[Closed] Anyone else never used or not interested in.... Strava ?

Me.
Bloke at work is strava this kudos that. Tend to switch off.
Think I'm anti tech on a bike though. Both road and mtbs have no computer or gps device. Just get on them and ride.

I've never used it, can't really be arsed with it all. My bike computer on my commuter tells me the time and how fast I'm going and that's all I'm really bothered about. It does have other functions, but I don't really know what they are!!

I'm not very techy!!

I've never used it but understand the appeal to some folk with a competitive nature.

I like it you so I can see how far I've been and climbs etc - means I don't have to have another device - not fussed about the segments etc

Don't really get the idea of making anything of your own public.
If you wish to keep data something like Garmin Connect does it , doesn't it?

I use it, but only as a free bike computer. I look at my avg speed, max speed and the elevation gain/loss for that given ride that day, once I've got home. Never bother with segments and comparisons etc.

Me. But i tend to use endomondo.

Matt, yes, that's what I use the Garmin for - to see road routes and times. I keep profile locked, largely as many rides are from home

Used it once for an enduro race. Got kom for one 30 second section beating Ball, Barlow, Carrick-anderson*, retired from Strava.

*just got back on after a fall, didn't want to be caught by a mate.

No, but then I don't do online games either.

I'm so disintered in it I wouldn't even bother posting on a thread about it.

What do I win?

You can track your progress against yourself, see where you've imroved over set 'courses' (segments).... People seem to over look this feature. What's not to like about that? People have been charting their progress long before Strava came along.

You've also got a history of your ride for perusal later, so you can look at a map and find a new route vs what you've just done. And I know you can do all this with an 'old school' paper map, but this is the digital age.... Again, what's not to like?

You can also see how you perform vs all the people in your locale... It's just a bit of fun really, isn't it?

Giving kudos is only like saying 'good effort mate' to your friends who you share you data with.... And if you take a KOM off a stranger, it alerts them and they usually give you kudos (in my experience at least)... Same thing goes if a stranger takes a KOM from you, give him some kudos....

I can't see why anyone wouldn't like it, if I'm being totally honest.

Well seeing as you commented on it Rob.....absolutely nowt 🙂

I really couldn't care less about whether or not you're interested in Strava.

I joined so my brother in the UK and I could compare mileages for belittling purposes. However I have only bothered to upload two rides. I do keep track of my rides though in a spreadsheet, and my brother is kicking my arse. So I have no desire to continue using strava. Is there a minimum period you have to be on something to flounce, and have I just flounced from strava?

Aracer - I was simply wondering about people's thoughts on it, sorry if I offended you.

Not Strava ...but I used to use endomondo. But it drains battery too much ...so now just use a Garmin ..

I really couldn't care less about whether or not you're interested in Strava.

Heh

Group hug for aracer?

I do use endomondo as a personal training diary without the games. And I say "training " in the loosest of senses.

Had a computer once, realised I'd started riding to reach targets instead of riding for fun, ditched it, don't ever want to go back there again, thanks.

As usual, the thread police are in effect. Answer the bleedin question, if not sod off.

In answer to the op's very reasonable enquiry, no, me neither. Although, I have used it. Chap at work was talking about it, so I tried it out.
Was quite interesting, but as with Endomondo, I just can't be arsed to carry my phone on every ride and start the ride by opening an app. I have got a KOM that no-one will ever steal though 8)

It's an exceptional tool for discovering new trails. Helps you understand what the good riding looks like in new areas (plus your own locale), and makes you expand your riding to new trails. Fancy rolling out an argument why that isn't interesting? Didn't think so.

The performance / comparative dimension to it is also great, IMHO, but completely see how this would be of little to no interest to many.

strava is good for hooking up with people you meet on a ride. it links you up and then you go out again together, then fall in love, get married, all that.

I wasn't that fussed about it until some kindly soul on this forum told me it was possible to compare my own efforts on segments. After that, I created a couple that I use to track my own efforts over time. Uploading isn't an issue as I usually have a Garmin with me and it will automatically upload from Garmin Connect to Strava and/or Endomondo.

Garry - your first point sounds interesting, maybe I should try it. As per my OP, I haven't used it so maybe don't know what I am missing ! I do however seem to see a lot more threads about segments and records than trail finding.

iainc - it's very useful for the latter.

