Problem with those is Strava didn't do a copy of ride segments as e-bike ride segments. There is a script for Chrome and Fireox (and maybe other browsers) which copies the segments of a ride into Stravas e-bike ride segments but it means anyone using an e-bike has to upload it intially as a ride not an e-bike ride.
Strava question.
- Thread starter esoxlucius
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Problem with those is Strava didn't do a copy of ride segments as e-bike ride segments. There is a script for Chrome and Fireox (and maybe other browsers) which copies the segments of a ride into Stravas e-bike ride segments but it means anyone using an e-bike has to upload it intially as a ride not an e-bike ride.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
No - a lot of the cycling segments round here seem to include ebikes
my normal ride had loads and a lot of people seem to be on "normal" bikes
at the end of the day if you average speed is over 15.5 mph then it doesn;t matter if you are on an EAPC bike or a normal bike
and if someone is doing it on an illegal ebike then they may as well just say it is a normal bike anyway
If its plainly obvious it must be an e-bike and illegal one as well report it to Strava and IME they will delete the ride.
A nunber of bike computers upload to Strava as a ride so relying on the user to change it. If they have only used Strava since getting an e-bike they may not appreciate ride is the wrong activity
OP
OP
esoxlucius
Senior Member
It's probably during their fast paced attempts to get away from the chasing bizzies that all these KOM's are being smashed! Lol.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
We all know there are some people who will do anything to be top of something
and if they know they cheated it just makes of better for them
some go into politics - but some ride bikes
Alex321
Guru
- Location
- South Wales
I don't wear my hearing aids while cycling, I sweat enough that they go all crackly.
Dorset Boy
Über Member
- Location
- North Dorset or a mountain
Strava Deletes 2.3 million e-Bike Rides:
Strava pulled off one of the biggest data cleanup operations in cycling app history.
The company deployed three new machine learning models to scan every major segment leaderboard on the platform. The mission was simple but massive in scope: remove the fake times that have plagued competitive cyclists for years.
The results? 2.3 million e-bike activities deleted. 1.6 million vehicle activities removed. And 293,000 athletes restored to their rightful spots in the top 10.
James, an engineer at Strava, broke the news on Reddit, explaining how the system now catches activities recorded on an e-bike but uploaded as normal rides. The cleanup focused on the top 100 activities for every single ride segment leaderboard globally, targeting vehicles, incorrect sport types, and e-bikes misclassified as traditional bike rides.
This wasn't just about numbers on a screen.
For years, serious cyclists have watched in frustration as their hard-earned segment times got buried under impossible speeds. Tourist-heavy areas were hit especially hard, where rental e-bikes would dominate local leaderboards and push legitimate riders down the rankings.
One Reddit user from Sedona captured the relief perfectly: "I live in Sedona, a heavy tourist area where tons of tourists rent e-bikes and every segment here was taken by a tourist on an e-bike. I haven't checked to see if that's changed, but LOVE that Strava has taken steps on this issue."
The technology behind the cleanup is surprisingly sophisticated. E-bikes leave distinctive digital fingerprints in the data. They go faster uphill but slower on flats and downhills compared to strong road cyclists. They sustain high power output far longer than any human reasonably could. The speed graph stays unnaturally flat, unaffected by wind or subtle gradients that would slow down a regular rider.
As one commenter explained: "Ebikes tend to go faster uphill and slower on flat/downhill compared to a strong road rider on a road bike, for example. Ebikes can also sustain high power for longer than your average human, so you can look at the length of 'efforts'."
Heart rate data also plays a role. Legitimate KOM attempts almost always include heart rate monitors showing maximum effort. E-bike riders rarely record heart rate, and when they do, the numbers tell a different story. As one user noted: "An legitimate KOM will without a doubt have a higher HR than one obtained with an e-bike."
To be clear, this cleanup isn't an attack on e-bike riders in general. E-bikes have their own category on Strava, and there's nothing wrong with tracking those rides. The issue was always about misclassified activities distorting leaderboards meant for traditional bikes.
The community response has been overwhelmingly positive. One user summed it up: "James, thanks for the updates and thanks for posting here. Overall, I think Strava rocks. I like the features, old and new, and I like knowing the Strava team is listening to our feedback."
The work isn't finished. As James acknowledged, "Data integrity work is never really 'done,' and we know there's still more to improve." But cyclists can now look at segment leaderboards and trust what they're seeing.
For those who've spent years chasing legitimate PRs only to watch them disappear under questionable times, this cleanup represents something bigger than just clean data.
It's validation that the effort mattered all along.
Strava pulled off one of the biggest data cleanup operations in cycling app history.
The company deployed three new machine learning models to scan every major segment leaderboard on the platform. The mission was simple but massive in scope: remove the fake times that have plagued competitive cyclists for years.
The results? 2.3 million e-bike activities deleted. 1.6 million vehicle activities removed. And 293,000 athletes restored to their rightful spots in the top 10.
