# Strava Free



## Aquaholic (Jan 13, 2004)

But, still feeling like KOM's!


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## tims5377 (Oct 20, 2010)

I recently stopped using it for a handful of rides. I enjoy riding and quitting when i'm tired or just done and going home. 

The worst feeling for me is being done with whatever ride, getting to the car and looking at my phone to see that I only rode a handfull of miles. Ride quality is not equal to ride distance.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

I don’t use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## GoldFly (Nov 6, 2015)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


To me not at all. I only use it to map the trails I've been on and keep track of how many miles I put on my bike. I have my default settings to hide from leaderboards.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

GoldFly said:


> To me not at all. I only use it to map the trails I've been on and keep track of how many miles I put on my bike. I have my default settings to hide from leaderboards.


Same here, if I looked at the leaderboars, I would be super depressed. lol


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

I find it interesting that people get so stressed or pressured by strava...maybe becasue I'm so slow it jsut doesn't matter, I do find my aim is to try to be in the top 50%, which I manage on most decents, but fail on a lot of climbs (and I ignore that a lot of that lower 50% are like peopel that have never ridden a bike before or something).
Thing that i find very interesting is how, I know most of the segments that are on my local trails and sometimes, yeah I'll try to smash them and when I get home my head will be telling me that I smashed that climb or whatever and strava will be say, no, no you didn't. Or maybe i'm taking it easy, then gt home and see I set a PR or or near, without trying. 
It's just very interesting information, but I never find that it's strava that affects my ride, for sure it encourages me to gt out and ride and to ride farther than I have before, but it doesn't affect my enjoyment, its just data, its my head that tells me how much fun i'm having (or not, sometimes it's just all pain, but again, not strava).


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## Aquaholic (Jan 13, 2004)

]




Looks trivial, eh? It's not...there's an ugly penalty for error on the runout. Sniper move.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Aquaholic said:


> ]
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Nice shots Steve. New Jones?


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

Aquaholic said:


> But, still feeling like KOM's!










That looks intimidating. Do you just roll that big rock? Pass it to your right? Nowhere soft to make a mistake.

-F


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## ryanp77 (Nov 29, 2017)

Granted I am just getting back into pedal bikes after 20 years so I am basically starting over, I use Strava for keeping track of how much riding or walking I do in a week. With two small boys there isn't a ton of exercise time for me.


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## DiRt DeViL (Dec 24, 2003)

Don't use it and never will.


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## sgltrak (Feb 19, 2005)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


None for me. A quick check at the end of the ride for total distance, elapsed time, approximate calories burned, and elevation climbed is all I use it for.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Fleas said:


> View attachment 1172525
> 
> That looks intimidating. Do you just roll that big rock? Pass it to your right? Nowhere soft to make a mistake.
> 
> -F


Aqua doesn't take the easy B lines.


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## BCTJ (Aug 22, 2011)

No Strava = No happened.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Only if you're the sort of person who lets it do that to you. I'm super noncompetitive on the bike, so for me, nah. I just ride to have fun and ignore all that stuff until I'm done. I'll check my location if I'm in an unfamiliar place, or the timer if I need to finish by a certain time, but mostly, I even ignore that.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?


Sometimes, it depends how I'm feeling. There are a few segments that I go after some days but other rides I just toodle and forget about it. Keep in mind that I like redlining it now and then so for me it's a weirdly enjoyable kind of pressure.


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

J.B. Weld said:


> Sometimes, it depends how I'm feeling. There are a few segments that I go after some days but other rides I just toodle and forget about it. Keep in mind that I like redlining it now and then so for me it's a weirdly enjoyable kind of pressure.


Sometimes I get that way, too, just pushing my own limits and trying to do better. But I still handle things mostly the same way. I don't pay attention to Strava when I'm riding.

Strava segments typically coincide with notable sections of trail where I'd be gauging myself, anyway.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

yep...have never used it. I don't care about my riding compared to others...esp otehrs I don't even know and will never meet...