I've just downloaded it onto my phone in order to record distances, gradient profiles and possibly be able to show the route on a map. Is it a suitable app for this or is there something better - it's the only one I know of 🙂

Strava? what's that then...

Had a computer once, realised I'd started riding to reach targets instead of riding for fun, ditched it, don't ever want to go back there again, thanks.

This.

I use my garmin edge 200 to record my rides, have done for a year or so, and load them up into garmin connect.

Recently started stravaing mostly to see what it did, but am finding that it is opening my eyes to how hard some folk train, the routes they take, the elevation they ascend etc - so a useful measure. It also shows me how / if I am improving my speeds as I can create and compare my own pieces of local rides.

Great tool, use it how you want to - don't let it become the reason to ride.

iainc - Member

Garry - your first point sounds interesting, maybe I should try it. As per my OP, I haven't used it so maybe don't know what I am missing ! I do however seem to see a lot more threads about segments and records than trail finding.

http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#6/-120.90000/38.36000/blue/bike

Take a look at your local area - must be some food for thought there.

I use the rather less high-tech method of see who has the most massive grin on their face?
Absolutely 100% not interested how fast we got down something as long as it was fun.

Love that heatmap, it's like being Tron.

Absolutely no interest in it or anything to do with it.

or anything to do with it.

like forum threads about it.

personally use it every ride. never stopped me having fun on a ride, never stopped me smiling. 5 out of the 7 I rode with today weren't using it.

I've never been tempted. Today I passed Thank-God-Hawthorn (at the top of a long hill) in Middle x 4th, that's a personal best and good enough for me. I'd have been in granny gear a few months ago.

Now if someone can tell me there's a category for retired blokes with health issues, then I might be interested. But I'll still find routes from OS maps.

[quote=slowoldgit ]I've never been tempted. Today I passed Thank-God-Hawthorn (at the top of a long hill) in Middle x 4th, that's a personal best and good enough for me. I'd have been in granny gear a few months ago.
Now if someone can tell me there's a category for retired blokes with health issues, then I might be interested. But I'll still find routes from OS maps.

There's a lot more on strava than you'll find on any OS map

For everything other the competitive elements: gps, maps, recording I use viewranger. But for finding out routes and seeing how people link trails together it's great.

I've just lost half an hour on that heatmap but I'm thinking that some people must have had strava set to bike when they should reset it for hillwalking.

I'm not interested in football, gaming and the great British bake off to name a few things that don't rock my boat 😆 why do some of you guys feel so threatened by something so easy to ignore ? If I had to guess it's because it instantly shows up your limitations as cyclists !! But whatever carry on nothing to see here. 😀

I use it to track rides especially big ones dos really we all like to show off a little bit.. 🙂 But I could happily ride without it, that side of its a bit of fun.

Where it's brilliant and everyone should at least take a look at it is for route planning, I've put some cracking rides together in unknown areas with strava segment explorer and an os map.

Those routes go on to a garmin 810 with os maps, that's one bit of kit I really would miss, the ability to plot a route and just go ride it without faffing with a map or trying to follow bits of paper instructions written by Bob who last rode that route 12 years ago is brilliant.

Scotroutes - thanks. Here in the Mudlands of the South we are restricted to bridleways, especially if we can't ride faster than angry farmers driving tractors.

I'm another who just can't be arsed with recording routes (and all the rest). I did have it for a while, but always got half way thru a ride before realising I'd not started strava and didn't see the point in recording half a route, so eventually un-installed it. I do regularly use another GPS mapping app, but just for navigating.

Just a quick look, no-one's used the route across Tore Hill, far as I can see. It's a while since I've done it, it breaks up the tarmac stretch but might be overgrown. Their base map looks crap though.

[quote=slowoldgit ]Now if someone can tell me there's a category for retired blokes with health issues, then I might be interested.

