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I ended up doing laps on a segment yesterday and when I uploaded the ride to Strava I got a big banner telling me I was now a "Local Legend". Looks like it's a new thing to show who's ridden a segment most in the last 90 days.
Seems pointless but harmless to me, and I can see lots of commuters hoovering these up. But given the recent changes to their charging structure is this the sort of thing that most users want their subscription spent on?
Yes, I've had this as well. A load of old, meaningless crap IMO. I don't know if there is a way to turn it off?
It would be great if you could tie it in with how much work on maintaining or digging the trails people did. You could be a local legend or a trail sponger for all riding and no digging!
It would be great if you could tie it in with how much work on maintaining or digging the trails people did.
But that'd need strava to acknowledge that riding off road is a separate activity to riding on the road with different segments etc, perhaps something they could think about rather than telling me I've got so little imagination that I ride the same segments over and over again
is this the sort of thing that most users want their subscription spent on?
Who cares?
It doesn't seem to come up for non-subscribers - which is a bonus for me.
I was thinking about subscribing, but this has put me off somewhat!
It would be great if you could tie it in with how much work on maintaining or digging the trails people did. You could be a local legend or a trail sponger for all riding and no digging!
Surely then it would have to differentiate between an entirely natural trail where digging would be bad sport or a cultivated trail where digging is required because it was manufactured in the first place.
Trailforks does something sort of like that, but unsure it is for users and more for trail associations (trailbuilding crew) to tot up work hours.
It doesn’t seem to come up for non-subscribers – which is a bonus for me.
I was thinking about subscribing, but this has put me off somewhat!
How odd
It doesn’t seem to come up for non-subscribers – which is a bonus for me.
I was thinking about subscribing, but this has put me off somewhat!
I'm a non-subscriber and it doesn't come up for me on my laptop but it does on the phoneapp.
I only knew about it appearing on my feed after I got a few piss take comments from some friends.
Even natural trails need to have some love. Maybe depends where you live but here they need bracken and thorns cut down, water damage fixed up and shortcuts blocked off. Some places the local government does it, others trails become unrideable for a few months a year unless someone gives them some love.
How odd
Not at all, I like Strava for the logging rides/distance aspect, and to a lesser extent, commenting on friends rides and photos.
All of the cups, Koms, 2nd/3rd place, and now local hero nonsense just generally annoys me.
As quite a few of my local trails are just me, and maybe one or two others, then I'd be getting loads of them every ride. Totally pointless, and not a little intrusive IMO.
It doesn’t seem to come up for non-subscribers – which is a bonus for me.
I was thinking about subscribing, but this has put me off somewhat!
I'm sure the Strava subscriber community will be a much less fun place without you in it.
Not at all, I like Strava for the logging rides/distance aspect, and to a lesser extent, commenting on friends rides and photos.
So a feature you won't see as you don't subscribe would make you not subscribe even though you wouldn't really look at it. You sound professionally offended!!!
Strava rolled out something a few years ago at the beginning of the year maybe 2015 or 2016. Came home and uploaded my new years day park parkrun to find I was ranked X, then as every other person uploaded their runs you see yourself drop down the leaderboard then forget all about it.
It was a novelty for one day
I think it does apply even if you don't subscribe. My subscription has expired but I'm now the local legend on a climb... because I've ridden it three times in 90 days. Clearly the trail doesn't see much traffic. I'd rather Strava added more useful features though.
You sound professionally offended
Nah, more like meh, can't be bothered 😉
Currently subscribing would add more of what I'm not bothered about.
As I said, I find it useful for logging rides and seeing what my mates have been up to.
The vicarious thrill of a KOM is all well and good, but when there's only 4 or 5 of you it's not really that note worthy is it?
This new local legend tag is like that but even less worthy of celebration.
It's a bit A for effort, E for achievement really...who wants to be a local legend on a segment where they have ridden it 30 times in 90 days but haven't cracked the top 100 in the Kom table!
Not all segments seem to qualify and I'm not sure why.There is a really hard and fun gravel hill climb segment leading up to some radio masts on the SDW which I'm pretty sure nobody has ridden more times than me recently as it's on my commute but it doesn't come up, yet on another far more non descript road segment earlier, I am indeed the local ledge. Strange, and as others have said totally pointless.
I can see people chasing it for high status trails / segments or fairly much everything in the Hundred Road Climbs series. If I got one it would probably mean I'm not getting enough diversity in my riding.
I noticed I have become a bit of a local legend on the trails to and from my house, the ones most rides start and end on. What a surprise. Currently seems a bit pointless, maybe roadies or runners find it interesting?