I use a Garmin Vivoactiv to track where I ride, and my heart rate, but that is it. I never even really compare my own ride times or anything. To me, success is logged more in tech that I master, or climbs...also riding in new areas and learning new challenges and seeing new terrain is my motivation...

I also get yelled at a lot for not taking pictures when I ride, but I am of the era where I don't think that other people really care about where I ride. Being on this site has changed that a bit, but I still forget that I have my phone and camera with me when I am riding


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

I'm envious Steve, I wish I could give Strava up, I have tried to no avail, my OCD won't let me! 

There is nothing worse than that feeling of getting into the van and seeing the awesome ride you've just had wasn't quite as awesome as you thought, because a computer said so! 

I keep telling myself each year, that I'll give Strava up on 31st December. 1st January comes and that old habit of starting the Garmin happens again and as Garmin helpfully uploads to Strava automatically the relentless misery happens all over again!...


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## pdxmark (Aug 7, 2013)

mik_git said:


> I find it interesting that people get so stressed or pressured by strava...


You have to be obsessed with competition to be this way. Not a healthy life-style.


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## dundundata (May 15, 2009)

I stopped using it awhile back. It can be good for tracking certain things but I didn't care for the segments and all that.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Aqua doesn't take the easy B lines.


is this the Devil's staircase on Noble? looks like some BLT shots in the posted group.

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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

cjsb said:


> is this the Devil's staircase on Noble? looks like some BLT shots in the posted group.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


There are a couple shots near BLT with the rounded boulders and the water in the background. But the gnar shots are not part of the Noble "trail", hint.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

mik_git said:


> I find it interesting that people get so stressed or pressured by strava...


I've never seen anyone get stressed or pressured over it, competitive yes but that's a different deal.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Not at all.

I record maybe 1/10th of my rides, if that.

I've been in the game long enough to know that, unless it's a segment with 10,000+ unique riders attempting it, I can throw down a top 10 or 20 if I'm feeling good.

So, I just don't care. I have nothing to prove. When I DO record a ride, it's mostly because I either rode a trail or in a new area for the first time, or I'm curious about my fitness level.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> There are a couple shots near BLT with the rounded boulders and the water in the background. But the gnar shots are not part of the Noble "trail", hint.


Got it, some of those other pics looking down to the desert floor seemed sort of out of place.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

J.B. Weld said:


> I've never seen anyone get stressed or pressured over it, competitive yes but that's a different deal.


I just mean in the "I had to get off strava because it was ruining my rides" way.


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## Charlie Don't Surf (Mar 31, 2017)

Just J said:


> I'm envious Steve, I wish I could give Strava up, I have tried to no avail, my OCD won't let me!
> 
> There is nothing worse than that feeling of getting into the van and seeing the awesome ride you've just had wasn't quite as awesome as you thought, because a computer said so!
> 
> I keep telling myself each year, that I'll give Strava up on 31st December. 1st January comes and that old habit of starting the Garmin happens again and as Garmin helpfully uploads to Strava automatically the relentless misery happens all over again!...


This is me


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## Osco (Apr 4, 2013)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?


I do rides for fun, strava off,
I do workout rides, strava on,
When I'm working out I like to see my progress over time....
Intervals can be killers, can really build you up, I use strava on these to keep an eye on myself to help make sure I'm putting In a true max effort.
Riding till I puke works also when I forget to take my phone..not~

At some point I stop getting PR's on a certain segment no matter how hard I push, getting old Is not for wimps btw.
When that happens I change my workout route, often lengthening It. 
Bingo ! New PR's 
I race myself to push back that Inevitable date with the grave we all must face.

Sorry, I'm wired that way, I get High on max efforts..

My dad used to take me for long walks In the woods,, But I always found my way back


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

Charlie Don't Surf said:


> This is me


We should check with each other if we've unsubscribed at the end of the month! 

