Some Strava stuff

[Deleted member 26715]

For those who have not yet quit strava, a few things I found recentlys

Is there a backlash against it, for what reason sorry if it's a hi-jack, I like it & record my rides with it.

 

[SuperHans123]

it's the best app for serious cyclists .... I use it daily

as for relive, it's great (still new though and it will be great if it shows a 3-D image that shows the terrain/elevations.... here is a recent Relive of one of my rides:

https://www.relive.cc/view/716278096

Can't ever imagine wanting to be serious when cycling, so probably not for me.

 

[Deleted member 35268]

Is there a backlash against it, for what reason sorry if it's a hi-jack, I like it & record my rides with it.

For most Strava is a great way to simply log your rides and see perhaps see improvements on times of segments. It can however stop the enjoyment of pure riding perhaps, the putting pressure on yourself to beat the best times of a segment for example. I doubt I will quit it, but I may stop sharing my rides for next year as I don't need Kudos marks to keep cycling.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

For most Strava is a great way to simply log your rides and see perhaps see improvements on times of segments. It can however stop the enjoyment of pure riding perhaps, the putting pressure on yourself to beat the best times of a segment for example. I doubt I will quit it, but I may stop sharing my rides for next year as I don't need Kudos marks to keep cycling.

That is why I use it, just to keep a log of what I'm doing, I do think it's fun to sometimes see how quick other people do a segment, but I don't have a competitive bone in my body so it never bothers me if somebody can do it faster than I can. Although there is a very short off road downhill section with a blind bend I ride, takes me 29 seconds with brown shorts moments, the KOM is 15 seconds, how that was achieved is anybody's guess

 

[dim]

Is there a backlash against it, for what reason sorry if it's a hi-jack, I like it & record my rides with it.

I use Strava to log all my rides ... so far this year, I have cycled over 10 000 km (I am self employed and work at several sites daily, and commute by bike to all sites)

This allows me to see how my fitness is progressing, and I enjoy trying to do fast times on segments. I don't have time to go to gym, so I use my bikes for fitness. I can see how I am compared to others in my area, and can see how I compare to others in my same age group (I'm old now)

I can see where they ride / what routes they cycle and can plot the same routes on map my ride and transfer them to my Garmin Edge for longer weekend rides.... I can see how the very fit/serious younger cyclists train on a daily basis and can get tips/ideas from them. I don't follow many people on Strava, but those cyclists that I do are fit, dedicated and very serious .... and they are helpful if I have a question

I can set targets/challenges for segments, or/and I can set monthly/weekly goals etc

I have the Premium version which costs less than £4 a month .... my wife and son have the free version

it's for free, so what's not to like? .... it's a lot cheaper than gym membership

 

[SuperHans123]

I use Garmin Connect to track my rides and walks.
Free as well.

 

[outlash]

I live in Cambridge .... it's as flat as a pancake here ....

It would be if all you're doing is twatting about on the Busway. If you was a serious cyclist, you'd be heading heading South and West for less pancake-y riding.

 

[Stephenite]

I use both. I upload to Connect, and the activity is transferred automatically to Strava. Then I look at the info on Strava.

 

[Brandane]

Here's another thing it can do: make you seem a lot faster than you actually are!
My cycling buddy always seems to record much higher average speeds than me, even on the same ride! I think I have figured out why, after checking out his latest ride. His average speed was recorded as 18.5 mph, and having ridden with him regularly that seemed a tad high. So I looked at his Strava trail in more detail and found this:

A touch of corner cutting! When I used the elevation track below the map, the blue dot cleary indicates that Strava is including the distance in his ride, but not the time. This happened about 6 times on his 40 mile ride. He uses his phone rather than a Garmin, maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, he is about to get a severe slagging from me after all the "why are you so slow?" abuse I have taken since he discovered Strava a few years ago!
How many other Strava users are under the impression that they are faster than they actually are though?

