The change to Strava

[Shadowness]

@Kemik A phone is just too impractical for cycling. It's large, bulky and the mounts need to be super strong. Plus battery life is too rubbish. And I presume the app only shows basic data such as speed. Most 'serious' cyclists want/need more data than that when riding/training.

I can see it being more popular for running, that's a completely different matter. Push start, put it in your pocket. Easy.

I can see people starting off with a phone, but then quickly getting a dedicated cycling computer eg. Garmin/Wahoo etc

 

[Ian_Eb]

It is more that they would use a device that isnt a phone. I wouldn't want to be carrying my phone with me and depending on it through a marathon. I have a watch that does all that and i can see it without having to wake it up or unlock it. Likewise with a ride. I would put a ride computer on the bike and use that.

 

[Kemik]

@Kemik A phone is just too impractical for cycling. It's large, bulky and the mounts need to be super strong. Plus battery life is too rubbish. And I presume the app only shows basic data such as speed. Most 'serious' cyclists want/need more data than that when riding/training.

I can see it being more popular for running, that's a completely different matter. Push start, put it in your pocket. Easy.

I can see people starting off with a phone, but then quickly getting a dedicated cycling computer eg. Garmin/Wahoo etc

Ah, maybe they have it hooked up to another device that also syncs with Strava.

 

[PapaLazaru]

I've upgraded. Got three KOM's on the local trails and I'm not losing them.

60 days free plus £48 for another 12 months is only £3.42 a month.

 

[arknor]

@Kemik A phone is just too impractical for cycling. It's large, bulky and the mounts need to be super strong. Plus battery life is too rubbish. And I presume the app only shows basic data such as speed. Most 'serious' cyclists want/need more data than that when riding/training.

I can see it being more popular for running, that's a completely different matter. Push start, put it in your pocket. Easy.

I can see people starting off with a phone, but then quickly getting a dedicated cycling computer eg. Garmin/Wahoo etc

I've done it before I used a garmin but with the phone in my saddle bag.
honstly the data you get isn't all that much worse than a garmin and most people just want to log their rides and don't care about cadence, heart rate etc.
the estimated calories burned with a garmin isn't much better than a phone in my experience even though its supposed to be using more data in its calculations.

obviously if you are working on getting your avg cadence higher then sure a garmin is better and you can probably pick up an old one for cheap anyway.

mines ancient, I think edge 800 surely would be worth almost nothing second hand

 

[AndyCr15]

I've done it before I used a garmin but with the phone in my saddle bag.

I'm not sure which side you're arguing for? I would agree most people taking it serious wouldn't record on the Strava app on their phone. But they will of course 'use Strava' and very likely have their phone in a saddle bag/jersey pocket.

 

[SPG]

When cycling the phone sits in the back pocket and is used a phone in case of mishap. I never take my phone running its far to bulky.

Sure when people are first starting out they might use a phone much like you see people at Parkruns and armbands but at some point if they are serious will get a watch or head unit for the bike or maybe have both.

Its nice to see what friends have been upto i will give Strava but £50 a year or so.

 

[Hodders]

It seems that Strava needs to do one of two things well enough to get me to subscribe:

1) Social - segments route planning etc
2) Ride tracking - tracking, recording heart rate etc

At the moment 1) is not worth it and it does 2) so badly there is no point.

To be honest my vivoacrtive3 is all I need for ride tracking.

In terms of routing I am starting to use komoot and liking it. If it just displayed the ant broadcast heart rate data from my vivoactive3 I would need nothing else.

I'm not sure Strava is going to be here in 3 years to be honest.

 

[PikeyPriest]

It seems that Strava needs to do one of two things well enough to get me to subscribe:

1) Social - segments route planning etc
2) Ride tracking - tracking, recording heart rate etc

At the moment 1) is not worth it and it does 2) so badly there is no point.

To be honest my vivoacrtive3 is all I need for ride tracking.

In terms of routing I am starting to use komoot and liking it. If it just displayed the ant broadcast heart rate data from my vivoactive3 I would need nothing else.

I'm not sure Strava is going to be here in 3 years to be honest.

I find Strava useful for routes, route planning and stats, but that is as a novice cyclist who is happy using a phone before committing to spending significant amounts. But I appreciate completely once you add cadence, HR, power meters and going on longer rides the Garmin/Wahoo make complete sense and Strava becomes a social site. The only thing it has is the segments for comparison and I know I will never KOM, but not sure if that would tempt me enough in a year.

 

[arknor]

most KOMs are probably electric bikes now anyway

 

[Hodders]

So true - there's a guy in my area who is in his 50s and has just got an e-bike. Lo and behold, he is in teh top 5 on most of the local climbs....

Why won't strava display HR data!!!!!

Does anyone know of a android app that overlays heart rate data from an ant sensor????

 

[grudas]

So true - there's a guy in my area who is in his 50s and has just got an e-bike. Lo and behold, he is in teh top 5 on most of the local climbs....