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## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

Just J said:


> We should check with each other if we've unsubscribed at the end of the month!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Hey if you like Strava why not?? Now if you have a drinking problem that is another story!

I use it to map out rides or when I am training for an event to track my mileage. Great easy to use tool. Not everyone is a Stavahole looking for KOM's.

During the High School MTB race season I use it to track the kid's efforts and mileages. No way I can keep up with them and a lot of rides are on their own so we need some sort of way to track things. One of my favorite apps along with GAIA. Of course my music player app is fun too.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

richwolf said:


> Hey if you like Strava why not?? Now if you have a drinking problem that is another story!
> 
> I use it to map out rides or when I am training for an event to track my mileage. Great easy to use tool. Not everyone is a Stavahole looking for KOM's.
> 
> During the High School MTB race season I use it to track the kid's efforts and mileages. No way I can keep up with them and a lot of rides are on their own so we need some sort of way to track things. One of my favorite apps along with GAIA. Of course my music player app is fun too.


Well yes, I use it to map my rides and that's about it nowadays. I used to play to KOM game now and again in the early Strava days. It got annoying, I'd KOM, friends would go out KOM-hunting and so on and so forth. Once things got dangerous I decided enough was enough and I'd use it to track rides and that's it. The only thing is, it's hard to ignore your segment times and I guess my ego is fragile enough to let slower times (and times that I thought I'd done well on but hadn't!) bother me. Silly really, but their business model is based on this side of human nature.

Strava is very much like a fitness tracker such as a Fitbit. You get hooked. I've only recently ditched them when I realised that they aren't very geared up to the cyclist.

We all get older though, right? At 40, maybe now is the time I embrace that? But the eternal Peter Pan in me refuses to!

Garmin Connect logs miles of course, but not a lot of people sign up to the social aspect of that. If it didn't happen on Strava, it didn't happen. Short of posting every ride to Facebook or Instagram, but where's the fun in that?!

So that's my point of view on the matter, I know it's silly but I guess it's more the social gratification that I'd miss.

Saying that, I know I should ditch the gadgets and go ride instead. Like we used to do... I think that's what Aqua was doing but we've got caught up in a Strava rant! 

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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Just J said:


> Saying that, I know I should ditch the gadgets and go ride instead. Like we used to do... I think that's what Aqua was doing but we've got caught up in a Strava rant!
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Thanks for going there. I attempted to but deleted it. I'm pretty sure that's what Aquas goal was with this thread. Some ride passion via riding and getting your stoke on with full grins rather than pushing to beat times. Many of those gnar sessions are just that, sessions via sessioning a section over and over. This thread kind of crosses over to Mikes now infamous "Preserving Moore" thread. The sanitation or dumbing down of trails. Making "B" lines to suit your skill level. It's sad that in today's world of mountain biking riders of Aquas skill set have to search for trails or terrain that have not been tampered with via a pick axe and shovel.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Thanks for going there.
> I attempted to but deleted it. I'm pretty sure that's what Aquas goal was with this thread. Some ride passion via riding and getting your stoke on with full grins rather than pushing to beat times.


No problem at all!



DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Many of those gnar sessions are just that, sessions via sessioning a section over and over. This thread kind of crosses over to Mikes now infamous "Preserving Moore" thread. The sanitation or dumbing down of trails. Making "B" lines to suit your skill level. It's sad that in today's world of mountain biking riders of Aquas skill set have to search for trails or terrain that have not been tampered with via a pick axe and shovel.


And perhaps these trails are intentionally kept off Strava for this reason.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Some ride passion via riding and getting your stoke on with full grins rather than pushing to beat times.


For some pushing to beat times and ride passion is one and the same. I know what you're saying and the intent of the op but everyone has their own way of getting on their stoke.



richwolf said:


> Not everyone is a Stavahole looking for KOM's.


and not everyone seeking KOM's is a stravahole. Yes, I'm a user and occasionally pursue a KOM. I'm polite though and yield and say hi to anyone I come across. I prefer the term "stravajunkie". Respect to anyone out there, "using" or not.