Well you can filter leaderboards based on age which might help (though the top is presumably filled by ex semi-pros). Can't do anything about the health thing. Though I self-handicap by using an inappropriate steed for a lot of the rides I upload, and if I do look at the leaderboards I'm usually aiming for the top 50% at best - mainly I'm just interested in how I compare to previous times I've ridden. It's not all about getting KOMs even if you are being vaguely competitive (though I did for a while have a unicycle KOM - it appeared that anybody who might have been faster stopped for a breather in the middle of the segment)

p.s. my previous comment was just taking the piss out of typical comments on other Strava threads, no offence intended!

never used it, never will. i do like to keep a record of my mileage, which i do with plotting routes on bikehike.

dont care how fast i travel whilst riding....longer on the bike the better in my eyas.

The Forcan ridge looks to be popular on heatmap. Would that be Danny Macaskill under an alias? 😀

i've never used/had any interest in strava.

I have used it to sniff out trails in places I don't know my way round but in general I think it's that bloke thing: You have to be able to quantify an experience, it's not enough just to have experienced something.

Measuring your rides seems like a geek approach. I don't race anyone, I have no "goals," other than to ride bikes for a lot longer.

Many useful responses, thanks, even the critical ones 😀

I had a look at the heatmap link and can see how it could be good for route planning in new areas etc so will explore it a bit more, cheers.

I'd not have found some mint routes around the dales if it wasn't for strava ,simply looking at other lads routes then linking them together etc , routes that you'd never find on google earth/maps etc .
Not into this kudos crap though .

No, not fussed about it.
It seems to have taken over a lot of people's riding, obsessing over being the fastest etc.
I'm just happy being out on a bike, any bike.

The route finding side sounds good though.

Although there are good things about it I suspect that the overall effect on my riding experience is negative. But I can't seem to stop using it 🙁

I avoided it for ages, being fat & slow, but eventually got sucked in as my m8's did (& the others are now) & really like it.. No I'll never get any up hill KOM's but I now have a reasonably accurate mileage count (yes other apps do that too) that doesn't reset when the cycle computer dies & maps of the rides I've done with little or no hassle. I regularly point my g/f to previous runs pre-ride if I'm going out solo, so if didn't re-appear & she could be bothered, she could tell ppl where I might be. I always ride with my phone, so it's hardly a hassle to switch an app on. Most of my riding is leisurely with m8's, (mid table on segments) but it is nice/rewarding to find I've beaten my own PR on a segment & an nice incentive to try harder next time. You get interesting info back from it, that I'd have never known otherwise..like finding my new FS is faster uphill as well as down, as my old HT, silly but good in a geeky way to me. No it won't change you life, but it's still interesting stuff, & quite good for poaching local tracks you didn't know about. Use it/don't use it but please don't whine about it (not pointing fingers at the OP)

I don't use it but I can understand the benefits of finding new trails without the need to explore or speak to local riders.

I suspect it is partly to blame for the 'racing' lines on every trail nowadays.

loddy_dosser dont get me going on that, some lovely twisty trails just turned into straight line motorways around here just to get that stupid time. me i know a good ride leaves me with a smile a bad ride leaves me fast asleep on the sofa. just keep it simple and enjoy it for what it is.

Strava, like most things, is what you make it.

I use it to record most of my rides, but phone is stowed in bag or back pocket and not looked at unless I need to check the time or get a message etc. I don't have 'premium' and don't use any live features.

I think it's a good motivational tool, you can look back & see how little, or slowly you've ridden lately, and it sort of gives you a kick up the arse to get out on the bike and put some effort in, rides up to an hour long I enjoy having a proper go at and pushing myself. Longer rides, and whilst exploring it's just handy to refer back to and to see how many miles you've done.

I've created a few segments, but nobody else has ridden them! Nice to see how I'm improving though, even relatively short ones I'm minutes faster now than when I started riding more regularly back in March.

I still always carry a paper OS map with me if I'm going on longer rides or unknown territory, I don't really trust, or particularly like digital mapping on my phone, especially if you have to pay for it or spend hours pissing about on the pc to convert files and crap. I already have loads of OS maps from rallying mainly, and once you cut the cover off and trim them they're quite compact & light. Locally there's some little walking maps printed on shiny paper to, they're handy.

Really, I see strava as a bit of fun, self motivating, and a good tool to measure my own improvement.

glad it's not only me showerman.