I would rather they just fixed the basics like showing all segments on a ride and, oh I don't know, actually showing my position on leaderboards within 24hr of me uploading.
Since subscribing, all the 'subscription only' features have stopped working for me 🙄
I would rather they just fixed the basics like showing all segments on a ride and, oh I don’t know, actually showing my position on leaderboards within 24hr of me uploading.
Please no to the first point! So many popular trails have duplicate segments that it would be made to have them all. Your second point is an odd one that worth contacting them about - leaderboards should update pretty much instantly
It came up on my phone yesterday and I don't have premium.
The sad thing is I think it was about a track that Craig Evans rode for the new Chameleon promo vid a year or so ago, it is my favourite track in Wharncliffe and yet I had not ridden it for eight months until yesterday so definitely not legendary.
So many popular trails have duplicate segments that it would be made to have them all.
Agreed, but I get back from some longish rides sometimes with barely any segments, although maybe I've just been riding in unpopular areas! I guess I've just started to assume that there's a segment for every inch of road and path 😳
I wonder if it only picks up popular segments because I ride a few routes that barely anyone does where I live and I'm not being afforded legendary status! I do have my username set such that people have to request to follow though... maybe that impacts it?
and, oh I don’t know, actually showing my position on leaderboards within 24hr of me uploading
My positions update immediately, so yeah it's just you it seems.
Sounds like a pointless thing to justify their costs and massage the egos of people who have nothing better to do all day than ride their bike or go for a run....
Strava whiners are strong on this thread.
Extra kudos to Ajantom up there, flouncing before he's even subscribed 😆😆
nothing better to do all day than ride their bike
What's better than riding a bike?
Funky some of us don't have anything better to do 😄
Extra kudos to Ajantom up there, flouncing before he’s even subscribed
I like to get my flounce on early, in fact I'm something of a local legend in that respect 😉
I can see this getting quietly canned in a few months, a bit like the annual KOMs they introduced a while ago, and then disappeared not long after.
It does seem rather pointless, all joking aside.
I think a few of you are missing the point of the whole Local Legend idea. It's so that those of us that have no chance of getting a KOM/QOM for whatever reason have something to motivate them to get out there. There are loads of riders who just pootle around the same trails once a week for their regular fitness fix or who live somewhere like the Surrey Hills or an Alpine area where there are so many fast riders and pro's that you have no chance of getting anywhere near the top of the leaderboard. For them they now have a tool that rewards their type of riding and may even encourage them to get a few PB's or just get out an extra evening a week. It may also push a commuter to do an extra day a week on the bike or extend their commute home to up their stats. I've had a play with it and it'll be handy to push me to ride in different places more often after riding the same stuff all through lockdown, getting a Local Legend badge will almost become a thing to avoid!
They're trying to appeal to a larger cross-section of users so not everything will appeal to everyone. You can always just ignore it.
I'm a subscriber, a few things I'd like - a better segment search, family subscription, better app functionality (too many things I need laptop for), invite only events/races, ability to filter others stuff on my feed (zwift and dog walking)....
I didnt ride this weekend, but did notice when looking at Strava this new reward of local legend, must admit I did s**** as it is just who rode the trail the most in the last 90days, looking at one persons I rides I know, it shown how much practise they have been putting into trying to get the KOM and made me giggle, but this:
I think a few of you are missing the point of the whole Local Legend idea. It’s so that those of us that have no chance of getting a KOM/QOM for whatever reason have something to motivate them to get out there
Hadn't thought about that, if it gets joe public out more than more for it.
I see the pissy, moaning, self-righteous levels are still high on here.
I would like to be able to nominate a local legend, like the person last week that Strava clocked at 122mph when they snitched my kom, proper legend. 🙂
I was local legend on The Devil's Anus briefly. Amused me and my strava friends.
I noticed I have become a bit of a local legend on the trails to and from my house, the ones most rides start and end on. What a surprise. Currently seems a bit pointless, maybe roadies or runners find it interesting?
That is the most wonderfully passive aggressive comment I've read all morning 😀
Strava rolled out something a few years ago at the beginning of the year maybe 2015 or 2016. Came home and uploaded my new years day park parkrun to find I was ranked X, then as every other person uploaded their runs you see yourself drop down the leaderboard then forget all about it.
It was a novelty for one day
It was the yearly KOMs, so the results reset to 0 on New Year's Day. I didn't think it was a bad idea to be honest. In the early days of Strava it was great fun because you'd be in the top 10 everywhere, even as a mediocre cyclist, and I personally found that quite motivating; the lure of that challenge. It still exists, you still get your yearly ranking, but no KOM. And when you look at them, it puts into perspective how unobtainable the regular KOMs have become over the years for most normal folk. You can set 1st place mid-year, only to find yourself in 100th place on the main leaderboard.
