The change to Strava

[SPG]

So anyone going to upgrade ?

Personally i cant see the point, was never a segment chaser and my Garmin has far better detail for training than Strava ever will.

Seems to me they are money grabbing. With so many new users who think its a worthwhile thing.

 

[iGiDK]

I'm an average Joe cyclist, enjoying my road bike and mtb and have only really got properly into it in the last 6 months or so.

I don't mind paying for the service as a relatively new user, to me the cost is peanuts on a standalone basis but when you add the cost of other mainstream subscription services it begins to add up very quickly!

For me it's been great for finding the popular routes and trails in my area, seeing how others (and average Joe's) stack up in segments gives me a good idea how I'm progressing, particularly on the MTB trails

 

[Hodders]

I struggle with it.

I like the segment thing. As way of seeing my progress up climbs etc.

But I don't like the arbitrary removal of features that previously existed for free.

If Strava offered real time heart rate monitoring and routes I'd pay up. But the community angle isn't worth it and the route recording without hrm isn't worth it.

Conclusion I'm out.

I'm using Garmin connect for recording and komoot for route finding. Strava is simply an archive of my rides now.

 

[jsmoke]

I thought the rating thing was good. I'm pretty annoyed not sure if I'll upgrade how much is it?

A smart move by Strava though, get people hooked then take it away unless you pay.

 

[AndyCr15]

I started cycling last March and paid up for Strava in May I think. For me and the type of person I am, it really motivates me. All of last year I was chasing better PR's climbing the different segment tables and live segments showing on my Wahoo ELEMNT as I attack a segment on my ride is just fantastic. Looking down and seeing 'You're 1 second behind' or '2 seconds ahead of your PR' really drives extra effort from me.

I like that they've then added and fixed so much over the last few months and now have changed their model, rather than the way many do it - 'pay us now and we'll make it better in the future'. One feature is the new routing. Last year I only really rode two different routes, over and over again. Since Strava has shown me a whole bunch of great new routes in the last few months, I've literally discovered hundreds of miles of fantastic new roads. To me, easily worth the £40 a year.

Seems to me they are money grabbing.

Obviously we will probably never know how true it is when they've said they need more income to keep going, but I don't see it as money grabbing due to how they do, all of a sudden' seem to be trying to improve it. When you look back over support forums, they do appear like they just didn't care. So many things people are asking about and they seem to just ignore, but things do seem to have changed. I don't know if someone new is running things now, but they seem to have a totally different attitude. Because of this, it doesn't look to be money grabbing. If nothing changed and they just said, 'right, we're removing this stuff unless you pay', then I would get it, but this seems like a new start for them.

It will be interesting to see if they build the HRM back in. That did surprise me when they basically said 'just use someone else's app to track and export it in'. Mind you, I haven't used the Strava app, or any phone app, to track my efforts for months now (Wahoo cycle unit and Garmin watch for running) and also that was back in 'Old Strava' times. I wonder if 'New Strava' will try and fix it?

 

[Royal Fleet]

So anyone going to upgrade ?

Seems to me they are money grabbing.

I think the money grabbing thing is a bit harsh. They have never made money since they started in 2009 so at some point the VCs are going to want to see some profit.

Given the choice between a modest sub and an app full of ads and my data being sold off left right and centre the £4 a month is a fair price to pay.

I have used Strava for years and like the segments and the social aspect of it.

 

[SPG]

Maybe its harsh i agree. But still to expensive for what is bassicly facebook for athletes.

 

[resurgam]

I've been paying for years. I use it a lot, and while I could probably get away with the free version, I'd rather pay for the use I get out of it rather than it go down the ad model.

 

[Ripper]

Just posted in a running thread about this. Really annoying what they’ve done. Money grabbing move.

 

[resurgam]

I'm not sure I agree - they don't make any money at the moment, and need to give a return on investment at some point. It's either get more people to pay, or sell advertising.

Edit - I suppose they could take the approach of pay = ad-free, and no subscription = adds, but I'm not sure how accepted that would be either.

 

[SPG]

I do not think they have done themselves any favours especially in the current climate with more people taking up fitness then ever before (go figure its lockdown...I cant get my head around that bit) due to COVID seeing the youtube video of one of the founders he had zero remorse. It is purely about money and they are capitalising on the effects of COVID in my eyes.

You sign up for some of the challenges by companies is a form of advertising, I have taken a few up myself and purchased a few bits and bobs from them, but normally they are from high end brands trying to get rid of odd sizes etc. I have no problem with this and I think its something STRAVA should have capitalised on more. It is perfect place for manufacturers to get their new product direct to the people who buy them.

