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I use it to log rides, distance or time over the week/month and to look at how sections compare to last time i rode them to guage if i really do feel rubbish or if i was just riding a harder gear.
I dont like the competitive side that it brings out in some, as i think it can be detrimental to relationships with other trail users, but i guess there have always been those who liked to use trails as their own racetrack.
Yep but it’s mostly just social, keep in touch with a few folk I don’t ride with that often and it’s nice to see what everyone’s up to.
Have a crack at the odd KoM now and then but tbh not really too fussed about them.
All my geeky stuff is done through TrainingPeaks/WKO so don’t really use it for any of that.
I decided the premium wasn't worth it, and the free version is so pared back now that you can't even see how you fared alongside you mates, or that day, only all time, which rarely applies to me. It may be sad and mean nothing, but if I get a trophy on a decent segment, it feels good and bolsters confidence that I'm doing something right!
I like to see what friends are doing, especially with pictures.
I use it as a data source for TrainerRoad's calendar but have it set to private by default. I joined strava quite early on and was really motivated by leaderboards, recording big distances etc - I definitely think it got me doing stuff I wouldn't have otherwise done. I also used to get a lot of social value from it. Round about the pandemic I realised it was becoming just a FOMO generator for me so basically stopped looking for mental health reasons. I'm really grateful for the enjoyment I've taken from it but I don't miss it.
Yep, love it. Bar this place it’s the only social media I use.
I use it to see what others are up to, to compare my efforts and to plan routes.
It’s not about comparing yourself to others unless you want it to be.
I find it’s a really positive place with loads of people congratulating each other rather the telling others how good they are.
I think it’s great. I find all sorts of trails/tracks on it which I would never find unless riding with someone to show me. I often steal someone’s route using save route which is a great feature. I use the segment rides for that day to see if a trail is running well or washed out. I also use the segment times for the year to figure out if a trail is blocked by trees etc, checking the times for the segment gives me an idea if it’s cycled or hike a bike.
I also like to see what others are doing/a social nosey parker.
What I don’t like is some off road routes are difficult to map out. I sometimes have to put it in manual mode to get the route through certain sections. Mostly the route builder is pretty good though.
Comparing your efforts with others is only a small part of it.
Nope, never. But I’m not training for anything, just out enjoying myself. Really don’t care how fast or far I’ve gone. Getting lost is part of the fun and finding new (to me) routes is good. So rides not recorded, navigation if needed by map.
Yep, just the free version for last year, still gives basic power meter data (something I was never sure of in past).
Mainly to import turbo rides usually from Zwift (but odd session from MyWhoosh etc.), create a log of any outdoor rides I do which have been less frequent and far less noteworthy over the past 18 months since long covid, plus then send everything to https://www.intervals.icu/ for a bit of data-tastic analysis.
I am, and pay for it annually. Is it worth it, possibly!!
I do like to record my rides and compare against myself. I'm not fast enough downhill to compete against the enduro lads and mostly ride road solo, so again, won't be troubling any road KOM's either.
I do like the heatmaps for mtb'ing and the route planner.
Yeah I really like it. Its cool to see what other people and my mates are doing in terms of riding and can motivate me to get out.
Also it's useful as a basic training tool to keep a check on volume and I find the personal heatmap feature is good for motivating me to take my bike with me when going away somewhere, as I like adding more bits to the map.
I find the segments useful in terms of trying to beat myself and checking my own performance but they stopped being useful/relevant in the context of other people ages ago as I'm just not fast enough to ever really be in the top 15% and probably never will be now.
I use intervals.icu now for training related stats.
It was a fairly petty thing that led me to not renew the Strava subscription (well, apart from the price increase…) and that was the fact that it appeared unable to accept that people do easy rides.
No, Strava, this wasn’t a “weaker effort than usual”. While I don’t want it to be the riding equivalent of sports day at St Barnabas’, it’s too much of a blunt instrument.
I love seeing my friends rides and photos. And I get to give them a thumbs up for it. I hope they do the same for me.
elevation and distance are the only stats I care about. I could obviously see mine without uploading to the internet.
I do occasionally get the “this looks like an e-bike ride would you like to change it “ which makes me feel good.
I just use the free version, KOMs and leader boards don't interest me, it's a nice, easy way to keep a ride diary, tag on photos, etc.