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2017)

strava? what's that?? some kind of spread for bread?


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

J.B. Weld said:


> For some pushing to beat times and ride passion is one and the same. I know what you're saying and the intent of the op but everyone has their own way of getting on their stoke.


True, and I meant to emphasize that in there. I just don't think this threads intent was a Strava rant session. Nor what I said about it being similar to Mikes thread. Just some ride stoke through some intense terrain.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> True, and I meant to emphasize that in there. I just don't think this threads intent was a Strava rant session. Nor what I said about it being similar to Mikes thread. Just some ride stoke through some intense terrain.


Lol, IF Strava is anywhere in the title...it always turns into a rant.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

jcd46 said:


> Lol, IF Strava is anywhere in the title...it always turns into a rant.


Yep


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## dv8zen (Nov 30, 2017)

cranky about how others get cranky


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2017)

dv8zen said:


> cranky about how others get cranky


that's far 2 many cranks.

BTW i do like your avi :thumbsup:


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## Harold (Dec 23, 2003)

Just J said:


> And perhaps these trails are intentionally kept off Strava for this reason.


IME, if a trail is public, it appears to be next to impossible to keep it off Strava. There was a time I reported unsafe Strava segments. I gave up because ppl kept relisting them. And you can't report segments for any reason unless you ride with Strava in the first place, and you ride the segment in question.

Honestly, modifying trail features existed long before Strava, so you really can't even blame it for that. All you can really say is that Strava capitalizes on the same mentality that some people use for modifying the trail to suit them.


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

After 3 years on Strava, it isn’t often that I’m setting a PR on something I have ridden before. It is pretty easy to just ride and enjoy it without any pressure. I went out on Friday and just rode hard because it was brisk and I felt good. I had a couple medals waiting for me when I synced, but I’d not have been able to tell you which segment they would be on immediately after finishing if you held a gun to my head and made me guess where I was fast. That said, I ride almost exclusively XC, so there isn’t a lot of risk getting a little over your head versus someone doing a DH run. 


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

stripes said:


> I don't use strava so question for you. Does it add pressure to your rides to always try to PR or KOM?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Let's be honest, most people aren't actually able to go for KOMs at least not in big cities with pros and plenty of Cat 1 racers.

It doesn't dictate riding. Today I rode a 50 mile zone 2 ride. In the first 2 miles I opened up the secondaries and buried myself in a very short segment for fun. I would not say there was any pressure to do so other than the fun and profit. I did take the KOM from a few CX racers.

I will say that average speed is always on my mind, but that predates strava use.

A bit of social commentary: riding epic or long rides does get more kudos or likes and people are driven by that for sure as evidence the entire internet, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube. That is definitely in the back of people's mind.

This thread and the posting of Epicness is evidence of that mentality.

Sweet trails and ride!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## JDHutch (Sep 29, 2017)

I use Strava:
- to see when/where my friends are riding
- to challenge myself to be faster (however I consciously make a least one ride a week a recovery ride, but it still gets logged)
- to compare my strengths and weaknesses against other riders (mostly a reminder how slow I am and how crazy fast some other riders are)
- to compare times on different bikes
- and mostly to log miles ridden and rides per week so I can chase fitness goals I've set for myself.


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## jnashed (Sep 12, 2016)

I use it but only to compare to myself or my friends. I see way too many people using cutoffs or going off trail to make KOM meaningful to me. but its a good way to compare for personal reasons.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

jnashed said:


> I see way too many people using cutoffs or going off trail to make KOM.


And there^^^^^^lies the problem with STRAVA. Cheater lines, trail braids, and corner cuts. Because of those things, STRAVA is an abomination.


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## gravityryder26 (Feb 11, 2013)

What is Strava?


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

I log all my rides on Strava.

Sometimes I ride slow, sometimes I ride quick.

