Strava sues Garmin

[Psamathe]

Garmin is about 70% of the source of data for Strava. If Garmin turns off API access for Strava, the latter will implode.

True, but if they did that a significant percentage of Garmin's customers would explode and stampede off to Wahoo.

But if that happened Strava would soon be taking Wahoo to court ....

 

[Psamathe]

I wonder if this court case is distraction. Like politicians often try, divert people's attention away from where you don't want them to be looking. What gremlins are Strava facing?

 

[Dogtrousers]

But if that happened Strava would soon be taking Wahoo to court ....

Where will it end?

 

[yello]

I suspect it's (1). Strava has a dominant position now, but it does have long term weaknesses and it isn't too big to fail. I think they are being forward looking but taking risky aggressive actions.

That'd be my take too. They see their future revenue dissappearing.

Odd move though (imho). Smacks of biting a hand that feeds you.

 

[cyberknight]

To be fair: which CEO ever got kudos for coming in and saying: everything's fine here, nothing to change (yes, I see what I did there).

all i can see is that they are trying to sue and the timeline of patents doesnt add up in their favour which is something i would have thought they would have looked at from the outset unless they are trying to chance it or just being a bully .

 

[Psamathe]

Strava explains why it's suing Garmin in Reddit post to "set the record straight"
In a post on Reddit, Strava’s chief product officer, Matt Salazar, said the primary reason behind its litigation was a set of “new developer guidelines for all of its API partners”, which Strava took issue with.

Curiously, this appears to be unrelated to the claims in Strava’s lawsuit that Garmin has infringed on two of its patents.


According to Salazar, Garmin's new guidelines were announced on 1 July 2025 and would require Strava, and other platforms using Garmin’s API, to integrate a Garmin logo “on every single activity post, screen, graph, image, sharing card, etc”.

 

[PaulSB]

Yesterday I met up with my two regular ride buddies. Within ten minutes the conversation was WTF are Strava up to now? Overall we concluded we quite enjoy Strava and find one or two features of passing interest but do we need/would we miss it? No.

I say of passing interest. For me this is perhaps 10 - 15 minutes looking at my ride with a post rIde cuppa. If something jumps out as unusual I might delve a bit deeper. More likely I'll see nothing after a scan and drop on to CC.

During our chat we agreed the RWGPS subscription is good value and we wouldn't want to be without it.

This I feel is Strava's problem, none of us need the service and Strava must see this action as a way of protecting the business. I planned to cancel this year as part of my boycott of American products but the auto renew went through before I got round to it.

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

I’ve used Strava since 2012 and barely scratched the surface in features I use. In early 2023 I jumped ship from Garmin and move everything over to COROS so this current spat Strava has with Garmin is interesting but of little potential impact to me.

COROS doesn’t have heatmaps which I am fine with as I never use them. If I am somewhere new and want to find suggestions for local rides or runs then I use Komoot.

 

[yello]

I'm a self-confessed free loader on Strava. I have no need nor interest in the paid features, I really only collect my data there for historical purposes, like a stamp collection. I don't get into the competitive nor motivational side of it, though I do use a' locked down' version of segments (i.e. I only see my rides - edit: private segments I believe they're called) to compare my own efforts over the years (take way: I'm slowing as I age)

I use Connect and RWGPS also (equally free loading) , plus programs on my laptop - pyTrainer, Turtlesport and Cyclistats (anyone remember that!) So I'm well covered in the event that Strava disappears.

I've looked at more sophisticated web based platforms for analysis etc but they are, in all honesty, overkill for me. I am, as I say, a hoarder - a stamp collector. I just use these services as an album.

 

[Webbo2]

I use the free version of Strava because my cycling club put the forthcoming club rides/events up on it.If they use another format I wouldn’t bother with Strava. I will look at some of my segments occasionally but half the time I’m not really sure which bits of my journey they refer to.

 

[KneesUp]

I paid for veloviewer and Strava for a while but stopped when Strava got really expensive.

I have a Garmin device so Connect is fine - but if veloviewer could connect to, er, connect I’d probably do that again.

My Strava account still exists because I’ve not got around to deleting it. I have no need for it.

 

[Psamathe]

I paid for veloviewer and Strava for a while but stopped when Strava got really expensive.

I have a Garmin device so Connect is fine - but if veloviewer could connect to, er, connect I’d probably do that again.

My Strava account still exists because I’ve not got around to deleting it. I have no need for it.

I use VeloViewer through a free Strava account. ie collect activities using my Garmin device/connect which automatically passes it on to free Strava and then on to VeloViewer (I subscribe to). I don't actually look at Strava (their web interface runs unbelievably slow), it's just a necessary (and free) gateway into VeloViewer.

That said I believe I lose a couple of features in Strava/VeloViewer but they're features I don't want anyway.

 

[Pblakeney]

In my view Strava have got this completely wrong. Garmin is an equipment supplier who happen to have an app.
Strava is an app trying to sell itself when there are equally good free options available. Being top dog doesn't mean you'll remain there.

 

[ianrauk]

In the words of DC Rainmaker

Strava folds

As I said, poke the bear....

 

[Dogtrousers]

In the words of DC Rainmaker

Strava folds

Boo how boring. I was hoping for a longer soap opera story than that.