 

[dianelc]

Here's another thing it can do: make you seem a lot faster than you actually are!
My cycling buddy always seems to record much higher average speeds than me, even on the same ride! I think I have figured out why, after checking out his latest ride. His average speed was recorded as 18.5 mph, and having ridden with him regularly that seemed a tad high. So I looked at his Strava trail in more detail and found this:

A touch of corner cutting! When I used the elevation track below the map, the blue dot cleary indicates that Strava is including the distance in his ride, but not the time. This happened about 6 times on his 40 mile ride. He uses his phone rather than a Garmin, maybe that has something to do with it? Anyway, he is about to get a severe slagging from me after all the "why are you so slow?" abuse I have taken since he discovered Strava a few years ago!
How many other Strava users are under the impression that they are faster than they actually are though?

Oh no does this mean I could be even slower than I think

 

[dim]

It would be if all you're doing is twatting about on the Busway. If you was a serious cyclist, you'd be heading heading South and West for less pancake-y riding.

I know .... that's why I am getting the Garmin Edge 1000 at the end of October ... I get hopelesly lost and even get lost in my village. I have been doing some shorter rides around my area especially towards Newton and Fowlmere.... (15-25km) .... there's some small hills, but it's better than nothing

Once I have the Garmin 1000, I will ride some longer routes (I have loads of routes that the Cambridge Cycle club use, and will also look at routes from other clubs as St Ives etc

 

[JtB]

I know .... that's why I am getting the Garmin Edge 1000 at the end of October ... I get hopelesly lost and even get lost in my village. I have been doing some shorter rides around my area especially towards Newton and Fowlmere.... (15-25km) .... there's some small hills, but it's better than nothing

Once I have the Garmin 1000, I will ride some longer routes (I have loads of routes that the Cambridge Cycle club use, and will also look at routes from other clubs as St Ives etc

Great decision, I bought a Garmin Edge 1000 and it's a great bit if kit. It's really quite exciting exploring a new route for the first time along roads that you've never seen before safe in the knowledge that the SatNsv will get you back home again. The only pit fall I've encountered so far is that when planning a new route I sometimes inadvertently include dirt tracks in the route which are not appropriate for road bikes. So after riding a new route for the first time I sometimes need to tweak it a bit.

 

[outlash]

I know .... that's why I am getting the Garmin Edge 1000 at the end of October ... I get hopelesly lost and even get lost in my village. I have been doing some shorter rides around my area especially towards Newton and Fowlmere.... (15-25km) .... there's some small hills, but it's better than nothing

Once I have the Garmin 1000, I will ride some longer routes (I have loads of routes that the Cambridge Cycle club use, and will also look at routes from other clubs as St Ives etc

You can make routes up with Strava and use that. Head West from you and you have the delights of Chapel Hill in Haslingfield, and the ridge that runs through Wimpole Hall (Croydon Hill) for starters. Further South Towards Royston is Great Chishill which is fairly lumpy.

 

[dim]

You can make routes up with Strava and use that. Head West from you and you have the delights of Chapel Hill in Haslingfield, and the ridge that runs through Wimpole Hall (Croydon Hill) for starters. Further South Towards Royston is Great Chishill which is fairly lumpy.

thanks! .... I will definately check your suggestions. I have a Garmin Edge 500 that was part of the deal when I purchased my S-Works, but everytime that I have used it for longer rides to new areas, I get lost.

Last week, I planned a route of 111km, based on the Chilterns Audax ride going through Barwick. I had a great ride until 30km, some nice hilly sections then I got the message 'Off Course'.

I tried to retrace my ride, so as to find the course again but I still kept getting the 'Off Course' message. I asked some locals in the area for directions, and everyone pointed me in a different direction.

So, I decided to head off home and saw a cyclist and asked him which way was Cambridge and he directed me..... He was heading back home to Royston.

I ended up going home on some busy roads, including a long stretch on an A road, but it was still an enjoyable ride

I'm definately getting the Garmin Edge 1000 at the end of this month. The 500 is doing my head in .... it's breadcrumb trail, and does not show any side/adjoining roads .... one wrong turn and you are doomed.

 

[adamangler]

Why would you quit ? Strava is a big part of my motivation to go out.