Maybe they could have implemented the yearly KOMs better, so you didn't sweep up every single one on New Year's Day while out doing your shopping. For example, if they set the benchmark on the results in the month (or even 3 to 6 months) prior to New Year's Day. Or even as a percentage of the existing KOM.
I'm waiting for 'Strava Big Hitter' to be rolled out.
Awarded for most 5 year olds forced into a ditch while screaming 'I'm on a KOM'.
That is the most wonderfully passive aggressive comment I’ve read all morning
Not meant to be, but when it comes to aggression I am amongst the most passive 😀. Much as I love getting any kind of badge on Strava I just couldn’t get any joy from this one, I am failing to understand it’s purpose and trying to work it out
Maybe they could have implemented the yearly KOMs better
Would it be better as a rolling 365 days?
One of the problems Strava has is how to motivate people in the face of an increasing cumulative total of rides.
I was quite an early adopter to Strava, and in those early days, on nearly every ride I'd get a KOM or top 10 or whatever (non-humble humble brag alert). Now, instead of having 1-200 riders battling it out, 10,000 people have ridden the same trails. The KOM was probably achieved several years ago after the trail was resurfaced and was temporarily super-quick.
These days, to get a KOM I have to be either really lucky, or find a segment only a few hundred people have ridden, or have the prevailing winds or weird once-a-year conditions (a memorable one was across the frozen moor after snow with basically no rolling resistance). I'm sure there are some actually fast people who get KOMs whenever they try hard but part of the reason I (and many others, I'm sure) love (loved?) Strava was for the chance of a KOM.
The likelihood of me, or for that matter, anyone, getting a KOM has massively reduced, not just because of the number of people that use the service but as a factor of time.
I guess that's why they've introduced these features. I'm not sure about local hero, though. Someone has ridden a very tame trail near me (Lady Canning's for those who know it) 60 times in the last 90 days. I don't think that's an achievement, it's just weird. Mind you, presumably they didn't know about the local hero badge when they did those rides. Doing extra laps of boring trails with a view to getting a 'Local Hero' badge would be pretty tragic.
IDEA: I'd like to see the KOMs reset annually. Not on the 1st of January, but your ride would only 'last' for 365 days. At that time, you'd drop off the leaderboard and the next-fastest person would inherit it. You'd be notified of losing your KOM and you may feel confident to go out and reclaim it. They could perhaps have an 'historic KOM' section hidden away somewhere but the leaderboard would only display rides from the last year.
EDIT: Ha, I was too slow with my revolutionary Strava idea by 49 seconds.
At that time, you’d drop off the leaderboard and the next-fastest person would inherit it.
Isn't that the Strava equivalent of giving everybody a medal at sports day?
The yearly KOM already exists on Strava. When looking at a segment there is a drop down menu with all time, this year, today, people you follow etc. I ride regularly in the Tweed Valley and there is absolutely no way that I'll ever get near the top of a leaderboard there so I find the day / year / people I follow sections most interesting.
It doesn’t seem to come up for non-subscribers – which is a bonus for me.
I was thinking about subscribing, but this has put me off somewhat!
Loving your logic.
You: Hi tesco, I don't like the new orange juice you sell so I am not going to shop at Tesco
Tesco: I'm sorry about that, when did you try it?
You: Oh, I haven't, I am not one of your customers but I do park in your car park for free sometimes. I was thinking about shopping with you but now I wont because you sell something I have never tried and don't like...
Not meant to be, but when it comes to aggression I am amongst the most passive 😀. Much as I love getting any kind of badge on Strava I just couldn’t get any joy from this one, I am failing to understand it’s purpose and trying to work it out
I'm with you, I'm a runner and a roadie and I think it's pointless too 🙂
Perhaps age-graded KOMs could be a more fruitful way of engaging riders who wouldn't otherwise be hitting leaderboards?
Isn’t that the Strava equivalent of giving everybody a medal at sports day?
Not really. Strava was better for the average person (for the purposes of argument, I'll generously lower myself to average here) when it was a younger platform. Not because they've changed it to make it worse, but because they've just accumulated far more efforts.
Try this: It is the year 2288. I can never get a KOM because of that one local guy who was freakishly good in the mid 2210s coinciding with the golden age of the current hover-bike technology. That one guy got a KOM in 2281. It was on the news-wall. etc etc
Strava can't go on forever using a single KOM leaderboard; KOMs would be vanishingly rare and the chance of getting a KOM is what drives a lot of people. It's not even fair to say that the segments are on the same trails, since erosion and building changes the face of trails entirely over the course of a few years (obviously this applies less to road cycling).
