Strava!

[redefined_cycles]

Just wanted to discuss Strava Premium if any9ne has any exp of it and thoughts on the matter. Feel free to take the 'mickey' byt for me it's slightly distressing. Hence the thread

It all started at some point in 2011ish... I was happily recording my rides on my little magnet computer and life was good. If a bit fiddly. Then came strava and I started using my phone.

Slowly the phone became a little of a chore and battery life when venturing out further meant summat needed to be done. So I got a gps unit. Life was good.

Sonewhere in between all of this Strava started becoming 'premium'. With slightly more features (very usable for me) on premium and the free trial/trails or promotions were a no brainer. Though I knew deep down that this day might come...

Now I've been with Premium subscription in some way, shape orform for the past 5 years. Slowly the prices were modified and I kept coughing up.. They were hardly a 'price hike' but rather 'a few quid more'. With the rate of inflation or below and all that. Now my latest subscription was alerted to me by an alarming '£47 for Strava, up from £18 last years annual fee' from my google pay.

I've obviously let it lapse but am missing some of the features ever so slightly. Today I decided to try and upgrade and have realised the £47 is actually the '43% off' option. So naturally I'm a bit stuck in the thought that the real price is actually £87 or so... If I cough up this year for the extra 'perks'... Am I set to just be feeding the mammoth...

Obviously the other side of thw story is that everyone deserves to be paid and I believe for the first few years they ran at a shortfall. It's also an amazing app but I cant help thinking the 'addiction' means they'll just keep 'hiking' each year...

Thoughts, rants and tellings off all appreciated. One thing is for certain, that I love recording my rides and the ease of 'auto-analysis'. I also love the challenges and many other bits n bobs. Leaderboards I'm not too fussed but route builds in a jiffy (in the app) and many other little niggles (oppoaite is true) are very convenient in the paid version..

Over to you (if you can still tolerate me )...

[ScotRoutes]

I still use the Free version. It feeds VeloViewer, has it's Social media/photo sharing side which I like and the Challenges are often a wee bit of incentive. I'm not bothered about Leaderboards,though it's interesting to compare myself with myself.

I prefer other Route Planning tools (Basecamp and also Komoot now) so I don't miss that bit.

I get all the Fitness/Training stuff I need (not much, though increasingly more) from Garmin Connect.

Tracking can be done through Garmin/Spot or just Google Maps.

Only you can determine whether or not it's worth that amount of money. It isn't for me.

[Asposium]

Not bothered about strava
But then again I don’t feel any need to Willie wangle against others.

As above, Garmin Connect.
I did like the feature to compare the same runs; was useful for Parkrun or running round the block.

Maybe that £47 would be more usefully spent on an OS maps or outdoor active subscription?

However, also as said above, only you can decide the value to you.
Garmin connect is my favourite price; free.

[Charliecres]

TLDR: bah, humbug

I’ve started using it a bit since I stopped working. It’s vaguely interesting seeing how many miles I do each week but I often forget to use it and I’ve very little interest in performance analysis. I don’t share anything and I don’t care about comparing myself with others. I use other (better) tools for route planning. There’s no way I’d spend money on it.

[whitestone]

Similar (but different) to what Colin said.

I used to be interested in the leaderboards and such but these days when the top tens around here include the likes of Tom Pidcock there's not much chance of a 62yr old getting a look in! I'm just comparing myself to my 52yr old self now. Not really interested in the social media side of things, I might comment in one ride/activity in a hundred in my feed, only give kudos for exceptional rides for the individual (god, I sound like a miserable git ). Occasionally add photos to rides (for years you could only do this through the phone app and I rarely use the phone's camera or indeed the Strava app)

Strava dropped the ball somewhat and other services began to do things that Strava have now started doing but they do them much better as they concentrate on their "thing". When I look at the premium "features" they just aren't things that I need. I just have the free version which acts as the data source for:

• Veloviewer - used to be more useful but Strava changed their terms of use so some features now only work if you are a premium Strava user. (I pay for this but it's only £10/yr)
• intervals.icu - data analysis. A real data geek site to analyse your rides.
• TrainerRoad - a training app based around turbo trainers but you can do the sessions outside. (I pay for this)

I mostly use Bikehike or occasionally RideWithGPS to create routes.

[ton]

i use the free version, to log my yearly mileage, nothing more.

Not bothered about strava
But then again I don’t feel any need to Willie wangle against others.

would i be able to wangle my willie at 10mph ? because that is my average speed for the last 5 years.

[redefined_cycles]

Interesting... I'm slowly beginning to think that the free version might just do me for the mo (syn with the 100 climbs app and veloviewer being two other things that premium allows... it's just the price hike going mental that's got me double-thinking).

As for navigation/OS maps on viewranger and often use it to make a route. Strava route making is just a few squiggles though and like Bob said, they seem to do most things alot better...

Komoot might be summat I need to explore (or ride with GPS).

Thanks kind folks for your thoughts and comments. I've emailed Strava already and will see if they might be able to convince me too...

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've never felt that Strava would provide or enhance any of those things I ride a bike or sleep in a ditch for. Personally, it would just be another distraction (I'd soon forget to use it so a short lived distraction perhaps) to muddy the waters. However, this is about you not me, so if it does it for you, then crack on but try and avoid getting swallowed up by it.

[arkay]

For the last two or three years I have been given a premium subscription as a Christmas present, so the price is right for me… however I am sure I’m not using all the premium features. I am mostly interested in recording where and how far I ride, and also whether I am getting faster or slower.

