Do you strava?

[FLV]

Morning.

Im a bit of a slave to the data.
Ive noticed that occasionally i will ride a different way whilst out in order to keep the distance higher, even if its not the most fun way to go. Odd behavior really and perhaps results in a little more road than i would otherwise have ridden.
On the flip side, keeping the numbers up does help me get out, i think. However, i left it private for a few weeks recently and didnt look at it much.
Ive found it interesting to look at which bike i use most, but i dont really need that.

What do people think?
Does it motivate / annoy you? Are you indifferent?

Id be interested to hear

*has this been covered.? I felt like it had but failed to find it.

[Leerowe76]

I don't mind it but also understand why people don't do it. Not really a numbers nerd or out like that but its nice to track what I'm doing month to month and something to aim for as yearly target of mileage. Stole a few rides of there also, its nice just to grab someone else's ride and go ride it and not know what to expect from it until you get back most have been quite good rides tbf. All the folk who say they don't know what they do mileage wise I think are fibbin they just keep it to themselves which is fine too

[The Cumbrian]

I started using it earlier this year because my son did. I'm finding it a useful record of what I've done, and I want to see how far I've cycled this year (not very is the answer I'm expecting).

[PaulB2]

I record it and share it - I’ve used it in the past to track fitness progress but more recently just for tracking where I’ve been

[Bearbonesnorm]

I'll admit to having no interest in it whatsoever. However, I do appreciate that as a tool it can be useful, so I understand why people use it.

What I dislike is how it seems to effect some people and seemingly suck all the fun from their riding. The 'if it's not on Strava, then it didn't happen' nonsense gets right on my tits. Rushing to upload your ride and wave your willy at others with the same affliction while silently shouting 'everyone, look at me, look at me' really isn't good for your overall mental well-being ... but other than that, it's ace

[slarge]

I use it, really as a log of what I’ve done, plus also it’s good to see what other people get up to. I’ve gone off the “how fast can I go” bit as I’m just a bit tired of it, but I find overall it’s a useful tool.

I get those who don’t like it though- each to their own I guess

[FLV]

On the fence then Stu?

[middleagedmadness]

I’ve gone off the “how fast can I go” bit as I’m just a bit tired of it, but I find overall it’s a useful tool.

That’s because everyone who knows you Steve , knows your a bleedin pocket rocket on the old peddle cycles

[lune ranger]

Yes, I Strava pretty much everything, but I don’t let it rule my life. Unless I’m doing something out of the ordinary I don’t look at it too much. I’m on here way more.
I will admit to never doing a 98, 147, or 199km ride anymore when I could round up the numbers but that’s no bad thing as far a I’m concerned.
I wish there was a method to simply log the distance of some rides like regular commuting. I have no interest is seeing folk ride to work and I’m sure people think the same about mine.
I like to see the pictures and rides from the people I follow abroad and seeing what a selection of pro’s get up to.

[jameso]

I just ride for how I feel and recording total mileage or stats has no relationship to that. I do aim for distances or time on the day but I can happily ride 98 miles or 197km and call it done and it's not logged anywhere. The exception has been when I've actually been training for something and I write it down what I've done + how I felt daily on a dry-wipe wall calendar and tot it up weekly, monthly etc. I like analogue if it gets the same end result.

No interest in segment times, I don't see how it's a good measure of how I'm riding unless fitted into a ride and other variables controlled. And I feel I don't have anything to prove tbh, I'm not the fastest and I'm not the slowest, I already know that.
Lastly, having a phone set up and recording each ride, feeling I've missed something if I do a long / fast ride and don't record it to add to my tally... ffs life feels complex enough. Grab bike, ride, enjoy.

Tracking routes on a Garmin and loading up and creating / linking / adapting them later though, I love all that. Maps and bikes are like hot water and ground coffee. I know I could use strava for that but RWGPS does it in a way I'm happy with and it's nicely low profile.

[BigdummySteve]

I use it purely for veloviewer explorer, I don’t do the segments stuff and have turned off all notifications ect on the garmin. The knob waving stuff is for roadies isn’t it? My main motivation for riding is enjoyment, performance metrics for me add nothing to that experience. I do enjoy pottering about new roads and tracks, veloviewer square hunting provides motivation to get out and explore.
I will admit to enjoying getting my max square bigger so perhaps knob waving in a....small way

[BigdummySteve]

James, I used RWGPS for many years, great tool and good route planning/ navigation. Unfortunately veloviewer explorer is tied to Strava, I wish they could separate it from that platform as a stand alone thing. There’s something unsavoury about Strava which sucks a little joy from the simple pleasures of riding.

[jameso]

The knob waving stuff is for roadies isn’t it?

I expect MTBers can as bad for how fast they can go, just downhill rather than uphill. And then there's the 'Ultra' sort on any bike where long distance isn't enough, it has to be ULTRA distance and you want everyone to know that you're out there doing the miles (ie a pleasant 200k audax in good company with lots of cake)

(we all have egos, who knew.. )

[FLV]

I use it purely for veloviewer explorer,

Do you need the paid version of storage to make VV explorer work now?

[FLV]

Lastly, having a phone set up and recording each ride, feeling I've missed something if I do a long / fast ride and don't record it to add to my tally... ffs life feels complex enough. Grab bike, ride, enjoy.

I think this is pretty close to where my question comes from.

I sometimes feel I am putting undue pressure on myself to do the mileage, even if no one else sees it.