Use it every ride, great when training as people can see if you are not putting the hours in.
It's also great to track progress and how you are doing.
Sometimes I think those that don't like/approve need a badge or club to belong to maybe somebody could do an app...

throwing the gps in the bin was the best thing I ever did with regard to my riding. So no never used strava

I really like the social aspect of Strava, seeing what my mates are up to when our riding is out of sync (most of the time at the moment due to a new baby). I've been riding with a GPS since the start of 2010 so my Strava history goes a long way back - it's nice to see the progress, see how often I've ridden certain trails, etc. I've created 60 segments on Strava so I'm probably the exact opposite of everyone agreeing with the OP!

If you're into it and enjoy it, great- a few of my friends use it and obviously get a kick from beating personal records. I'm not that fussed to be honest, I might like to give it a go but I'm too tight to buy a phone to run it!

http://sonic.net/~ckelly/Seekay/gizmo.htm

loddy_dosser dont get me going on that, some lovely twisty trails just turned into straight line motorways around here just to get that stupid time

That was happening before strava though. It's just a way to blame someTHING rather than someONE. Everywhere I've ridden since I was a kid has trails "reshaped" by lazy riders and even without strava it'll be there.

As for strava I use it all the time. Good for finding routes, remembering where you've been, seeing how you're progressing when you're training for a specific goal etc. Doesn't reduce my enjoyment one bit and arguably has enhanced it as it's helped me find new routes, trails, climbs and even a few new riding buddies.

[i]It seems to have taken over a lot of people's riding, obsessing over being the fastest etc.[/i]

No one I follow obsesses about it, or being the fastest. (mostly as most of us will never be the fastest 😆 )

[i]I suspect it is partly to blame for the 'racing' lines on every trail nowadays.[/i]

Lines been cut on trails ever since I've been riding, I don't think strava makes it worse.

I love it. It's not just for segments. I cycle all over the place, so it is a cycle diary for me, and the heatmap (premium) function is brilliant; I'm working on making all of Scotland red...........

Glentress was suffering from straightliners long before strava in some cases its not for quicker times it's to make it easier. Ianc what do you use? You said you keep the profile locked. Strava is what it is. Interesting for some a training tool for others and a way to show boat for those who kom. (you know that if you take a kom off a mate it'll get mentioned). Ride for fun or ride to train or show off use it or don't at the end of the day does it matter?

Never used it, nor have I ever wanted to. Someone once tried to persuade me, saying that it would help make me fitter, to find new routes and trails, to plot long rides and to keep track of both mileage & heart rate. "Pfffft" I thought. Who wants all that s**t?

I'm too slow to even consider it.

I like racing, I assume this is virtual racing? I would be surprised if it was accurate under dense trees, where I do the majority of my riding.

I assume this is virtual racing? I would be surprised if it was accurate under dense trees, where I do the majority of my riding.

And for the straight lines most I've ever seen is post race, racers will take the quickest line between the tapes.

Ianc what do you use?

Had a computer once, realised I'd started riding to reach targets instead of riding for fun

For me, most of the fun, certainly on local rides IS trying to better myself. Simply trundling around at the same pace all the time on the same old trails would be boring as hell, defintiely not fun at all.

^^ why not go somewhere different ? Surely that's the whole point of riding bikes for fun ?

Surely that's the whole point of riding bikes for fun ?

why not go somewhere different ?

Given 2 hours after getting in from a family day out I've pretty much covered every new place I can go!

Not all riding is big days out with mates...

[i]I really like the social aspect of Strava, seeing what my mates are up to when our riding is out of sync (most of the time at the moment due to a new baby). I've been riding with a GPS since the start of 2010 so my Strava history goes a long way back - it's nice to see the progress, see how often I've ridden certain trails, etc. I've created 60 segments on Strava so I'm probably the exact opposite of everyone agreeing with the OP! [/i]

This.

Maybe folk who are anti-Strava don't have mates to ride with? Also living in Scotland we can ride anywhere, so while many trails are marked on the map, none of the locally built and/or new 'routes' are 0 Strava knows though.

b r - I'm not anti it, I just don't use it and haven't really seen the point. Some good info on here though such that I think I'll investigate it, so glad I posted it up. Glasgow based and lots of riding pals 😀

[i]Given 2 hours after getting in from a family day out I've pretty much covered every new place I can go![/i]

Not like that here (Tweed Valley), new stuff been created all the time - must be 2-3 miles of (severe) singletrack been added to just the Golfie in the last year or so.