Didn't use STRAVA today and...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by herzalot, Dec 7, 2018.


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  1. BonsaiNut

    BonsaiNut iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Troutman, NC
    Name:
    Greg P
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower CC XX1
    I have never used Strava. My ego can handle it.
     
  2. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    I have a Garmin watch...seems silly not to use it.

    But, I also have live tracking. When I ride my GF gets an email so she can keep an eye on me. If I die, she can let the authorities know where the body is!
     
  3. konakc

    konakc iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    kc
    I wanted to but oc parks said oaks closed....
     
  4. LLPoolJ

    LLPoolJ iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Moreno Valley
    Name:
    James Johnson
    Current Bike:
    Specy Epic, Stumpu and Enduro
    Sorry Herz, seems like very few want to play.:cry:
     
    Sidewalk, mike, Faust29 and 5 others like this.
  5. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    Didn’t stop many folks, the lifted F250 with the tailgate pad and Path stickers was probably not parked in front of my neighbors’ house to visit the grandkids.

    Helpful hint: When you get to the locked gate and “closed” sign, just ride around it—nobody’s watching...

    2 days from now the grooves you left will be turned back to dust, but at least you got yours, right?
     
  6. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    I didn’t use Strava today...or the day before, or the day before that.

    -I already know I’m slower than you
    -I already know I’m slower than I was before
    -I don’t need a record of my 974th lap of Oaks.

    My kids are social media fiends, I wonder if hooking them on strava would get them to ride??

    15 years ago my buddy talked me out of riding with a computer, and I never looked back. Now he Stravas everything from all day epics to dog walks.
     
    BonsaiNut, mike, UPSed and 10 others like this.
  7. herzalot

    herzalot iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Laguna Beach
    Name:
    Chris
    Current Bike:
    2020 Revel Rail,Yeti SB 130 LR
    It's quite alright. I was inspired by somebody who posted that he rode without STRAVA accidentally and for the first time in a long time, had fun and relaxed. Seems we have two camps - those who cannot be without the data and those who never use it. Based on posts above, it sounds like most of our STRAVA junkies don't get into the PR and other features that encourage competition. Reading the STRAVA thread, and the year-end thread, I don't think that's quite true.

    It seems to me, the numbers are always tabulating in the rider's head. "If I stop or slow down, I will lose my PR." "I can definitely move up the leaderboard on this section today..." I can tell when my closest riding buddies have STRAVA brain, because they push harder, stop less and talk less. I am certain that's why most people use it - as motivation to push farther and faster.

    So that's why I was encouraging those who crave the numbers to ride without the numbers just once. See if it's liberating or irritating.

    BTW - I am a numbers junkie. I avoid STRAVA for the same reason an alcoholic avoids drinking.
     
    mike, UPSed, MrGreedom and 9 others like this.
  8. tick

    tick Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    Tick
    Current Bike:
    Process 111
    Yep. I’m around data all week, I’m not looking for yet another performance metric.

    Agree that I’d be a faster rider if I knew strava was watching.
     
  9. Cisco Roots

    Cisco Roots Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Maple Valley WA
    Name:
    Cisco
    Current Bike:
    Yeti SB140 LR
    Oh the good ol Strava.

    I’m glad that I have learned to tame my approach to Strava. Most of my rides are group rides so I put my efforts into riding and having a good time with my bros on killer trails. I don’t get caught up in worrying about chasing PRs or cups or elapsed time vs moving time etc. After my ride I do like to see how things went and if I beater some of times. If I didn’t, no worries.

    I’ve said this before but for me I love seeing everyone’s rides and when I see what other people are doing it motivates me to get out. I like seeing new places people have ridden and I regularly use people’s rides to try those routes myself.

    Lastly, it’s all about them damn KUDOS!! I love dishing out Kudos and I love gettin some.

    Nice challenge though @herzalot . I think some riders could benefit from this but personally I see no need. Strava is not going to make or break my ride experience. Good dirt will though!!
     
