Strava changes

Leroy42

loyatemu wrote: »

I'm not troubling the top 10 on any segment, my main motivation is to occasionally get a new PR - I assume we'll still be able to see our own relative performances on the free version?

Not according to DC Rainmaker

However, when I view the full leaderboard, I get additional key information – notably the ‘People I’m following’ and ‘My Clubs’, as well as ‘My results’ and ‘This Year’. Plus age groups and weight classes too. If you’re a non-paying member, you’ll get none of this going forward

Although it is still available this morning.

Chips Lovell

Leroy42 wrote: »

There used to be a 3rd party facility to amend a route to correct for errors in GPS, but Strava itself has never made it a feature.

Do you think there's much demand for that though? I mean, how many people are there who'd go to the faff of adjusting their ride, just so they have a time for every single occasion they do a segment?

I think there's only a small minority of users who take it that seriously.

Leroy42

Chips Lovell wrote: »

Do you think there's much demand for that though? I mean, how many people are there who'd go to the faff of adjusting their ride, just so they have a time for every single occasion they do a segment?

I think there's only a small minority of users who take it that seriously.

Well, if the one of the core functions and drivers of the platform is segments, then it seems simply weird that they are not bothered to attempt to fix a well known failing at the very base of that system.

Of course it doesn't matter whether one knows everytime that you do a particular segment, where is incredibly annoying is that you go out and know you have blasted a particular segment and then it fails to be registered due to an issue with the GPS.

I take your point that it is not the most important thing, but it is one of the key selling points of the platform and corrupted or bad GPS is a very well known problem yet Stara have never tried to come t a workable solution.

Hurrache

Does the GPS data not come from your Garmin etc device, and Strava work with what they're given?

ED E

Hurrache wrote: »

Does the GPS data not come from your Garmin etc device, and Strava work with what they're given?

It does.

Strava do very little processing (Apple/Nike do a lot), in fact Strava do too little at times. If you've ever got a really high max speed descending its probably 10-15kph wrong because of how strava calculate it.

Leroy42

Hurrache wrote: »

Does the GPS data not come from your Garmin etc device, and Strava work with what they're given?

Yes 100%. The issue lies with the core data. The issue is not that the initial data is wrong, is that Starva have never given a facility within Strava to correct errors in GPS data. This is an issue they have long known about, has been continually requested.

Anyway, its OT, as it was just my opinion that instead of removing things that were available for free and this making almost everything subscriber based, they could have aimed for some innovation to drive more people to subscription.

I don't disagree, for example, with the changes in leaderboards. It makes sense that if you want more in depth analysis then you should look to subscribe. IMO, they could have achieved that without blowback but extolling the virtues of what a subscription can add to you experience rather than simply cutting everything off.

The cut-off of thrid party apps, with added greatly to the service, is also a very backward step. these 3rd parties were providing services that Strava either couldn't or wouldn't.

Again, I am fine for Strava to cut them off, why should others gain off their back, but it reduces the experience for everyone, even subscribers will actually have less functionality than they previously had.

Why didn't Starava look to incorporate these functionalities within their own platform or allow the 3rd party to continue if they felt they couldn't achieve it?

Chips Lovell

Leroy42 wrote: »

....I take your point that it is not the most important thing, but it is one of the key selling points of the platform and corrupted or bad GPS is a very well known problem yet Stara have never tried to come t a workable solution.

I'm not that sure that it is a key selling point. The point is that it's meant to be a bit of fun and if you go down the rabbithole of allowing people to "fix" rides, then you open up another can of worms with people taking shortcuts to game their times or people alleging that other people are abusing that feature.

There's way to many uncontrollable variables aside from bad GPS data (e.g. wind) that mean it's only ever going to be something casual.

wanderer 22

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

I've a few accidental KOM's on very obscure segments that were created on private property by youngsters around my workplace. I took them without realising they were there.

Link? Asking for a friend.

magicbastarder

Leroy42 wrote: »

Although it is still available this morning.

the head honcho from strava appeared on the GCN show last night, and seemed to suggest some changes might take a couple of weeks to roll in.

it wasn't a journalistic grilling he got, but GCN never claimed to be journalists.

nilhg

TBH I was pretty relaxed about the changes with Strava, I'v paid for yonks without ever really thinking about it on the basis that it was supporting the service (which I get a lot of value out of) and that my euros would go to developing new functionality that would be of benefit to me.

Then I read this by Cosmo, and I think I'm going to have to have a proper rethink by the time my renewal comes around...

https://medium.com/@cosmocatalano/on-strava-or-the-things-you-love-should-love-you-back-b6928d6e8b5b

daragh_

nilhg wrote: »

TBH I was pretty relaxed about the changes with Strava, I'v paid for yonks without ever really thinking about it on the basis that it was supporting the service (which I get a lot of value out of) and that my euros would go to developing new functionality that would be of benefit to me.

Then I read this by Cosmo, and I think I'm going to have to have a proper rethink by the time my renewal comes around...

https://medium.com/@cosmocatalano/on-strava-or-the-things-you-love-should-love-you-back-b6928d6e8b5b

Excellent article. Thanks for posting.

harringtonp

Lot of talk about segments. Their email suggested training log and calendar going too. I use these a lot to find previous activities

Luxman

harringtonp wrote: »

Lot of talk about segments. Their email suggested training log and calendar going too. I use these a lot to find previous activities

My calendar is still active but the Training Log is not

Wishbone Ash

harringtonp wrote: »

... training log and calendar going too. I use these a lot to find previous activities

I use that feature a lot also.

smacl

Never used the premium version so signed up for the trial. I do find chasing PRs on segments motivating even though I'm along way down the leader board on most of the segments I ride regularly. As someone who primarily rides solo, anything that adds a bit of motivation helps and I've no problem paying a fiver a month for that.

mamax

smacl wrote: »

Never used the premium version so signed up for the trial. I do find chasing PRs on segments motivating even though I'm along way down the leader board on most of the segments I ride regularly. As someone who primarily rides solo, anything that adds a bit of motivation helps and I've no problem paying a fiver a month for that.

