Chris L

I've been using this site to log my km for around 12 months now, and last Thursay AEST everything appeared to be normal. However, yesterday and today I seem to be getting this weird message apparently advertising the Microsoft Windows Option Pack or something similar. No reference to the original site whatsoever. I know the site has had problems in the past, but this latest downtime appears to be terminal.

Does anybody have any information on this?

Paige

It went down for about a week last year as I recall.

outashape

Sorry to hear it is not working. Chris, I thought you were number 1, 2, or 3 for the Winter Challenge. I have tried to log my miles in bikeprolog and activebody.org.

SSP

That's the problem with free sites. You never know when they will go down or be abandoned, and your ride data is not stored on your own computer (most do now allow you to download your data to your PC).

If you want to try a Windows-based program that stores your ride data safely on your own computer, and features a user interface that's much better than any web-based alternative, check out my CycliStats program (https://www.CycliStats.com ). You can download a free, fully functional, 45-day trial version from the web site.

outashape

SSP, RoadBiker gave your site a good review, and I looked it over, it looks great. I ride a lot by myself, but I like posting miles and comparing/competing with others in my range. I like the format of bikeprolog, but I like activebody because then people have your e-mail address and can warn you of an upcoming attack. Last year I was neck to neck with some lady who lived in Michigan. I asked several club members if they were her, and I asked a couple of women on the road if they were a particular person, all to no avail. I had wanted to warn her that I was going on a bike tour on the last week of a challenge and I would probably kick her butt. One day she wrote me via bikeforums. What a small world. She beat me on the Winter Challenge by a country mile, I will have to PM her and congratulate her. That is what I miss about using a private system to record mileage.

SSP

Thanks for the feedback. I've been toying with the idea of adding a "post my miles to the internet" feature to CycliStats, so you could enter your ride data in CycliStats, but then post your rides to sites like activebody, bikejournal, etc. (or, even have that feature on my web site). CycliStats is already "internet-aware", so it shouldn't be too terribly difficult to add.

But, I'm up to my neck in other work - I've just released a similar program for runners and fitness walkers (https://www.StrideWare.com ), and I'm working my buns off trying to complete a weight management/weight loss program. And, my near term goals for CycliStats include other enhancements (named Routes, ride intensity rating, etc.), so it will probably be 3 or 4 months before I can work on that feature.

re: the online logs...how do you know folks aren't just making stuff up? On bikejournal.com, there's one guy who is supposedly way past 4,000 miles for 2004...and, he lives in Wyoming!! I find that pretty hard to believe.

outashape

You don't know if someone is telling the truth. That is one reason I don't compete with the #1 person, just the people in the range around me. Last year, one of the fellows I rode with, would check bikeprolog to see if the other woman (my competition) had ridden. He knew that was one way to get me on the bike everyday. I'd wake up, look at the log and swear, that b$$$$, she rode again. Damn, now I got to go out and ride. Of course, once you get on the bike, it's a wonderful time. It's just getting there. In fact, someone on this forum, NZlcyclist, PM'ed me and told me he was catching up. It was just what I needed to get out of the winter dooldrums and start riding. Thanks Brandan!

Chris L

I think I'll make the switch to activebody.org in the near future. BP had some downtime last year, and I'm getting a little frustrated with it. The only trouble is that apart from the km I rode in Tasmania (I finished there on Jan 11), I don't have any tally of my riding for the year to date -- beyond what I can remember in the last week or so. I'm going to look into maintaining a spreadsheet from this point forward, and hopefully BP will come back for long enough for me to transfer the distances.

I think I was just about set to finish 3rd in the "winter" challenge (how can they call it winter if I'm riding temperatures of 42C?), but that was due to expire this week anyway. I think I'll set up a bikeforums challenge to put me out of my misery.

MKRG

I wonder if it's possible to integrate a bikeprolog type thing into the bikeforums. It would be cool for those who wish to compete with other members here. I don't know anything about programming or anything so I hope I don't get yelled at by resident techies or worse the janitor.

pcsanity1

Bikejournal.com allows you to export your ride data to excel any time you want, just as an FYI if you are interested. Once Bikeprolog went down last year, I bailed. Very happy with bikejournal.

M