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I enjoy using Strava. I've been using it for years, and I have introduced it to my biking group. Yes, I have been guilty of KOM hunting, but those days are mostly over. I like seeing the various parts of the worlds I have ridden in, keeping an eye on periodic miles gained, earning the PR's.
But now I'm thinking of dumping Strava. Here's why. I have a job. Its keeps my busy 5 days a week, and I have a wife and three kids that keep me busy on the weekends. Don't get me wrong, I still find time to ride at least once, often twice a week, even if it means hitting the trails at 6am on Sunday morning. But recently I have become more and more frustrated at seeing my mates clocking up trail time while I'm in the bloody office. I cant stand it. In the middle of a two hour conference call at 17h30, and my phone pings with a Strava notification. Oh look, bloody so and so has ridden 25 miles on 'Dusty spring time sunny ride with flipping bells on it'. You might as well just IM me with a message 'Dear dday, while you waste your life away rotting in an air conditioned office, your mates are out enjoying all life has to offer, with gay abandon. Sort your sh1t out man.'
Hey, who am I to criticize those who have apparently enough free time to ratchet up the miles while the sun is shining? So to hell with you Strava. I'm better off not knowing, and deluding myself that everybody else is enduring the same rat run, glancing longingly out the window, silently cursing calendars, inboxes and 'Action Items'.
I'm out. App deleted. One less life pressure. Might go ride tonight. Alone.
Turn off email notifications?
Don't forget to re-install the app before you go out tonight... 😆
Doesn't bother me. My bike is more limited now than it was in the past due to fatherhood but I'll ride more in the future. One thing I've realised is you've gotta be organised and make the most of what free time you've got. Turbo trainer has also helped me keep a semblance of fitness.
Summary. OP is envious of everybody else out riding. Throws toys out pram.
No spelling mistakes, bad punctuation, dodgy science or even a whiff of "whataboutery" - go the back of the class OP, you've just dropped out the top 10.
And not even a mention of a political party. Come on now.
Your right surroundedbyhills. Try'ing to rectefy as we speac.
Exactly why i don't bother with tat like strava. I ride for the fun not to prove points...
I don't know why I'm so bothered by it - usual thing 2-3 of us head out for a ride, we all Strava - ride ends, get home and over a crumpet I review the data - our ride lengths usually vary by 500m to 1Km, meters climbed by 100 or so - so it's hugely inaccurate, yet I'm drawn into worrying because I'm 1 second slower than someone over some descent or other. What part of my brain says that something that's so far out at recording a whole ride, is so horribly accurate over a 200m section of it to worry about losing a second or two?
Stupid that is.
I'm with you P-Jay. I'm right there with you.
in some respects that's good because in order to prove yourself you have to beat them beyond reasonable doubt rather than by a second here or there.
Meh, i could read all that but Im off out for a ride <clicks Record Activity>
I would suggest updating your work life balance programme.
I ride occassionally at the weekend and its a luxury when it happens. Wednesday nights are all mine though! I do however get to spend lots of time with my kids and wife.
I like Strava.
I find it fascinating to see just how far I've ridden in a year.
I like seeing my history over certain segments, and looking back at the routes I took to achieve my better (or worse) times.
I enjoy pushing myself on known segments, trying to find that last second or two to catch the virtual guy in front. On that point, there is no "virtual" guy. Most of the mtb segments around my way only have 10-20 people on them so I know most people. The road segments don't bother me, most of my road miles are part of my commute so I've got mudguards, dynamo hub, pannier rack carrying a laptop and I'm usually knackered, but that makes it even more special if I can get a top 10 place out of 2000. 🙂
I enjoy using the new Flyby thing to see where others have been and are going when I've passed them by.
Segment-Exploring is a great away of finding new routes. Find a segment on a trail you're interested, see where other people rode to get there. Perfect.
I really love the email updates. I've got strava contacts (who are genuine contacts) around the world. I love the fact that while I was sleeping, Nick has been out for a fatbike ride in Anchorage, or Jon has been exploring in the Himalayas.
I'm proud of my KOMs, I've got about 20 or so. But if someone took one of them, I really don't care. Except the 80km at 30kph one, that would annoy me. 😉
I like Strava but I wish I could turn off all the downhills. I'm ashamed to say it affects my judgement and I nearly killed myself last weekend with a massive tankslapper at speed on steep hard flinty ground.
Having experienced that I'd like to think I could restrain myself but I suspect speeds will gradualy climb on the descents (see what I did there!)
STRAAAAVAAAAAA!
For the rant 1/10. No random CapItAlIZatiOn,,,,, punc,tuat?ion or speelin mistaks....,;)&
Others riding while you rot in an office? Sort your life balance out.
Your kids are only little once, you don't get to do it again. No replays. They are precious.
The daily grind because it's expected was the worst time of my life. So I sorted it out.
In all seriousness, Strava can be used as a great training and monitoring tool, but what it doesn't show you is how much fun you had and how big a smile was on your face at the bottom of a fast descent.
but what it doesn't show you is how much fun you had and how big a smile was on your face at the bottom of a fast descent.
It does! You can upload photos! 😆
I like Strava!
I wish I could filter it show only mostly off road segments though.
I get very distracted by 'fly-bys'. I like finding mass-start events and watching all the little discs flow along the trails! (megavalanche is cool to watch!) I even tried to find out who was in the area of the Alps shootings! (you never know...)
it's great to see everyone commuting as well. I wonder if I could crash the Strava server by looking at London at rush hour....?
It's great for Segment and Activity/Route finding..
Though now you've turned it off you'll not know where your mates ride.. and on those days when you get a text from one of your mates saying "we'll meet at such and such and do the wobbly route" you'll have no idea where or what they mean.
Just turn the mail notifications off...
Dear OP
unfollow all your mates, enjoy all your own PB's and route recording without the inconvenience of friends.
job done
Sounds like there's still an element of Keeping up with others there for you OP, but it's just personal circumstances, I have mates who are able to take a day during the week now and then to just have a ride, I give them "Kudos" and start planning my own bunk day ride.
Like you I've got Wife, Kids and work to get in the way of riding, you simply have to work whatever riding you can into your daily/weekly/monthly routine and get on with it, Keep Strava it's simply a useful tool to log your ride information and it's nice to see what others are up to/what you've achieved (However meagre that might seem)...
Anyone who really wants to get into a data-based bicycle pissing competition with you has missed the point so just don't engage with that sort of nonsense...
Treat your mates activities as a bit of motivation to find new and different ways to get more cycling in of your own... Could you squeeze in an evening ride or two now daylight hours are longer, or night rides perhaps? is commuting to/from work a possibility?
Where there's a will there's a way and all that...
sometimes its easy to forget what you've done yourself, there will be other people thinking the same of your rides, as what you think of others