Garmin Connect has segments just like strava, although it's not as user friendly I recon with a little work it could be
ALL my data is there for free, strava now refuse to let you see Your data unless you pay for it, there are also training plans on it, if you don't want to pay for strava then check out garmin connect I think you might be surprised how good and informative it actually is.

smacl

mamax wrote: »

Garmin Connect has segments just like strava, although it's not as user friendly I recon with a little work it could be
ALL my data is there for free, strava now refuse to let you see Your data unless you pay for it, there are also training plans on it, if you don't want to pay for strava then check out garmin connect I think you might be surprised how good and informative it actually is.

I also used Garmin Connect prior to Strava but the interface just seemed to get worse with each update. The one thing you want to see after a spin is the details on that spin and this become increasingly buried in faff in Connect. To be honest, the free version of Strava gives me all I need but I feel it's reasonable to chuck them a few quid as it is an app I use most days. Bit like boards.ie in that respect

Have they removed the monthly total from the top of the 'you' feed?

I assume you can't see that without a subscription now.

magicbastarder

on the app, try the 'training' tab on the bottom right of the screen.

magicbastarder

magicbastarder wrote: »

on the app, try the 'training' tab on the bottom right of the screen.

Looks like you need a sub for that now. Time for an alternative maybe as I don't use any of the social stuff or follow anyone. Really all I liked was the maps and monthly and weekly time and distance stuff or to run the cursor over the route for gradients at certain points.

plodder

I won't be paying $5 a month. So, I'll get more or less what I want for free instead of paying $23 per year. Okay ..

Leroy42

plodder wrote: »

I won't be paying $5 a month. So, I'll get more or less what I want for free instead of paying $23 per year. Okay ..

Isn't it €5pm, and no idea where $23 comes from?

But it's not the money. Strava get to sell your data, you are not the customer. They are now saying that the deal is totally one sided. They get your data for free, but you must pay for what they have.

magicbastarder

Leroy42 wrote: »

Strava get to sell your data, you are not the customer.

how much money is there in knowing where i cycled today? the sort of organisations buying that information i suspect are a) organisations whose aims i would support, and b) probably are not megacorporations anyway so don't have huge budgets.

anyone have any links on how much strava earns from selling this info?

cletus

The article posted above is excellent, if long. It gives some details about funding, but also points out that Strava have just over 2% subscription rates from all users, which is actually higher than most 'freemium' platforms.

I couldn't find info on the amounts they earned, but they sell data to a number of companies, through a plan they call Metro, who use the anonymised data. Often times its transport departments etc, buying the data

It's not that any of these companies care particularly where magicbastarder was cycling, or when, it's about numbers, volumes, times of day, week month and year for an enormous group.

They're not necessarily doing anything wrong with your data, but the fact is they profit from it by selling it on, the tacit agreement being you get to use our product, and we get to use your data.

Now, though, they're saying you have to pay to use our product, but we still get to sell your data


*Edit* as of 2014, they charged $0.80 per user in a particular area for a twelve month period. So, if the transport dept. In New York city wanted a year's worth of data on the numbers of people running and cycling, frequency, and location, they'd be paying $0.80 multiplied by however many users there are in New York city

plodder

Leroy42 wrote: »

Isn't it €5pm, and no idea where $23 comes from?

But it's not the money. Strava get to sell your data, you are not the customer. They are now saying that the deal is totally one sided. They get your data for free, but you must pay for what they have.

I checked my account and it says (currently) that £18.99 will be charged next Feb. So, I did a currency conversion. It could be €5 pm all right. It's 5 somethings anyhow that I won't be paying.

Strava doesn't know that much about me and this whole situation seems to have arisen because they aren't making enough money from the free accounts, which is why I think it's a bit strange they are going to lose some revenue. But, I guess it's a gamble on their part. If it doesn't work, I could see them selling out to someone like Garmin.

Data privacy generally doesn't worry me too much in relation to these tech companies. So long as they play by the rules (only selling anonymised data) I'm fine with that. Unintended data breaches are the only concern to me and even with Strava what they have is not that interesting. Though reading that (excellent) medium article would make you wonder whether they have been playing by the rules.

buffalo

This new money better be used to create a segment filter so I can find mainly NW-heading segments to best take advantage of today's winds.

Hurrache

I don't see any issue with paying them, I think we've gotten too used to expecting things for free these days. They have a good product and I've always been surprised they've provided so much at not cost to the user. The functions that are being moved to the subscription model are ones I get the most from so I guess I'll be subscribing.

magicbastarder

one option they could have offered was a half price offer - what was previously free being offered for say 30 quid a month. you'd have seen a flight of people bailing from the full price offer to that, possibly made up for by the number of people willing to pay the 30 but not the 60.

smacl

buffalo wrote: »

This new money better be used to create a segment filter so I can find mainly NW-heading segments to best take advantage of today's winds.

Those would need to be very tight loops indeed to get a consistent tail wind today. Bailed after a nervy 5k myself, really out of practise on cycling in crosswinds and the roads around my area have a fair amount of debris on them. Dutch bike weather. Maybe Strava should throw in an effort indicator based on weather.

magicbastarder

they have recently added a weather summary, but i suspect mywindsock would be displeased if they did the wind/effort indication.