mcours2006

Like anything else that was created to serve the good of mankind there is always someone or a group of people who come along and uses it for evil, or at the very least, perverts it.

prj71

What a curmudgeon. The guy probably has a rotary dial phone and sends letters in the mail instead of e-mailing people.

ThermionicScott 

Oh dear. I was trying to avoid getting sucked into more apps!

FBinNY 

Clubs serve a purpose and attract certain type of riders. Likewise Strava serves a purpose and attracts certain types of riders or, if you wish, encourage certain rider behaviors.

While the two may not be mutually exclusive, they are different, and possibly folks that joined clubs before Strava, would not have joined if Strava were an option at the time.

This isn't a matter of better or worse, or some sort of conflict between Strava and clubs, they're different, and riders should be encouraged to choose if/when conflict arises.

Or, if one wants to keep the big tent open, the club may classify rides as Strava encouraged, or Please no Strava.

corrado33

I don't ride fast with people. If I want to go for a KOM, I go by myself.

One of my friends though, seems to think that every hill is an opportunity to get a new best time. It's annoying when you're riding in a group, especially a group that has slower riders in it.

I'll just wait though, she'll burn out soon enough.

CliffordK

Can I complain about bike club members that are ruining Strava?

It is so hard to get motivated to hammer a segment when one looks at the leaderboard... and the 1/2/3 riders are all posting the same time on the same date

memebag

I agree with the first, but not the second. I think Strava attracts all kinds of riders. I don't seek KOMs, but I use Strava for every ride. I use it to track my speed, my miles, wear and tear on components, and to see where my friends are.

That was the day we had the massive tailwind.

bbbean 

Translation: "Someone else is riding differently from me and I don't like it."

FBinNY 

I guess I should have said types plural, rather than type. Just as there are various reasons people join clubs, likewise not all Strava users care about the same stuff.

But in parsing my quote, you missed the big picture. It's possible for clubs to accommodate competitive Strava users by categorizing rides, or letting groups split. If/when accommodation doesn't work, disruptive riders may be encouraged to find a different club.

The reality is that it isn't about Strava, but the reality that the internet is changing social interaction. Casual restaurants are reporting that folks aren't getting together for an evening night dinner or drinks the way they used to, and if anyone observes groups of teenagers who look like they're socializing, they'll find that they are but not necessarilly with each other.

it's the same with clubs. there were always small groups within in fierce competition with each other, who might go off the front halfway through the ride. Now those same people may do so competing with virtual riders, or their own prior times. Same people, same action, different mechanism.

memebag

Our fast people form an "A" group. The slower people form "B", "C" and sometimes "D" groups. They all get beer at the end.

OK.

CliffordK

Oh,
And there was another thread, the impact of holding a race on one's favorite Strava segments.

jefnvk

What, the person finds out they aren't as fast as they thought they were?

canklecat

Pppbbbttt! Nah.

For the vast majority of my casual cycling friends Strava is just an adjunct to Facebook for encouraging each other to ride at whatever capacity suits us, and to share route information and warnings. No pressure whatsoever.

I do follow a couple of hardcore local cyclists in the 50+ category (I'm 59), mostly for the inspiration and motivation. These are really good guys who happen to be either seriously fast or seriously endowed with superhuman endurance. I have no illusions about being as fast as the one or being able to ride three or four centuries a week like the other. I'm just encouraged that it's still possible to do that stuff in our dotage.

I met both of 'em along my slowpoke casual rides. Last summer the first guy, who routinely averages 20 mph on 20-60 mile rides on routes where I struggle to average 12 mph, actually slowed down to accompany me back home for the final 6 miles of my first attempt at a metric century. I wanted to set some sort of milestone for my one-year anniversary returning to cycling and figured a metric century would also accomplish the ride-my-age goal. It was tough coming back from injuries and illnesses. And I was riding a 35 lb comfort hybrid on a fairly tough hilly route, loafing along at 10 mph.

But this fellow slowed down to ride and chat with me the final few miles home. He probably noticed I was red-faced, gasping for air and probably looked like I was on the verge of heat exhaustion. That made a big impression on me because in my experience with roadies decades ago riding crits and time trials, it's very rare for a serious roadie to slow down for anyone. Once they're on pace they don't like to slow down, so you either keep up or get dropped. But this guy combines speed, endurance, patience, humor, humility and brilliance. In a room full of smart guys, he'd be the smartest but nobody would realize it unless they really engaged him in conversation. He has a few KOMs on some tough segments, but he's not about that. He just happens to be that fast.