For those who don't get the reference:





.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> And there^^^^^^lies the problem with STRAVA. Cheater lines, trail braids, and corner cuts. Because of those things, STRAVA is an abomination.


There have been cheater lines, trail braids and corner cuts long before strava.

Getting back to the op though, whether you think strava is good, bad or indifferent it does change a ride, at least a little bit and sometimes a fair amount. For me anyway. Again that can be a positive or negative thing but either way it's there, and even if you tune it out somewhere in the back of your mind you know that device is running and recording your every move.

For competitive idiots like myself it can be pretty fun and even without the segments and all it's cool to see mileage and elevation piling up, which can be motivational. I can appreciate the simplicity and beauty of being unplugged though and so I also appreciate the sentiment of this thread.


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## Skooks (Dec 24, 2008)

BCTJ said:


> No Strava = No happened.


That's what people say who need other people to validate their rides for them!
I guess none of my rides ever happened, and I am totally fine with that.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

J.B. Weld said:


> There have been cheater lines, trail braids and corner cuts long before strava.


The cheater line, trail braid, and corner cut have spread like a plague since STRAVA became a thing. I build and maintain trails almost weekly for the past 25+ years. I'm intimately aware of the more recent increased damage.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Example here. Been riding and maintaining this park for over 10 years. Before STRAVA, I don't remember having to block a cheater line/corner cut more than maybe a couple times. This 10 mile network is now STRAVA segment crazy. This summer I blocked over 30 cheater line/corner cuts that have formed since the creation of STRAVA. No areas are technical at all. You are highly delusional if you think that STRAVA hasn't had a very negative impact on our trail systems. In more ways than one.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

https://www.singletracks.com/blog/m...-death-the-downside-of-being-a-popular-trail/


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## slimphatty (Sep 9, 2011)

I met my gf through strava...


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## socal_jack (Dec 30, 2008)

cjsb said:


> Got it, some of those other pics looking down to the desert floor seemed sort of out of place.
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


Looks a bit like the trail up to Garnet peak and the view from there of the desert, pretty much across from Penny Pines so right off the BLT loop to the East.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

Skooks said:


> That's what people say who need other people to validate their rides for them!
> I guess none of my rides ever happened, and I am totally fine with that.


I used to write down all my rides on a calendar before there was an internet, or cell phones, or Strava.....totaled them up for the week, month, year, compared year over year, etc. If it wasn't written down, it didn't happen. The only person who's ever seen those calendars is me.

I will admit to hitting some segments hard under certain conditions with Strava. I get a good laugh out of being an old fat guy who rides for fun on 20+year old technology being among the top riders on several leader boards.

More than anything, it just keeps me accountable to myself, and motivates me to get out and ride more.

.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

HacksawReynolds said:


> The cheater line, trail braid, and corner cut have spread like a plague since STRAVA became a thing. I build and maintain trails almost weekly for the past 25+ years. I'm intimately aware of the more recent increased damage.


been riding for 25 years as well, its always happened, you don't ride a trail for a few months, come back and someone made straightlines on stuff or completely bypassed or removed stuff from the trail. I'd say the difference now is that there are 10 times more people riding now than then, so 10 times the a-holes.


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## mileslong (Aug 20, 2016)

I am not very familiar with how STRAVA works, can someone explain to me why your performance is not rejected by the program if you are using cheater lines? It seems to me that if the users had to follow the trail precisely to be considered for virtual titles, that would eliminate some of the cheating.


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## Just J (Feb 14, 2005)

mileslong said:


> I am not very familiar with how STRAVA works, can someone explain to me why your performance is not rejected by the program if you are using cheater lines? It seems to me that if the users had to follow the trail precisely to be considered for virtual titles, that would eliminate some of the cheating.


Basically because it's not that accurate so the program can't distinguish the difference between a few feet.

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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Strava is what you make of it.