I do like to see if I'm making progress on occasion by scoring the odd PR. Seeing what friends have been up to and give them 'kudos' is actually a nicer version of social media too IMO.
I do plug it into veloviewer as well for the analysis bit, mostly to try and understand how I'm doing physically, mostly looking at HR rate on climbs, it's far cheaper than a Strava subscription for similar tools.
I have started Zwifting now unfortunately, again more as a personal training tool, not too concerned about the racing, it does appear to have become a whole very serious aspect of pretend cycling, I just don't like getting cold and wet too often. I keep my zwift uploads private on Strava though.
Yes, use it, but I used to record all my rides and runs anyway, so using Strava save me having to do that. The ability to look at a run I did 20 years ago is good, but is also bit depressing.
Really enjoyed using it but just cancelled as ive been a member since 2014 and things are getting tight at the moment.
For me it's not really about how quick/slow you are, there's more to it than that.
If you're training for anything there are far better apps available (Intervals.icu, TP, WKO, GC etc)
I haven't ridden much in the last few years but am starting to do so again, and can't decide what to do - I did have a stem top cap mount for the little garmin edge 25 I have but I've taken it off as I don't really need or want to look at it while riding for stats, and these days my rides are more about fun, not speed. I do find it handy to be able to quickly check the time/overall distance though so I can get home roughly when I planned to etc. And it's nice to see what you've done in a month, so I think the best solution for me is probably a minimal garmin watch. As everyone else has said, garmin app is linked to strava so it all ends up there automatically!
Chucked it in a few years back. I used to live in a honey spot, and stuff like Strava makes a difference (along with YouTube, it's not entirely Strava's fault) in those places. Folks obviously use it to find trails. You ride a nice out-of-the-way spot one week, then go back say a fortnight later, and the thing's 20 ft wide, there's litter all over the place and the corners have been blurred or demolished or in one case - a tree branch cut to make the entrance a bit straighter.
Plus the whole KOM thing was messing with my riding, again in a honey spot, you get used to going from 889 place to the dizzy heights of 878 place if you really nail it, but still each ride, and each section was becoming this massive thing in my head that I had to ride perfectly otherwise...So binned it
I still use Garmin to journal my riding, and it gives me more stats than I could possibly need, but without contributing to overuse, or being mentally exhausting.
Use to pay for it until they put the price up then went to the free version. I just use it to log miles as Zwift and my watch automatically upload to it. Don't give a toss on the other stuff.
There must be some really sad ****s on it though. I was surprised I got a KoM up a local hill that I use to run up and the following day the person who had the record went out and got it back. I thought if you're that desperate for it you can keep the KoM.
Stop ? No. I never started in the 1st place.
In terms of not paying for Strava, I believe that part of my VeloViewer subscription actually goes to Strava as a sort of access/licencing fee. I've suggested to VV that, like intervals.icu, they consider using a feed direct from Garmin Connect too.
I do, and I use it for all sorts of reasons. I don't pay for it - I get everything I want from the free version.
- It's good for researching routes, particularly some munros. If a few people have ridden it, it might go. If no one has, I need to take more care.
- I race, so being able to see if I'm going faster than I used to and faster than others is really helpful.
- I like to see how far I've gone in a year. It also helps me reach some targets I have for distance and elevation each week to keep me fit enough to race.
- It's nice to get a top ten or a KOM. Validation that the training is working or the skills are improving.
- Some of my friends do some interesting things and record them with Strava and it's nice to see what they're up to. (Mind you, some of them only seem to ride bicycles indoors and haven't set their rides to default to private. They can get bent. No one cares about your Zwift ride.)
I think if you aren't training or racing, or you aren't fast, it doesn't do anything that thousands of other apps don't. Certainly, if I were just riding normally with no aim to improve and I were constantly getting 850th place I'd not use it.
My 4 pet strava hates :-
People who fill my feed with nonsense like a 1km walk to the shop. Most get the boot, but a few have stayed as they do interesting stuff every now and again.
Strava’s teeth ichingly shite new automatic bot generated kudos every time an activity is loaded. I’m not a American with a ego to flatter – **** off with this shit.