The other fellow, I met along the same route a few weeks ago. I was averaging 14 mph, he was around 16 mph. So he slowed for a few moments to chatter before moving along. I've seen him a couple other times and he chugs along very steadily, whereas I tend to ride in bursts of energy followed by loafing to recover. I checked Strava fly-by and realized he's the local guy who rides several centuries a month, usually averaging 15-16 mph. I think he's in his early 60s. So I follow him to get an idea of which route I'd like to tackle for my first solo century.

Yeah, I see other folks getting caught up in the KOM thing, especially in silly places like the MUP. And, yeah, there's an Elevate team locally that probably helps motivate the club riders to ride harder and more in personal competition.

But Strava is just a neutral thing. It's like a car or road. It doesn't cause road rage or recklessness. That's still people choosing that behavior.

Scarbo

Do you really think that there is any such thing, as a neutral thing? I submit not, simply because even an inanimate thing exists within the context of a human's interaction with that thing.

memebag

I want to think of Strava as neutral, but I can't. Imagine a Strava for cars. KOMs for fastest times on public roads. What sort of behavior would result from that?

Milton Keynes

Pfft, I really don't care about KOM's or whatever. I track my rides using a different app and then uploading them to Strava as well, but the only time I care about beating is my own, and that's on my solo morning rides. If I'm riding with a group or with a friend, I still track my ride but mainly just for the miles. I just want to enjoy the ride and don't care about competitiveness. If someone wants to ride faster than me, so be it. Not like I'm going to be breaking any cycling speed records on my hybrid anyway. My main goal is endurance, not speed.

Milton Keynes

I think what you mean is that Strava is just a tool. How people choose to implement it is up to them. Kind of like how my wife once opined that the internet is evil because there's so much bad stuff out there online. I told her that the internet is just a communications tool and can be used for good or bad, it depends totally on the people using it.

Jarrett2

Is it though?

qom.jpg

Jarrett2

Exactly. Pedestrians being mowed down left and right.

Similarly, Strava seems to incite this level of competitiveness among riders who would otherwise just be friends.

And if not kept in check, it can change the dynamics of a group.

canklecat

Well, now we're getting into metaphysical territory, ontology and The Twonky.

The Twonky, created in the early 1950s by the great radio genius Arch Oboler (of "Lights Out" fame), was a mediocre movie with a prescient premise, based on the advent of that new fangled television doodad: We would soon serve our devices and information technology, rather than being served by those things.

emalvick

I inadvertently discovered Strava while training for a marathon. I had to buy a new watch, and the one I got used Strava as an interface.

It was entertaining to find the app badgering me about being faster because my 20 mile runs were slower than those using bikes on the same route. (I ran bike routes while training for longer distances as long distance running routes weren't really available in my area).

Regardless, I never really use those apps for more than to track mileage and routes. I rarely try to follow routes but rather run/ride with some random deviation that Strava can show me afterwards. Tracking the routes helps when I might want to run the same or similar route again. It also lets me see where I've been if I discover something new while exploring. Finally, Strava helps me track running shoes and bike tire use.

I suppose it's easier because I'm not fast enough to be competitive anyway. When I run or ride in races, I never have a shot at being near the top; I'm a middle of the pack guy. No ego to damage.

coominya

You don't need Strava to screw up a club, that will happen naturally as cliques and political factions form. All manner of clubs start out with an all for one and one for all spirit only to end up with little groupings.

jamesdak 

LOL, I just joined Strava as a means to compare myself against the other locals since I ride solo. And then I realized that many of the roads I ride are parts of the Annual Tour of Utah and I have to sort through all the "data" to filter out the pro's from the joe's.

jamesdak 

Well isn't that a personal fault and lack of character of those individuals?? I mean, come on!!

manapua_man

Same. If I'm riding with a group it's because *I feel like riding with a group*. I think Strava is pretty nifty as a training tool though. Don't really care about the social aspect of it since it's fairly easy to cheat if you want to be a jerk. A friend of mine was messing with a co worker who obsessed over it by constantly beating her times by 1-2 seconds on a moped.