    Stkx66, mike, herzalot and 11 others like this.
  10. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    ^^^This^^^
     
    mike, MrGreedom, Cyclotourist and 5 others like this.
  11. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    I’m all about the PRs and Trophies and chasing @Sidewalk ’s times down the easy trails. I resisted Strava for years out of consideration of my safety. Just as I anticipated, it has made me charge the DHs. So what?
     
    Sidewalk, mike, UPSed and 8 others like this.
  12. Luis

    Luis iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Sylmar
    Name:
    Luis
    Current Bike:
    La Diabla
    oops wrong thread, I'm outta here... :laugh:
     
    doublewide, Sidewalk, mike and 11 others like this.
  13. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
  14. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    I did it!

    20181209_151600.jpg
     
    doublewide, Sidewalk, mike and 12 others like this.
  15. CBone

    CBone iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Antelope Valley
    Name:
    Tucker
    Current Bike:
    Intense Primer
    Faust29, mike, Old&InTheWay and 6 others like this.
  16. Grego

    Grego iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Fullerton
    Name:
    joe
    Current Bike:
    WFO9
    I don't Strava many of my smaller rides but if it's statistic worthy, I'm in. Love the fact people post pictures and can leave comments as well. Another form a of MTB social media, just like this forum.;)
     
    Faust29, mike, Old&InTheWay and 7 others like this.
  17. Obsidian

    Obsidian iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Obsidian
    Current Bike:
    27.5 Intense Tracer
    I will never stop using Strava unless something better comes along. I love it. I started mountain biking at 44 years old, so I am obviously not chasing KOM's, but I do like when I get a PR, and I enjoy comparing my times to certain other people. Plus, it has numerous other useful features that make it one of the best apps out there.
     
    Faust29, mike, Old&InTheWay and 7 others like this.
  18. Danimal

    Danimal iMTB Addict

    Location:
    Mission Viejo
    Name:
    Dan
    Current Bike:
    Epic Evo
    I Don't strava very often, but did today just 'cause this thread asked me NOT to.
    Seems it brought out passive aggressive behavior, think that maybe I need to work on that....
    :)
     
    Faust29, mike, Old&InTheWay and 8 others like this.
  19. konakc

    konakc iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    kc
    Hi tick.. r u that nice guy that lives near canyon view?park for aliso.. u always watchun out for us mtbkers!
     
  20. Cyclotourist

    Cyclotourist iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Redlands
    Name:
    David
    Current Bike:
    Don't fence me in!
    LOL'ed at this...
     
  21. Ebruner

    Ebruner Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Erik Bruner
    Current Bike:
    22' Nomad, 22' Trance x 29
    A few comments to further discussion:

    I stopped focusing on being fast a few months (maybe 6) ago and just started to focus on having more fun and riding more of the trail. This has really added a lot of stoke and fun back into my rides. I was still able to use strava through this process, but I do agree that the thought has crossed my mind during a ride of whether I was fast through a particular section and if it was a pr. I likely should try just not recording it on strava but I do like the annual stats.

    I like recording rides on strava and making them private. Sometimes I feel like I need to at the least do that so that I make sure I am riding just for me and what I need, not to advertise that I'm riding a bike. It's the same reason that I don't flood my social media (i barely us them at all) with hey look at me things. In the end, I do this for me and no one else.

    I like the discussion... No matter what your opinion is on stravas impact on our sport, we can all use some introspective thought to evaluate what is important to us. After all, for most of us, mtb is an escape and anything that keeps it an escape, is worth trying.
     
  22. BigTex

    BigTex Member

    Location:
    Ladera Ranch
    Name:
    Richard
    Current Bike:
    Pivot Les
    Strava is information, and information is power, right? Not sure what I need that power for, but I've got it.

    Does it change the way I ride? Some days, yes, But those are days that I'm already feeling strong and thinking, "Man, I bet I can PR that climb today." I see nothing wrong with something that makes me push my boundaries a bit and make be a better rider. But then I'm not chasing KOMs, either. The very few that I've ever had were because I was having fun - either just having a great ride or trying to chase down a friend on a group road ride – not because I was trying. And most of the segments I create I make private. At any rate, I find it interesting to see how my actual riding correlates with the way I feel. Keeping track of mileage on bikes and components is a useful feature as well.

