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I don’t know any of my riding friends who use Endomondo or Garmin as their main logging system for example.
i used some free thing off the internet till i saw sense an binned my gps... there are others out there such as training peaks for example if your need to track your progress/fitness
Klunk, as above I don't know if it makes it easier compared with other apps, but it certainly makes it easier compared to keeping a log of rides/segments manually!
Edit - I suppose technically in response to the title, this matters, as if Strava didn't exist, other apps undoubtedly would. So I guess my riding would have a less orangey background if Strava didn't exist. And I'd shout the name of another app at walkers/less expert riders that got in my way 🙂
Used to use Endomondo (and Everytrail before that), since it was there before Strava was a thing.
Even used to be monthly endomondo challenges on here. Then Strava caught on, because racing is more important than miles or km.
The apps were hopeless when I used them. Always crashing, or deleting data, or giving up half way thru a ride. Fortunately, most of the time I'd have the etrex running as a backup. Don't need such a backup with the Polar watch.
how does strava make it easier over any other software when just comparing to yourself ?
It's so easy that the 2mins to try and see how garmin did it led to me giving up, it presents it all in front of you with comparisons and graphs in seconds. It links to loads of other platforms and just works.
i wish there was a a more mtb friendly version tho, one that helps you easily identify segments as descents, gives you the option to switch off all tarmac segments, and lets you create segments shorter than 200ms etc....
I think my cycling would be roughly the same, I don't really need Strava for motivation.
The main difference would be that my local trails wouldn't be so trashed, and I wouldn't know a few cheeky trails that I've found on heatmap.
i wish there was a a more mtb friendly version tho, one that helps you easily identify segments as descents, gives you the option to switch off all tarmac segments, and lets you create segments shorter than 200ms etc….
Yes, and the ability to set the tolerance a bit tighter, e.g. there's a nice windy bit of singletrack next to an old railway path that I like to nip onto to liven up the ride back from some of my local trails, I tried to put a segment there but it gave my best time as a time I'd been on the road bike on the railway path 🙁
I also only realised there was another line through the woods (about 10-20m away from where I was riding) as I kept recording times on it! And I can never find less-popular-than-the-local-roads off road segments even when I know the name of them.
how does strava make it easier over any other software when just comparing to yourself ?
Because it is good software (phone app and computer) that is easy to use with good data presentation. I carry my phone in back pocket when cycling so may as well have strava running on it.
No different at all, I’d just know a little less about what I’ve done and when i did it.
This.
I also wouldn’t know exactly where I fell off at BPW. I wish I’d left it running so I could have followed my progress with Mountain Rescue, in the ambulance and the hospital.
Yes, and the ability to set the tolerance a bit tighter
yeah we have dug a new track recently, completely fresh cut, but it does run quite close to and crosses the main bridleway through the woods. we made a segment for it because we didnt want somebosy else to claim it! but the leaderboard has times from 3 or 4 years ago, and when you look at their rides, they have just ridden down the bridleway..!
The social aspect of it is nice. I can see when my mates have been out riding and ask them about their routes etc. I've also noticed local people and friended them without knowing them, so I can see where they go. Found some good new spots that way.
I wish I’d left it running so I could have followed my progress with Mountain Rescue, in the ambulance and the hospital.
I can just see you now, in agonising pain, but scrabbling for the phone to avoid being flamed by roadies for nicking their KOMs in the back of the ambulance. 🙂
Use it really only for time and distance on local rides. On big away days when someone is leading me, I like to look at the map after. (I like maps)
Riding in the south east there are just too many people to get competitive over it. As solid midpack fodder in both enduro and XC, I have no local KOMS, often I can think I did something well, check later and I'll have scraped into the top 20 out of 100 for that day
What would your cycling look like if Strava didn’t exist?
A lot less like a giant cock and balls in the middle of a field.
Never used it, so my cycling would be just the same.
Like many I have seen it for its diary properties rather than competitively. So my riding wouldn't really change, tbh I don't think it's great for off road use anyway, but starting the app is habit!
Mine would be similar. On balance I would potentially do marginally less and I would certainly be less fit than I am now. I find the segment aspect of Strava very handy for gauging fitness by looking at my regularly ridden very local segments and quite enjoy racing myself to get a good workout when I don't have time for longer rides. For a lot of people it's also an extremely handy and free (assuming ownership of a smartphone) bike computer / ride logger.
I've also ridden plenty of new places and different trails in known places as a direct result of the social aspect of Strava. As said above, and in common with an awful lot of technology, you get out what you want from it. Anyone determined to hate it will find reason to and those who enjoy using it will enjoy it.
I wonder what's more antagonistic, a Strava thread, a Rapha thread or a racing sportive thread 🤔
Anyway when I used it more I thought it was fantastic. My cycling previous had been mostly just roaming around and occasionally giving it the beans up some hills. Knowing that there was a segment that some pals had ridden made me dig quite a bit deeper. Even planning a ride I'd take in some segments and go for it. Because of this I reckon I got a lot faster than I'd ha before with the bimbling/half arsed effort.
Edit: I should ssy I found it more useful for road biking than MTB.
Also tightening up accuracy is more to do with the gps rather than Strava as I understand it.
if you only ride against yourself you can do all that without strava
Not without Live Segments you can't. When I'm slogging up a hill and I know I'm a few seconds behind my PR, I am more likely to keep at it than drop a gear to make it easier, which helps with my motivation and eventual fitness. Otherwise it's all just data after the fact. I'm fitter because of Live Segments. Works for me.
Only been using it a couple of years and I quite like it. It makes absolutely ZERO difference to how I ride. I'm still just as slow as I would be anyway.
I do like the flyby feature in a voyeuristic way.
I use it as a tool to gauge my speed and fitness, there are certain trails I ride locally where I know if I get a certain time I'm riding at an OK level. I also used to spend a lot of time sectioning trails and now tend to ride them in a oner so overall it's brought my fitness up.....plus I'm really really competitive.
Due to following being followed by people that use the same routes, I actually have some riding buddies that I wouldn't have otherwise known. And I ride quite frequently with them so it has certainly widened my riding circle.
Plotting (or plagiarising) routes has increased the places where I ride
Justification of new bike purchases to the wife based on the amount of miles that I have put down on the outgoing model!