Differences between Strava & Map my ride...
 

I have been using Map my ride since I got back to riding because it was the first thing that came up when I looked for biking apps. Now it seems everyone else here used Strava. What does one do that the other doesn't? I paid a couple of bucks for the no adds + version but haven't upgraded to MPV like it asks me to every time I bring it up on the computer. If I stick with MMR what is the advantage of MPV other than the constant popups going away?

MapMyRide (and RideWithGPS which I use) is better for planning and drawing routes. Strava is better at analyzing performance on rides you have done. Strava also has a rather active social media function. I use a Garmin to record my rides, since the elevation data is more accurate. Elevation data for a route "drawn" on MMR, or RWGPS is from a "digital elevation model" that may not take into account roads cut into hills, or bridges over canyons. Since the DEM follows a mathematical model of the contour it will show you descending, then climbing out of the valley the bridge spans, or going up and over a hill that was cut away for a road. My Garmin has a barometric altimeter, which is more accurate than GPS for recording elevation.

I don't have a competitive bone in my body and have an Edge 200 so I use Map my Ride MVP, it's perfect for what I need :).

Not more accurate, just different; and not a Strava vs MapMyRide distinction. Strava does offer you the choice of over-riding your Garmin elevation data and using the terrain data if you want to... like when the altitude record is whack from barometric changes during your ride.

Strava's not good for making maps, but it's real good at keeping track of your rides. They like to play up the competitive angle but you don't have to go there at all if you don't want to, and the free version has all the stuff I want.

I use both. My wife and I use the "live tracking" on MMR to keep track of each other when we ride/walk/hike alone. That's the primary difference, particularly since Strava upgraded their route planning/mapping features. But the Strava user base is larger and more competitive, and there are more Strava clubs in the areas where I ride, so I use Strava to track my progress on segments, fuel my need for competition, and analyze heart rate and cadence.

Once nice feature that MMR has is food and weight tracking. Had I known about it when I started my weight loss program, I would have used it as a one-app solution.

BB

The great thing about Strava is it lets you see how much slower you are than a group of your peers.

Ride with GPS is fine. The social aspect isn't as developed, but it is easier to map out rides before hand and dump them on your Garmin. Only I almost never do that, so I rarely use RWG.

MMR I think is a bit user hostile. It's cool with me if others have unlocked its mysteries.

This is what I've discovered also. MapMyRide/RideWithGPS for route planning - Strava for archiving and analyzing rides.

Yes, to clarify, not a strava vs MMR distinction, rather a database vs GPS track data distinction. Unless the weather changes drastically, and granted, sometimes it does, barometric is a little more accurate than GPS for elevation, and a lot more accurate than the database, unless you are in Kansas.

I could not figure this one out. I've tried Strava's mapping tool and am truly surprised at how bad it is.

I use it to compete against my self. So far I'm winning. :thumb:

One fellow I follow recently rode 14 laps around his neighborhood in the late afternoon. His elevation chart looked like he was going downhill the entire time - he posts here and is public so check this out: http://www.strava.com/activities/93277888

He uses a Garmin Edge 500 that has the altimeter function. The GPS elevation data will more likely be consistent from ride to ride even if it does sometimes give funny results when riding over a bridge.

So I can use both at the same time? Since I live in a small town and seldom see anyone on a bike over the age of 15 I wonder if there is anyone to compete with? I have 1100 miles logged on MMR and would hate to start over.

I think using both at the same time is against the Texas state code and you could get into trouble, but you might check that out.

But then I could go twice as far and catch up with the big guys!

Looks like the GPS altitude at the start was in error at the start and was gradually settling down to the correct value.

Actually what is happening is the barometric pressure was rising. If you look at the elevation track it looks like an angled saw blade. The low point is right after he turns onto Lincoln from Jefferson. If you look to the north of that you will see a creek/drainage channel that confirms that the terrain is sloping down in that direction. The difference between there and the opposite corner, Polk and Adams, appears to be about 15-20 ft. If you look at the graph of speed against elevation, the general shape of the elevation profile is confirmed.

I think we would need to know the nature of the filter used to calculate altitude. If the OP's previous ride started/stopped at a higher altitude it might take some time (TBD) for the GPS component of the to get a good altitude fix. which could account for the slope on what is essentially a closed circuit.

That altitude in that track is not from GPS. The Edge 500 he was using (I use one too) has a barometric altimeter similar to what is used on aircraft. It pretty accurately reads the altitude change per lap based on small changes in air pressure with altitude. The total ride took about an hour. As the barometric pressure rose, the reported altitude went down. Barometric pressure changes like the one on that ride are fairly common, but not an every day occurrence, and usually indicate a significant change in the weather.

Right, assuming this is an actual difference in barometric pressure, rising pressure would correspond to a lower elevation detection by the altimeter in his Garmin. I'm not so sure that's what's really going on though; check out the "segment" he created for a one mile loop:

http://www.strava.com/activities/93277888#1967799801

The start and end points are the same, yet his data shows they're 12 feet different in elevation. I could figure out how much of a pressure drop that would require, but I doubt that it happened in the 2-3 minutes it took him to ride that loop. The barometric swing though would explain why the elevation trend is consistently down over the whole ride, and not randomly fluctuating.

My conclusion is that the altimeters used in most bike computers just aren't that good at producing consistent repeatable readings... that is I think their users assume they're more precise than they really are.

Now I've got dozens of Strava records up the local mountain from my Android-app, and they vary by 1% or so over 3800 feet of elevation change... it's hard to expect much more precision than that.

So altimeters and GPS-map data are more/less accurate/precise than each other in different situations.

https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-H...ava+Diablo.jpg

Pretty much. And a lot depends too on the type of terrain. GPS map data is pretty accurate in areas like Kansas where you do not have a lot of mountain road cuts. The biggest inaccuracy's there is that the map data show highway overpasses as level. A good example of where the map data is way out of whack is here http://ridewithgps.com/routes/3663331. This is my Strava track of the same. http://www.strava.com/activities/12313945#z1458|1557. Notice it does dip going over the two canyons. not sure what caused this. The down grade is actually very constant on this section.

Yup - I get that same kind of profile glitch on a ravine crossing bridge on my morning commute - looks like I'm riding down the ravine and back up. However I also take an MUP bridge over a busy street which includes about 20 feet of climbing that shows up as flat on the profile... so it's a wash... but at least it looks the same every time I do it.

I'm too much of an idiot to use either app, but a guy at work uses RunKeeper for cycling as well as running. Anyone here have any experience with RunKeeper?

One thing that helps accuracy for aircraft is you set your altiminter (barometer) at the beginning of each flight and during the flight based on info from towers /controllers, or posted field elevation. There is always error as the air pressures change. Point is it is never accurate but it is close enough. It is like riding the same route and getting a different distance. You cannot follow exactly the same track everytime,