    If I ever feel that it's affecting the enjoyment of my rides, or pushing me to ride recklessly, It's time to drop it. But so far that hasn't happened.
     
  23. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    So much emphasis on speed! Why would I intentionally make my ride end as soon as possible? Sure, goin' fast is fun as can be sometimes. For miles on end, sometimes. Maybe even a timed ride on a blue moon. Dude, I'm an expert at taking a long time to do stuff. Don't mess with my m.o... :unsure:

    Yep, never have either. Because my ego couldn't handle it? :bang::p
     
  24. Mikie

    Mikie Admin/iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    NW Arkansas
    Name:
    Mikie Watson
    Current Bike:
    Ibis DV9 / SC Hightower
    X-zactly!
    There is only one trail in my life I ever try to KOM and that is the last segment of Golden Eagle. Otherwise... STRAVA, GARMIN Connect, any of the data collectors are nothing more than that to me. It takes all the P.I.T.A. out of writing it down off some archaic computer with a magnet spinning round and round on my wheel. I like to see how many miles I got in, what the profile looks like, the steepest climb, etc, etc, etc...
    STRAVA has no influence over how my ride goes other than I enjoy pushing myself to become better. How else can I measure it. Certainly not off my Psychic feelings. I use @Voodoo Tom for that! :geek:
     
  25. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    I used Strava with several friends yesterday. The only times we looked at the info was "Hey, how much farther to the top?". That was because we did a 7 mile, 1700' climb to the top of the trail instead of shuttling. Other than that, we just enjoyed our ride! At lunch, we looked at our rides and thought "Wow, that guy is fast"! and such. I never looked at any of my data, just at the photos my friends uploaded to their rides.

    I had no care at all how fast I rode, I just had a blast. And, as per my usual, I am looking for the most fun and/or technical ways up or down a trail, which are never the fastest, Strava be damned!

    The most important Strava segments to me are the day of a race, and usually get printed out right before the podiums :)
     
  26. LLPoolJ

    LLPoolJ iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Moreno Valley
    Name:
    James Johnson
    Current Bike:
    Specy Epic, Stumpu and Enduro
    What a ride that was. Still gigglin
     
  27. BonsaiNut

    BonsaiNut iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Troutman, NC
    Name:
    Greg P
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Hightower CC XX1
    I do have a Garmin, which I use for keeping track of mileage, altitude and time. It is less about racing someone else than just keeping track of my current fitness level and being able to compare total cardio workout amount versus prior years.

    And I love being able to plot my rides on Google Earth in 3D and look at them from a bunch of angles :)
     
  28. Cornholio

    Cornholio iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    B
    Current Bike:
    Huffy
    If I open Strava and see its been too long between rides I motivate myself to get out there. Sure I don’t need it to remind me I’m not riding enough but it triggers something in me to get my legs moving. When I rode multiple times per week I was more in tune with PRs but these days I just track my rides via Wahoo and it auto uploads to Strava.

    I like the story it leaves behind about my riding throughout the years and I only have a handful of followers on there. Heck, I even printed out some Strava stats to show my doc when my HR was going crazy. So for me it’s not pushing me during my rides to hit PRs, especially since I know I’m not in prime riding shape. I am never monitoring stats during my rides other than my HR and just spotting where I am at for the mileage/climbing of a ride. Turned off segments on my Wahoo too, so Strava is an afterthought tracker for me and not a motivator to be an idiot out there chasing PRs.

    Also, recording devices are different, the same recording device can track sections differently on different days and trails are never the same so PR’s, KOMs, and segment times in general are not exactly accurate.
     
  29. konakc

    konakc iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    kc
    Use strava. ... dont use strava..no body cares! This aint no ebike issue...
    Just dont be stravassole.....

    Just strava the floop.. no prs.. i dont care.. i just like to keep track to see my early totals....
     
  30. doublewide

    doublewide iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    Mark
    Current Bike:
    Santa Cruz Tallcan
    It's not a Strava line if the tires don't touch the ground....
     
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As a former Amazon Associate I continue to get screwed trying to stay qualified as an Amazon Affiliate. So I quit!


Want to donate to imtbtrails?