I cant see me subbing for it, yes they will get a spike but i think the majority will cancel in 3 months time as it doest offer anything thats already free if you have Garmin/Polar/Sunnito or other Tracker. The only way it could survive in the longterm is if they brought out their own line of "smart stuff" which then forces people into the STRAVA eco system.

 

[Trifid]

I guess licensing products that integrate with Strava is one good way to make money (or ruin your product further.) However, I and many others chose their smartwatch for Strava integration so could work.

I think the free version of Strava is now too gimped and focused on telling you to upgrade.

Subscribe:
Get back the segments feature
Removes all the summit ads
I don't pay for the gym in the summer
Strava has been a real inspiration for improvement

Not to subscribe:
I already have more subscriptions then I'd like to have
The physical value Vs cost is rather low (same cost as O365 for my whole family).
I only use it during the cycling season so will sit idle for 6 months of the year

 

[Shadowness]

It's like £40 a year isn't it?! Hardly a bank breaker!

Consider how much people spend on bikes and accessories (myself included I will admit!) it;s a pretty insignificant cost.

I've been a paid member for quite a few years so it doesn't affect me. I'll admit I do a bit of segment hunting on the occasion, it's about the only competitive thing you can do at the moment!

 

[sHo0sH]

Realistically it's a great platform and they have to have some kind of income - I will get by on the free service as long as possible but will probably end up paying. I definitely spend more money on worse things than this. I am pretty sure everyone can afford £4/month

 

[Hodders]

Like the live segments feature a lot. I want heart rate data and there's no point having two ride recording programs running at the same time.

Strava not doing heart rate is just ridiculous. I'm not going to pay for a social platform, I might for a great ride recording app.

 

[Shadowness]

Most 'serious' cyclists wouldn't use the app (ie their phone) to record rides anyway, so I doubt this would be something the are too fussed about doing anytime soon.

Same for runners etc

 

[DereksDontRun]

If they've found that the platform isn't financially viable, then I understand that they need to do something, but it seems like they've moved a little too much over to the subscription plan

Or it could just be bad timing... Those on furlough are probably a little more conscious of £ these days, so suddenly being asked to pay for a service that previously was free (at a time when income has been reduced) is a little annoying.

What they offered for free was great - I only get out on the bike occasionally and it's good to compare times between rides, plus the fun time-comparisons with mates... Plus, I quite regularly used the "compare your time against those of the day" to see how busy certain routes/segments are.

Sure, £4 isn't much and probably less that a pint in a lot of places these days (or when pubs reopen, anyway). But, it's half of Netflix and tbh, for an occasional rider, it doesn't offer 1/2 the value/use of Netflix... Especially when I think about my last 12-24 months - either through injury, having 2 jobs, having a 1 year old, weather, etc. I know that there have been full months that I've not been out on the bike (despite wanting to).

In all honesty, I don't know of any of my usual riding mates (that don't already pay for it) willing to jump on it. I'm on the fence, as I would like to support the devs for a great product, but I kinda don't like the strongarm/drug-dealer approach to this, of getting you used to a product for free and then trapping it behind a paywall. In some respects, if it was a paid/use service (say 20p per ride/day of use) or only £1/month then I'm sure a lot more would just do it.

 

[Trifid]

It's like £40 a year isn't it?! Hardly a bank breaker!

It is yet another subscription and before you know it, all of your disposable is spent on them. I did review all of my subscriptions and believe I do not get great value out of Spotify so have cancelled that so maybe there is room for Strava! But as I and Derek have said, when you compare it to a lot of other services it does appear to be quite poor value for casual usage. Premium definitely doesn't offer me anything between October and March of the year. Or maybe I just haven't spent long enough on the trial to see the value?

 

[arknor]

I'm not sure I agree - they don't make any money at the moment, and need to give a return on investment at some point. It's either get more people to pay, or sell advertising.

Edit - I suppose they could take the approach of pay = ad-free, and no subscription = adds, but I'm not sure how accepted that would be either.

or sell all the data they are harvesting for more than they are getting now.

 

[Kemik]

Most 'serious' cyclists wouldn't use the app (ie their phone) to record rides anyway, so I doubt this would be something the are too fussed about doing anytime soon.

Same for runners etc

Why do you think that?

I know several people who run frequent marathons, have done the Tour de France cycle route, etc (with TV courage) and they all use Strava. Don't ask my why though - I find the Apple Workout app to be far better for my purposes.