James, an engineer at Strava, broke the news on Reddit, explaining how the system now catches activities recorded on an e-bike but uploaded as normal rides. The cleanup focused on the top 100 activities for every single ride segment leaderboard globally, targeting vehicles, incorrect sport types, and e-bikes misclassified as traditional bike rides.
This wasn't just about numbers on a screen.
For years, serious cyclists have watched in frustration as their hard-earned segment times got buried under impossible speeds. Tourist-heavy areas were hit especially hard, where rental e-bikes would dominate local leaderboards and push legitimate riders down the rankings.
One Reddit user from Sedona captured the relief perfectly: "I live in Sedona, a heavy tourist area where tons of tourists rent e-bikes and every segment here was taken by a tourist on an e-bike. I haven't checked to see if that's changed, but LOVE that Strava has taken steps on this issue."
The technology behind the cleanup is surprisingly sophisticated. E-bikes leave distinctive digital fingerprints in the data. They go faster uphill but slower on flats and downhills compared to strong road cyclists. They sustain high power output far longer than any human reasonably could. The speed graph stays unnaturally flat, unaffected by wind or subtle gradients that would slow down a regular rider.
As one commenter explained: "Ebikes tend to go faster uphill and slower on flat/downhill compared to a strong road rider on a road bike, for example. Ebikes can also sustain high power for longer than your average human, so you can look at the length of 'efforts'."
Heart rate data also plays a role. Legitimate KOM attempts almost always include heart rate monitors showing maximum effort. E-bike riders rarely record heart rate, and when they do, the numbers tell a different story. As one user noted: "An legitimate KOM will without a doubt have a higher HR than one obtained with an e-bike."
To be clear, this cleanup isn't an attack on e-bike riders in general. E-bikes have their own category on Strava, and there's nothing wrong with tracking those rides. The issue was always about misclassified activities distorting leaderboards meant for traditional bikes.
The community response has been overwhelmingly positive. One user summed it up: "James, thanks for the updates and thanks for posting here. Overall, I think Strava rocks. I like the features, old and new, and I like knowing the Strava team is listening to our feedback."
The work isn't finished. As James acknowledged, "Data integrity work is never really 'done,' and we know there's still more to improve." But cyclists can now look at segment leaderboards and trust what they're seeing.
For those who've spent years chasing legitimate PRs only to watch them disappear under questionable times, this cleanup represents something bigger than just clean data.
It's validation that the effort mattered all along.
If you really want a KOM you can cheat the system though I'd think. I could borrow wifes ebike, not use power until I hit a particular climb then power up and take crown. Heart rate will be high as I'll have worked harder on a heavier bike and you still have to pedal a normal ebike.
There's a rider in my local area who is a strong cyclist but he does 3mile rides just to take KOM, to me that's cheating the system as any I've taken(few years ago now) were legitimate part of a normal long ride.
It's all bollards anyway as most of us mere mortals are kidding ourselves being small fish in a very small pond. There'll always be someone quicker/stronger. It's a fun feeling getting a KOM but ultimately meaningless.
There's a rider in my local area who is a strong cyclist but he does 3mile rides just to take KOM, to me that's cheating the system as any I've taken(few years ago now) were legitimate part of a normal long ride.
It's all bollards anyway as most of us mere mortals are kidding ourselves being small fish in a very small pond. There'll always be someone quicker/stronger. It's a fun feeling getting a KOM but ultimately meaningless.
Last edited:
No personal interest but that’s fascinating. The algorithm sounds more sophisticated than I would have expected.
Dorset Boy
Über Member
- Location
- North Dorset or a mountain
Of course there's always someone better than you, unless your name is Tadej.
However, it is infuriating when people leave things like e-bike rides as normal rides, or don't bother to crop their rides having forgotten to turn off their GPS when hopping in the car (a classic MTBer one that).
I looked at the fastest times for the climb to Meribel a couple of years back - 8 or the top 10 or so were downhill MTBers getting a lift back up the hill. All subsequently flagged and removed. I was curious to see how much faster than me the top pros were, but don't want the data ruined by what I saw.
At the end of the day it's a bit of fun. Most of us know that the fastest times on many segments were either in a race, latching onto a good draft or with a howling tailwind, but hey, so what? There are so many ways to slice and dice the info, you can see how you compare against your previous times, against your age group, your weight group, your friends, or others you choose to follow (such as Pogi, Remco etc) etc.
And occassionally the stars align and you get that KoM
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Widnes
I agree - sounds like someone really thought it through!
Dogtrousers
Lefty tighty. Get it righty.
I just checked and my totally fictitious 70km/h central London KoM is still standing. 
- Location
- Inside my skull
Well it does, because the assistance could have saved effort till the segment or part way through the segment. If I arrive relatively rested at a segment or only need to put in a max effort for half the segment. It makes all the difference at chances of getting a KOM.
