You can use Strava without obsessing. I use it to track mileage but all my rides are private, it's nice in that it tracks miles on things like chain, bottom bracket etc so I know when it's getting close to time to replace. Like any software tool, if you obsess over it then it can be a bad thing

You know, several years ago, I used to add whole milk to my coffee, and would pour it over my cereal every morning. Then my tastes changed and I started drinking soymilk and quit eating cereal. Anyone else opt out from whole milk?

FWIW, There are TV shows I quit watching, music I quit listening to, and clothes I stopped wearing, too. What does it matter whether anyone else quit doing these things? I didn't like them, so I quit. Isn't Strava the same?

I don't use milk, but still love ice cream & cheese.

You are not alone. I do use Ride w/GPS. I only create route maps to ride, and see where my times are.....pretty basic, and I can use my Element instead of my phone.

Ripple, Veggemo, Milkadamia, Califia, Tempt, various Trader Joe's options, etc. I love non-dairy 'milk' more than I ever liked the real stuff. And it doesn't wreak havoc on my stomach after a hard effort on the road.

I have used Strava since 2013. I still enjoy PRing or (rarely) getting a top 10 or KOM on a segment. But if they stopped the service today I wouldn't cry over it. I've never watched Strava while cycling FWIW. Always just recorded it on my phone in my pocket or used data from my Garmin watch uploaded after my ride.

Yep. I also ditched fb in April. Coincidence? No.

I also keep up with my friends and subscribe to a Grant Peterson philosophy of bike fit and ride steel bikes. It helps that I was a Cat. 3 back in the day, but so much of our current cycling obsessions seem to be so gimmicky. I'm also getting old and pretty grumpy at times.

Are you serious? How hard is it to maintain a given speed? It's precisely a function of the gear you're in and the cadence you're pedaling. Besides, how long of a pull are you doing that you think the speed will change that much?

It just sounds like you're speaking from complete inexperience, here.

In my experience, the loudest, most obnoxious people on group rides typically tend to be the ones who want everyone else to think they're fast when they know they aren't.

The most important things in a pace line are smoothness and safety. As long as you're not sprinting off the front as you roll through, leaving huge gaps all throughout the line, or barely skirting by objects without calling them out, most likely no one will say anything (though hopefully you'll get a few positive "nice pull" comments or the like).

You don't need a speedometer or a powermeter or anything of the like. You just roll up by the person pulling off, wait until you clear them, and then move over yourself. Very smooth, very seamless, very quick. If you're not constantly rotating, then you simply maintain the speed the person in front of you was doing for 30-45 seconds and then slowly drift left and ease off the pedals a bit until the person behind you passes. While on the front, you keep the gear the same and the cadence the same, and the speed will be the same. Come to a hill, shift up and continue s similar effort. Going down a hill, shift down and keep pedaling.

It's really not nearly as complicated or serious as some would like it to appear.

Never ceases to amaze me how an app that is mostly for post ride analysis somehow ruins people's rides.

I wouldn't ride in a group without a speedo, I don't even remember riding with anyone this century who didn't have one. Even if I didn't want to keep track of a specific speed, I like to keep track of the miles on my parts between maintenance and see how many miles I'm getting out of specific tires.

It's a well known fact that group rides were not possible until the invention of the speedometer.

I admit that the first few rides I did with my group felt a little strange, because I couldn’t look down and see what we were doing, but after confirming that I was maintaining the pace a few times, I never really thought about it.

What I like best about Strava is the heatmap. I use Strava for biking, hiking, walking, kayaking, etc to build out that map.
I used to log all my rides in an Excel file, but now my phone/Strava in backpocket does it for me so it is also a timesaver (for something that was not really needed)

That heatmap is a great tool for route planning. When I travel, the first thing I check is the local heat map at my destination to see how many riders there are, what routes see a lot of bike traffic, etc.

For me it is about the creation and extension of my personal heatmap. I rarely look at the public one.

71
but don't quite get it.

A cyclist needs Strava like a bicycle needs a fish?

I always for get to turn it on anyways... until mid way through a ride

Are you serious? You know, not being a Cat 1 racer does not equal "complete inexperience." Perhaps you take your own considerable training and experience too much for granted.
Most people have a pretty good sense of the level of effort they're putting out as they pedal, but I'd submit that unless they've ridden with a computer or made a point of counting pedals strokes, (or are musicians) most riders wouldn't have the slightest clue what there cadence is, ever. People ride for years without paying any attention to cadence. Combine that with the fact that conditions can vary very gradually, especially on essentially/seemingly flat roads, it takes quite a while (relatively speaking) before many riders even realize they've slowed down or speeded up.

never made it to Cat 1, but I've ridden a fair amount. It's really not a big trick to ride and pull smoothly in a paceline without a cyclocomputer. Using a speedometer to keep the speed even when you pull works, but you can do it without a speedometer with just a little experience and self awareness.

We were able to do group rides in the 70's before the popularity of cyclocomputers

Wow. Keeping a pace is not rocket science, it doesn't require counting anything, and it doesn't take much experience pedaling a bike. I seriously question how many pacelines people have been in if they genuinely can't figure out how to maintain pace without a computer.

That's pretty mindboggling.

If you struggle with keeping pace to such an extent, then you should pull through and off. Simple as that. Pretty hard to mess that up.

Shocking!

Technology has apparently replaced self-awareness and common sense.

I'd agree if you've never ridden with cadence, or learned to count your pedal strokes and calculate cadence (which we did BITD w/o cadence meters) you may not have a good feel for your cadence.

But after you've ridden with a cadence meter, or just spent time counting your pedal strokes, you quickly get a pretty precise feel of your cadence.

Same thing with power. After awhile training with power you get a pretty good feel of your power output, and where you are as a percentage of ftp.

Pretty sure I can ride with no electronics and tell you my cadence and power within 5%

IMHO, the value of cadence meters and moreso power meters decrease the longer you use them.

Yep, Strava is pretty much like Facebook for me, minus the drama. I enjoy both. Since I'm nursing a busted shoulder and can't ride on the road for a few more weeks, I haven't joined any group rides and haven't seen my cycling friends for awhile. But I still check Strava almost daily to see what they're up to . Gives us something to chatter about next time I do see them, especially the folks who are off on cycling and hiking vacations.

It's also handy for sharing route tips. If I'm curious about the best route to a new destination in my area I know at least one person who's already ridden it, and might want to ride together.

I really don't see any down side to Strava. It's sorta like TV. Does anyone watch TV competitively? Okay, bad example... some of my friends are still raving about Breaking Bad, and chatter about Stranger Things, and I still haven't watched either show. So I kinda feel left out of those conversations.

Never mind, you're right. Strava sucks.

At least until I get caught up watching GOT and Walking Dead.