I keep seeing this thread and it reminds me of the video from the London station of the self-styled "Legend of Margate".
Personally I'd hate to have local legend status in any respect. That is all.
It's a bit like handing out a special prize for effort to the fat kid at the school sports day because he has no chance of winning any of the proper prizes..
Fastest by weight - KOF (King of Fatties)
Perhaps age-graded KOMs could be a more fruitful way of engaging riders who wouldn’t otherwise be hitting leaderboards?
Fastest by weight – KOF (King of Fatties)
These are both already features on Strava!!
These days, to get a KOM I have to be either really lucky, or find a segment only a few hundred people have ridden, or have the prevailing winds or weird once-a-year conditions
I know of one local guy who starts his ride a few metres into a descent, and pauses it a bit before the end, saw him doing it one day and never thought anything of it. It does his KOM on a local descent, as he's not particularly quick, or good.
Seems like Strava are indeed pushing this as the achievable goal for a segment - last night MrsP got an 'UhOh! You're no longer the Local Legend on ... because ... has ridden it 17 times in the last 90 days - get out there and get it back' type email, similar to the one you get for KOMs/QOMs.
I know of one local guy who starts his ride a few metres into a descent, and pauses it a bit before the end, saw him doing it one day and never thought anything of it. It does his KOM on a local descent, as he’s not particularly quick, or good.
Starting in the trail would count against him wouldnt it? surely its better to enter a segment already rolling and gain a few seconds? equally slowing down to press pause must take a second or too and be slower than just rolling out of the trail?
If you're close enough to trigger the start point detection you get a head start, same at the end so long as you're close enough when you end the ride. Total time is less, but if you're near enough you get credited as having done the segment.
You could still have a rolling start, just hit the start button at speed a little beyond the start.
Trier of the week award
Maybe they could have implemented the yearly KOMs better, so you didn’t sweep up every single one on New Year’s Day while out doing your shopping. For example, if they set the benchmark on the results in the month (or even 3 to 6 months) prior to New Year’s Day. Or even as a percentage of the existing KOM.
12-24 month rolling leader board would be my choice. Covers all of the seasons so that the fast summer conditions are always covered and as it's constantly evolving any changes in the trail conditions automatically get accounted for. Also means that if someone got a lucky run (one of mine is one) on a particular trail it drops off and allows others a shot at it.
You could still have a rolling start, just hit the start button at speed a little beyond the start.
Wow that's a new kind of lame. Why not just Strava dope if you're willing to cheat?
Wow that’s a new kind of lame. Why not just Strava dope if you’re willing to cheat?
Same reason you get multiple versions of a trail all starting in different spots.
People create a segment with a lead in, or longer tail, in the hope they'll get the KOM. Or I assume this is why, otherwise, why create a duplicate.
12-24 month rolling leader board would be my choice. Covers all of the seasons so that the fast summer conditions are always covered and as it’s constantly evolving any changes in the trail conditions automatically get accounted for. Also means that if someone got a lucky run (one of mine is one) on a particular trail it drops off and allows others a shot at it.
This would be perfect. Add an archive to this so you can look back at who had the KOM each year and the age of the segment too.
As @Superficial mentions ^^, the KOM is no longer an aim for the vast majority on Strava because, unless you are genuinely very good indeed, most are unattainable under normal conditions.
I remember the days of getting a KOM or two every ride. Now the only way I can get close is by finding a weird random segment completely by chance on a long ride - one of those obscure ones that does all sorts of loops or takes in a random back road that wouldn't be the normal choice for a roadie - and then going back to have a proper go at it.
Can see why Strava have introduced it, it might appeal to the regular competitive commuter type! Currently it's only on the mobile app, the notification from Strava that I had was that it'll be brought to the web version soon.
I'd quite like to see a feature listing KOMs recently lost. Strava sends the "uh-oh" email but then it drops off your feed and there's no way of keeping track of it; next to the existing page of your KOMs / PRs, it'd be nice to have a "you were KOM" tab to see segments that you'd lost, the time difference and a sort of motivator to improve, go back and try again.
I think a lot of off road segments are irrelevant anyway. I've seen a lot of instances where it's obvious that the leaders haven't actually been riding the trail but just a fireroad running roughly parallel to the trail.