Why won't strava display HR data!!!!!

Does anyone know of a android app that overlays heart rate data from an ant sensor????

they do need to do something about this for sure.

 

[Vigoro]

So true - there's a guy in my area who is in his 50s and has just got an e-bike. Lo and behold, he is in teh top 5 on most of the local climbs....

Why won't strava display HR data!!!!!

Does anyone know of a android app that overlays heart rate data from an ant sensor????

If you are looking to track HR data then you should be able to do this through the Wahoo app, as I did similar for Speed/Cadence before. Should upload to Strava after with the data there if you link it as well

 

[SPG]

Garmin connect is also very good now, i tend to use that for most of my routes, Komoot just doesn't seem to gel with me.

Hopefully some other bright spark will pick up where STRAVA left off and do it cheaper.

 

[Jimbeam3678]

If TrainingPeaks was Strava price everything would be fine in my world

 

[AndyCr15]

most KOMs are probably electric bikes now anyway

Personally I would say just start reporting them. I now have an eBike and my Wahoo knows it's an eBike and records the ride as such. eBikes have their own segments... which hardly anyone is on, so I have loads of KOM's!

I reported one ride this week that was done on a moped, it's even called Moped and their some discussion with his mate how there is no option to record it as a moped so he selected eBike... why are you recording it on Strava?!?!

 

[Hodders]

Garmin connect is also very good now, i tend to use that for most of my routes, Komoot just doesn't seem to gel with me.

Hopefully some other bright spark will pick up where STRAVA left off and do it cheaper.

Garmin connect is good but I don't have a bike computer so there is no way of doing routes in the garmin camp.

TBH if komoot just showed HR I'd be happy. Having said all that, I'm getting pretty good at guessing my HR from how I feel. At 52 I know I can hold 155 for 10 to 15 mins, 165 for about 5 mins and anything over that I just run out of cardio vascular fitness and end up with no legs at all.

But it's nice to know what gear I can ride in with my natural cadence and have a HR that I can hold for the climb in front.

I'm certainly not fit, I'm 52 and 100kg but I love the data as it lets me see improvements and that keeps me motivated.

 

[xdcx]

I'm on the 60 day trial or whatever it is so getting all the "goodies" at the minute from Strava. All I want is the route builder as it's the best IMO. I don't want anything else Strava has. All my training data I analyse via TrainingPeaks which at renewal I may sack off and go back to Golden Cheetah. I found the BC gold member code openly online for TP so got 40% off the annual sub and I am not paying full whack for TP. Its best feature is its convenience which negates all its limitations for the right price is the only reason I still use it.

Komoot is horrendous. To me anyways. I have tried and tried to get used to and like it. I despise using it and honestly cannot understand how people rave about it.

If I can find a way of losing my beloved Strava route planner I will be gone from the platform. I honestly will not miss the constant bombardment of KOM's being taken by people in cars or people on e-mountain bikes.

https://www.strava.com/segments/1104666 - is my biggest ball ache right now. It's on the LEJOG route and heaps of these fully supported muppets don't ride the climb because it is a brute. They get driven up it when they get to it (honestly!). It annoys me to get pinged for the KOM but it annoys me more so that these people will be telling all their mates they "completed LEJOG".... No, you didn't, at all. You jumped in a van with your bike when you got to the tough bits.

end ranting.

 

[Murf]

Strava is awesome. I've had a paid subscription for years and it is completely worth it.

For people claiming "money grabbing" I assume none of you understand that a business has to turn a profit in the long term to remain viable? The potential avenue streams are: paid subscriptions, merchandise, advertising, tie ins or selling your data. The internet has created a generation of people who think businesses should provide their services for free! The app needs to be developed, the data needs to be stored etc, none of this is cheap.

I hate "free" services where I am the product. I don't use Facebook, Instagram etc. for that reason. £4 a month to avoid adverts and maintain my privacy is something I'm more than willing to pay. Strava provides me with huge motivation, and it allows me to look back on my training history, and acts as a scrapbook of my adventures. It's great.

As for heart rate tracking on the app, if you're not using a cycle head unit or a smartwatch for cycling and running you're probably not taking it seriously enough to be in Strava's target market anyway.

 

[xdcx]

As for heart rate tracking on the app, if you're not using a cycle head unit or a smartwatch for cycling and running you're probably not taking it seriously enough to be in Strava's target market anyway.

I've seen this silly assumption in this thread a few times now.

HR, power, strava, data is absolutely nothing to do with nor a measure to determine how serious someone is about a sport. There are plenty of serious runners and cyclists out there who track no data what so ever.

On the other hand there are a lot of strong cyclists not using Strava because they don't see it as a thing "serious" cyclists need use. It's actually seen as a sign you are a "proper" cyclist if you do not use Strava...... Both viewpoints here, IMO, are absolutely daft.