My assumption is that these are people that have their watches set to auto recognise activity rather than deliberately recording their shopping? I could be wrong but I cut some slack based on that assumption
I wasn't aware of auto kudos but would make sense. A guy I've not seen for years gives me kudos on everything, I thought he must get notifications when a friend uploads activity or something
No one cares about your Zwift ride
The way Zwift rides appear is one of my pet peeves. Why bother providing a map and a photo? All virtual activities should updload the same as a treadmill workout - time, distance, pace. no photo, no map.
I wasn’t aware of auto kudos but would make sense. A guy I’ve not seen for years gives me kudos on everything, I thought he must get notifications when a friend uploads activity or something
No - it's actual Strava that's now gives you the shite 'kudos'. For example, yesterday Strava gave me "Wow! Nice work, Convert" for a 2metre paddle in the garage. I'd manage to have some finger trouble on my fenix and started and stopped an activity that wasn't and it uploaded before I could stop it.
Re people publicing everything - To be fair you are right - some of it will be people recording everything active beyond an accidental fart (maybe even those) and Strava's moronic default preferences meaning we all need to know about it. I'd far rather everyone had everything private and it stayed that way unless you were motivated to do something about it. I suppose the petty response would be to fill their feed with patronizing kudos and "awesome work - go you walking to buy you KFC" comments on every single one of their mundane posted activities until they learn to sort their settings out.
And zwift should have to remain private by LAW.
I just use the free one, being type 2 diabetic who controls it un-medicated with diet and exercise, i belong to a few T2 groups, and we tend to gee each other on all over the world which is cool.. met a few people via it too and ridden in spain with a gent who is T2 via it.
It's good in that it holds me accountable, I try to do 10,000km a year, so Wahoo uploads directly to it.
I also find that as a group of friends, some use Wahoo, some Garmin etc, so a good way to store MTB and gravel routes we have all compiled and shared within the group, and share gpx from there.
But never been one for segments, KOM etc, and hate the "local legend" bit, of course i am, i live i a village of 30 houses with 2 gravel paths put!
i Strava. and i enjoy keeping a log of my miles, and where i have been. and photos i have taken on the rides.
it kind of helps as you get older. memory-wise
I use strava...
- Use it as a journal of where ive been
- Use it to find other trails/routes
- As other have said, nice to get the occasional trophy knowing the training is still working (i race too)
- Repository for the rideout photos
- See what my mates are doing and what theyre upto/where been
- Use Strava Beacon so Mrs SSS knows where i am if i have an accident, or if we are both out on the trails, but not together (doing different loops like at say Gravelfoyle), we can see where each other is
The mute option has been a godsend. Managed to quietly sack off the walk-around-the-blockers, zwifters, look at me I'm on holiday willy wavers, and haven't offended anyone.
I pay and though I wasn't delighted about the increase think it still offers decent vfm for something I use almost every day. Only social media I do and think it stops me from becoming a complete misanthrope.
I use the route planner a lot.
I like having the history of rides.
I entertain people with my slightly off beat ride write ups which often bare little relation to the truth....
My assumption is that these are people that have their watches set to auto recognise activity rather than deliberately recording their shopping? I could be wrong but I cut some slack based on that assumption
I record my commutes as I gain points via Vitality Health program and points mean prizes....
The mute option has been a godsend. Managed to quietly sack off the walk-around-the-blockers, zwifters, look at me I’m on holiday willy wavers, and haven’t offended anyone.
Pretty much that, not bothered by segments but I love seeing where mates around the world are riding, hiking or running. Photos and videos are even better. I also like to look back and see where I've been over the years.
I also use the heatmap and route planner to find new routes or if I am riding somewhere I don't know.
I live somewhere where trails can be covered in snow for a significant part of the year. Strava is the only way to know if certain trails are actually open (ie if the segment has no rides today/last week/last month, there's a good chance it's not rideable. Of course, it isn't completely reliable but gives you a good idea of what is likely to be rideable or not, particularly if any recent rides have photos or something other than "Afternoon Ride" as a title.
This can also be useful if a wind storm or forest fire has ravaged the area.
I've also commented on someone's recent ride I'd found and asked (and got) some useful trail beta which saved me a wasting a ride on a trail which wasn't rideable.
Trailforks doesn't tend to such granularity of trail
I’d forgetten about Beacon as I now use Garmin to save a couple if clicks. But it’s worth being Strava for that alone.
Good tip for looking at latest rides through segments. I’m a big user of the heat map for finding bridleways you can’t actually ride