Originally Posted by
talphie
I think it works ok. I’ve downloaded it twice to my phone. The first time, I started it up, the timer started running, I started my ride. When I got to the 6.5 mile stop sign where I normally drink some water, I thought I’d compare it to my bike’s computer. Computer logged 6.5 miles on the route I rode. Strava logged a perfect straight line from my house to where I was stopped. Strava showed 2 miles at 0 minutes, 0 seconds. Now the speed of light would be very scary on a bike, but according to Strava, I’ve accomplished that feat, for 2 miles. I wasn’t impressed, so I removed it and downloaded MapMyRide, which seemed to work ok, but my friend was on Strava so we couldn’t watch each other’s rides. I was talked into downloading Strava again and it has worked fine ever since. I use the free version as well and it seems to work for what I do with it. Maybe the first time I used it I did something wrong?
That "straight line" problem sounds as if you may not have gotten GPS synchronization before you began the ride, or somehow lost it during those first 6.5 miles. It doesn't know where you were during the time of GPS loss, so it simply makes a straight line from where GPS was lost, to where it was re-gained. That's happened to me. I've also noticed that if the app is running, and the cell phone screen is unlocked...depending on your app and/or phone settings it might manually pause the app if you inadvertently touch the screen. Then, when it's un-paused it will make a straight line from where it was paused to where you are when it's un-paused. I just keep my phone in my jersey pocket. But, I make sure the app is running properly, and the screen is locked before I put it in my pocket.
Dan