Yes it is nice to see how much faster the real pros can do something, but I think the data is often fairly suspect especially in wooded areas (I hold one KOM having “completed” a local segment in 2 seconds!)

I do love Veloviewer- if you use the free version of Strava then how useful or otherwise is VV?

[burty]

I use the free version because i am a cheap skate and only to see my yearly total miles, and bikhike for planning and drag it over to the garmin.
would rather spend time outside riding than looking at stats etc , also imagine the cake and coffee you can buy for £87

[lune ranger]

I’m paying. Initially I didn’t want to be ‘forced’ to pay when they changed set up last year but on consideration I coughed up. I like using Strava. I like that it’s never gone down the advertising route. I use the route planner. It’s not all that much money.
When I began paying for Strava it made me consider what I get for free here and prompted me to set up a regular payment to feed the Bear, so it’s not all bad.

[whitestone]

I do love Veloviewer- if you use the free version of Strava then how useful or otherwise is VV?

I think it's just leaderboard info so the segments tab in VV doesn't work - you just get a message saying it's only available to Strava Premium users. I.e. Strava see the leaderboards as one of their USPs

[jameso]

I believe for the first few years they ran at a shortfall

Don't feel sorry for them, it's a standard start-up thing where they pile VC money in and make losses while getting established, often using up funding to become dominant ie make more losses than a competitor can afford to. Once market share grows the VCs pile in at later funding rounds with more funding and the founders are sat on a multi-million valued company. Same thing in hire scooters, deliveroo, uber etc.

Can't offer any tips on what's good value as I don't use it. What I'd be asking is why the data matters. If the data adds something to the good stuff of simply riding, great. If the data is the reward itself I'm not so sure that's a good thing, but hey, there's time trialling and all stuff that so some enjoy it.

Komoot might be summat I need to explore (or ride with GPS).

RWGPS I find ideal for detailed route creation and adjustment from scratch. komoot is impressive for finding routes from others and it's easy to adapt them.

[Moder-dye]

I'm paying.

I use the beacon feature for my wife and son to know where I am when I'm out. even had one ride where my wife saw I was nearly home so put the kettle on .

I also like the route planner (combined with looking at aerial and OS) for planning hikes and bikes away from the local area and just times and distances of rides planned. Though that's not been used so much lately as I've not been straying too far.

I have the komoot app but just can't really get in to it. Much prefer to plan with Strava. I've tried others too, but for me Strava and the heat maps is most useful.

I've no interest in leader boards or KOMs, largely as I'm so slow there's no point looking. But I do like to see what friends have been up to and maybe get some inspiration (though it can be just a too to beat myself rather than inspire). And, shock horror, I'm such a shallow person that I like it when friends take an interest in what I've been doing

I don't use a Garmin/wahoo/ whatever, so it works well as an app on my (big battery heavy duty) phone.

[redefined_cycles]

I’m paying. Initially I didn’t want to be ‘forced’ to pay when they changed set up last year but on consideration I coughed up. I like using Strava. I like that it’s never gone down the advertising route. I use the route planner. It’s not all that much money.
When I began paying for Strava it made me consider what I get for free here and prompted me to set up a regular payment to feed the Bear, so it’s not all bad.

I just did that last night then made my BAM august route on the mobile phone. At least i dont need to learn a new (app) language and the payment page told me it'll be £47 next year... so hoping therell be no more price rise

[arkay]

I believe for the first few years they ran at a shortfall

Can't offer any tips on what's good value as I don't use it. What I'd be asking is why the data matters. If the data adds something to the good stuff of simply riding, great. If the data is the reward itself I'm not so sure that's a good thing, but hey, there's time trialling and all stuff that so some enjoy it.

The times don’t really bother me, although I do like to try and improve my PR on local sections, and chasing the KOM on one segment inspired me to get out every day before work to beat the dog walkers who always scuppered my runs!

The main thing for me is seeing where I have ridden - and more importantly where I haven’t ridden. Filling in the gaps on VeloViewer has provided some great route inspiration and got me riding places I would otherwise have overlooked even though they are almost on my doorstep. Now my square is up to 17x17 expanding it further means either a lengthy ride or a hop on the train/in the car, but I have planned a few routes using the VV plug-in on the Strava route planner, and enjoy seeing the squares light up. Just got to ride them now - they always look much easier when you are just clicking away on the map!

[gairym]

I use Strava.

I needed somewhere to store rides for future reference ("remember that amazing trail we found that time, wouldn't it be nice to ride that trail again" etc...).

I currently pay but certainly not paying that much if it's up to ~£80 next time round!

I often use the route planner as I know it but also got komoot now so if I can make that work then I'll go down to the free version of Strava next time by year is up.

I don't understand the animosity towards apps these days - don't like it don't use it, simple as that.

Strava is only a negative, willy waving, ego thing if you use it in that way.

I don't.

[In Reverse]

I'm happy to pay purely for the route planner - it's by far the best resource for planning off-road stuff imo.

Don't pay much attention to segment times etc but it's occasionally fun for banter with mates after a ride.

And same as Gairy it's a decent depository off all my rides and easy to check back on where I've been.

It's a yes for me, Clive.

[redefined_cycles]

I'm happy to pay purely for the route planner - it's by far the best resource for planning off-road stuff imo.

Don't pay much attention to segment times etc but it's occasionally fun for banter with mates after a ride.

And same as Gairy it's a decent depository off all my rides and easy to check back on where I've been.

It's a yes for me, Clive.

Yep... I think that was probably the overarching thing that was getting at me (not having access to it). Currently £44 down but sat making a route for after work in a place I don't know (Sunny Scunthorpe)... Good observation Dave (ok, Andy)...