[jameso]

James, I used RWGPS for many years, great tool and good route planning/ navigation. Unfortunately veloviewer explorer is tied to Strava, I wish they could separate it from that platform as a stand alone thing. There’s something unsavoury about Strava which sucks a little joy from the simple pleasures of riding.

Yeah, it's how you use the tool, not whether you use it at all? If strava did the same thing as my Garmin used as a USB memory stick and RWGPS upload, and didn't come with any profile/share complexity, I would use it quite happily. Maybe it does - I've just had no need to go looking.

[BigdummySteve]

I use it purely for veloviewer explorer,

Do you need the paid version of storage to make VV explorer work now?

I don’t think so...
Egos, yes guilty as charged. I did feel a little excitement as I passed Neil’s 39x39 even though I know he has a 50x50 lined up shortly

[ssnowman]

I use the free version and link to veloviewer, which costs £10 per year.

It's the veloviewer bit that I really like. Trying to expand my maximum square has made me explore so much more of my local area.

[Boab]

I use it, but mainly for the Beacon feature. For some reason, my Wahoo beacon thing doesn't update properly, so I record on Strava and my Wahoo, then delete the Strava after the Wahoo one has uploaded. I've turned off notifications, so my phone pings, and I check it, with less regularity.

[JohnClimber]

Best thing I did in my cycling was to give up Strava on Jan 1st almost 3 years ago.

I'm 100% - Record? What for, i ride for fun not numbers

No pressure on myself, to targets to hit, no starting at your phone the minute you finish your ride.

Give it up on Jan 1st for 3 months and see how much your enjoyment comes back to you riding.

Enjoy not endure

[thenorthwind]

I chose the first option because I do use Strava and do post rides to it, but only a small percentage of riding.

I like the idea of sharing an interesting ride with friends, and seeing what other people have been out* doing. There's some ego involved in that, but I don't think that's unhealthy. Besides, I feel a bit self-conscious saying to people, in real life (or as close as we can get to it at the moment) "hey, look at this ride I did" but if I've put it up on Strava, we might end up talking about it. And when I ride with a group from the club, some of whom I don't know that well, it's nice to be able to start a conversation with "hey, I saw that interesting (long/hilly/adventurous/just getting out when the weather's sub standard) ride you did".

I used to use it more, but it got to the point where I would have a look at what people had been up to and I got pages and pages of "my morning commute", "my afternoon commute", "Morning ride" [same loop you did yesterday]... and that's before we get to the Z word.

I will confess to being a bit of a nerd and a completist though. I often record a GPX track but keep it in Viewranger, as a record of where I've been (and I like to plot them all on one map at the end of the year). And I keep a weekly log of the mileage on each of my bikes from their computers .

I've actually considered Veloviewer as a reason to get out more, but having to post everything on Strava puts me off.


*this word chosen deliberately

[jameso]

I sometimes feel I am putting undue pressure on myself to do the mileage, even if no one else sees it.

I get what you're saying. Like you 'should' be doing something? That's positive I think, maybe it's the motivation nag that gets us off the sofa. Keeping the rat fed but not letting it start gnawing away at or control you. Not sure I like that 'feeding the rat' analogy for something I love so much but it makes some sense, there's a positive and negative to everything isn't there.

'I'm not immune' etc, I'll often try to finish rides within a time or set a target in mind. Sometimes I simply enjoy pushing myself and riding at pace and that's all strava does, 'gamifies' that aspect of riding, the basis of it all was there long before strava. Arguably, Audax is similar - time limits and all the points collection, ride rankings etc.

[ScotRoutes]

Love it for Veloviewer but also for sharing pics with friends and seeing what they've been up to. That's been especially useful this year - a way of keeping up with more distant folk but also seeing where the locals had been exploring while we were under movement restrictions. Gave me a few a few ideas.

I don't think it's all that different from the Today's Ride thread or the BAM, BB200, WRT threads on here. Its just a slightly different medium for sharing.

FWIW, in his Fast over 50 book, Joe Friel recommends Strava Segments as a way of breaking out of the Long, Slow, Distance mode that older riders tend towards. Interspersing your ride with high intensity sprints aids strength.

[RIP]

Nope. Far too limiting. Am in Stu and John's corner.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I get what you're saying. Like you 'should' be doing something? That's positive I think, maybe it's the motivation nag that gets us off the sofa. Keeping the rat fed but not letting it start gnawing away at or control you. Not sure I like that 'feeding the rat' analogy for something I love so much but it makes some sense, there's a positive and negative to everything isn't there.

'I'm not immune' etc, I'll often try to finish rides within a time or set a target in mind. Sometimes I simply enjoy pushing myself and riding at pace and that's all strava does, 'gamifies' that aspect of riding, the basis of it all was there long before strava. Arguably, Audax is similar - time limits and all the points collection, ride rankings etc.

I'm sure there's a little ego living within all of us and everyone enjoys some praise sometimes, it's just the way we are. Trouble is, I do sometimes wonder whether strava amplifies that and pushes some people (no, I'm certainly not saying everybody) towards a place where that becomes their sole motivator?

I don't think it's all that different from the Today's Ride thread or the BAM, BB200, WRT threads on here. Its just a slightly different medium for sharing.

In many respects, it's no different at all Colin but perhaps it depends to a degree on what the motivation to share is? I've never really noticed any 'ego' present in BAM, WRT or even BB200 threads - maybe if a difference exists, it could be because quite often they contain posts about a common, shared experience?

DISCLAIMER - before I get pitchforked, it would appear from reading all the posts, that all present uses it as a tool and not as a vehicle to try and increase the size of their penis.