Even worse I've come across a segment where the top 10 or so leaders have all been riding a road running downhill, pretty much in a straight line that bears no resemblance to an uppy/downy/wiggly sort of in a gully actual segment. The result is the top 10 range from 6 to 9 seconds.... my pathetic attempt... 42 seconds. Now, I'm bad but not that bad.
The mapping and gps accuracy for so much off road stuff is pretty flaky so can't get too excited about it...more interested in how I do against my own previous efforts.
yay ive got one. probably because its my ride hole from every ride.
however its absolute bobbins. why is this a thing?
i thought hey had yearly leader boards? i agree a yearly reset would be good
You could still have a rolling start, just hit the start button at speed a little beyond the start.
Wow that’s a new kind of lame. Why not just Strava dope if you’re willing to cheat?
i never said anything about lameness or otherwise. I just explained why he might be doing it & how it might work.
There’s a segment near here (a sprint up a short rise) where all the top times* come in from a side street and scoot off up the hill. But the side street junction joins the segment ~25m after the start of the segment, and since it’s short that’s a decent percentage knocked off.
*mine included! I didn’t plan it, just happily accepted the top ten when I saw it after getting home!
I think a lot of off road segments are irrelevant anyway. I’ve seen a lot of instances where it’s obvious that the leaders haven’t actually been riding the trail but just a fireroad running roughly parallel to the trail.
Let's not get started on E-bikes and off road segments! I've given up flagging them now as it's almost a full time job, it's not just the ones I've gained but others too and I know they're legitimately "won" without a motor. Quite happy to be a local legend on my commute, though! 😉
"Local Legend" sound like someone who gets into a lot of fights, sleeps around and takes enough drugs to kill a horse.
or King Arthur
It just a marketing tool to try and attract subscribers who know that getting into the top 20 isn’t going to happen let alone a kom. It gives them something to earn if the are bothered
The KOM was probably achieved several years ago after the trail was resurfaced and was temporarily super-quick.
In Cambridge a bunch of local fast riders hired a transit van and spent several days drafting it at 35mph+ taking a lot of the main road KOMs!
Sort of tells you all you need to know....
I got blue lighted to hospital in a police car once, got surprisingly few KOM's. My top speed of 138kmph down the M4 was good though!!
I deleted the ride the next day after recovering from surgery!!
If we are Strava whingeing then I wish they would sort out a way of dealing with uplifts.
In Cambridge a bunch of local fast riders hired a transit van and spent several days drafting it at 35mph+ taking a lot of the main road KOMs!
A load of the road KOMs over flat roads are taken by people in group rides.
I've noticed a load of mainly women uploading ebike rides and getting KOMs on climbs too when looking at my other halfs rides they do a 18kmph average to the shops but bag 3 KOMs up hills with pictures of the rider on an ebike. A surprising number of blokes seem to be listed as women too!!!
Still I like it, find it fun
Sounds like a pointless thing to justify their costs and massage the egos of people who have nothing better to do all day than ride their bike or go for a run….
Seems I’ve picked up a couple from when I was on furlough, when I really did have nothing better to do all day than ride my bike.
Bloody lifesaver that was.
A surprising number of blokes seem to be listed as women too!!!
I'd noticed round here a bloke and his (I assumed wife) always have the same time on every segment. I'd thought they just used his GPS data for both their rides.
(It also means she's QOM on most segments).
Now you've got me thinking that he's got two accounts, and is using the female one to Hoover up all the QOMs! Probably not 😆
I’d noticed round here a bloke and his (I assumed wife) always have the same time on every segment.
Tandem? Mrs NBT doesn't bother with Strava, but our friends have an account each, so they're often listed as riding together if she goes out with him on the tandem (she never rides a solo)
I looked at the local legends thing a couple of days ago and there was only one segment listed as eligible - which I hold as it's part of a loop we've been riding on the tandem three or four times a week since lockdown started. Checked last night and suddenly I have about 19 Local Legend segments, all on variations of our local loop
Yes! I'm a local legend (non app user). Knew it was coming now that we're out of lockdown and everyone else is driving further to ride off road.
Wait till Poundland see strava have stole their logo 😉
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It's almost worth it, for the (somewhat childish) comedy value...
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It seems I’m a local legend on 4 segments. One of which I rode just once in the last 90 days (and even that was an accident after missing a turn).
I am a creature of habit and generally ride one of 6 loops with all the segments therein. I imagine I would be local legend on lots of segments if I was to ever subscribe and see them. They don't interest me at all.
I did used to like a KOM like but as I get older and as each segment gets more riders the chance of me getting a new KOM i sin the distant past. Like the idea of resetting them as it would make it more fun again as could temporarily get them, get new challengers getting them back etc,.