at the mo which means if im to maintain the momentum i need rach ride to clock about 1400m worth of ascent. needless to say Strava is slowly killing me!

Since seriously starting using Strava I have “discovered” a number of roads and BWs round here that I’ve never encountered before.

In many cases I went looking for a segment, but instead found a really nice place to ride.

The GPS being off did me out of a good segment time today. I’ll get it tomorrow! I don’t go out my way to bag segments but I’m enjoying the extra motivation even if it is killing me!

In many cases I went looking for a segment, but instead found a really nice place to ride.

Yep, ive found i got bored of looking at peoples miles covered or average speed (was never been interested in ft climbed, its hilly-ish around here so you always get some climbing).

Instead I look at/give kudos based on quality of ride, so routes taken, choices made, speeds obtained on terrain/against weather. Ive since found i can tell who was on my local road club rides just by route choices now (not everyone uses strava), quite funny.

Good tips on setting up a private zone. I think turning it on/off 100yards from home should work shouldn’t it?

Private zones can be set automatically in your strava settings. As for how big it should be, i dont thing you can choose anymore so depends how paranoid you are. If you think someone could identify your street you might want to choose turn it on/off upto 1/2 mile away? depends where you live really.

What I meant was not recording my rides within 100 yards of my house. Therefore rides start and finish not where I live

Thats what i meant, strava can set an automatic zone based on your postcode, if the start or end of your ride are in this area they will not show to any other users (even friends). NOTE; middle sections of rides will not be removed so if you nip back to your house mid ride we will know where you live exactly ;0)

You can supplement this manually by turning your GPS on/off at other locations. Depends where you live but 100yds would be useless to hide the fact i lived on the street i do, would just take someone to sit on the street in morning/after work to see me arrive home on the bike.

Again, depends how paranoid you are about thieves, the above is a bit extreme but some folks do worry.

[edit] you can also doctor your rides in strava, cutting bits off the start/end, another option for the paranoid ;0) [/edit]

Where I live is a bit rough anyway but everyone knows everyone so in a weird way anyone sat watching the street would most likely get “moved on”

PB,s are what strava is for if you get a KOM cool

Alternatively just enable ‘request to follow’, that way only people you know can keep tabs on your activities.

definitely does not work, on occasion i have had a look at riders, if your a member of a club, your rides are listed so you can get some info about the rider, if you have any Kom’s or if your willing to do a little research you can get access to a riders rides through the leader boards.

Yes “request to follow” does make it a little harder, but it is only a little harder. You really should establish a privacy zone or more sensibly create a number of privacy zones to mask a rough area. In theory a circle centred on your house means you can identify where you live.

Call it paranoia if you want but better safe than sorry.