Has it been a huge motivator? Hell yes! I don't think much of it while riding. Once I get home, I check to see how it went. The mind is always wrong lol. Feel like a sucky ride? Strava rocks...Feel you did awesome? Forget it!

I would never think of touching a trail, just walk the damn thing.


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## mileslong (Aug 20, 2016)

Just J said:


> Basically because it's not that accurate so the program can't distinguish the difference between a few feet.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro


Then why don't responsible MTB riders join together and ask STARVA to refine their product to save our trails?!


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> You are highly delusional if you think that STRAVA hasn't had a very negative impact on our trail systems. In more ways than one.


I can only speak from my own experience and I haven't seen it. That's too bad that it's a big problem in your area, sorry about that.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Some networks worse than others. Yes it svcks. I mostly build my own trails so that I don't have to witness it as much anymore.


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## Silentfoe (May 9, 2008)

mileslong said:


> Then why don't responsible MTB riders join together and ask STARVA to refine their product to save our trails?!


You apparently have no idea how GPS works. Even the military doesn't get closer than +-1 meter and that's crazy accurate.

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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

mileslong said:


> Then why don't responsible MTB riders join together and ask STARVA to refine their product to save our trails?!


it's not strava, it the accuracy of the device, which can be good or bad, loads of people just use phones, not military grade devices.


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

mik_git said:


> it's not strava, it the accuracy of the device, which can be good or bad, loads of people just use phones, not military grade devices.


My home course looks like spaghetti on nearly any GPS unit.










Strava is going to have pretty limited accuracy among all those trees, ravines, and nearly overlapping trails.

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## mileslong (Aug 20, 2016)

mik_git said:


> it's not strava, it the accuracy of the device, which can be good or bad, loads of people just use phones, not military grade devices.


So even if you are competing against others the data collected is unreliable? What kind of competition is that? It's no fun playing with cheaters

Why can't there be one official Strava route for a given trail and any measurable deviation from that recognized trail gets rejected when uploaded?

Short of that I can only see where Strava would valuable for tracking your own performance....


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

mileslong said:


> So even if you are competing against others the data collected is unreliable? What kind of competition is that? It's no fun playing with cheaters
> 
> Why can't there be one official Strava route for a given trail and any measurable deviation from that recognized trail gets rejected when uploaded?
> 
> Short of that I can only see where Strava would valuable for tracking your own performance....


It will get rejected if you are off by a certain amount. The problem is that a bypass that is a few yards outside of some obstacle is still within the OK threshold. If there is only one path and the segment is decently long, it is accurate enough to still have fun with. The course I posted above is a good example. The KOM is 6 minutes ahead of my 2nd place over a 1hr 34min course. That is an accurate comparison because a couple meters of noise in the signal doesn't translate into 6 minutes difference.

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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

mileslong said:


> So even if you are competing against others the data collected is unreliable? What kind of competition is that? It's no fun playing with cheaters
> 
> Why can't there be one official Strava route for a given trail and any measurable deviation from that recognized trail gets rejected when uploaded?
> 
> Short of that I can only see where Strava would valuable for tracking your own performance....


Strava is for fun, they arn't going to use it for timing of the olympics or something. Sure you compete against other people, but it's still all just a bit of fun.
GPS is't the most accurate thing out there, so you have gps accuracy, then you have the sample time of the of the device, eg garmin the lowest setting it 1 sec, but it can be set to longer. The strava segment gets made against whatever device was used when the person who made the segment made it, so it was made with that accuracy, then you get someone else do the segment with their device, you are going to get variances.
it's for enjoyment, it gives you a good idea of how you are tracking, if you are improving and how you fare against other people. But you can't take it as an absolute. If you improve your time, move up the leaderboard or heck take he KOM, then you can go woo hoo, awesome! but you can't go I just broke the world record for whatever because you'd be deluding yourself.

It's fun, its interesting, it is not super accurate and it is in no way official outside the bounds of strava.

And that I think is the reason some people have issues with strava, there are people that take it waaaaaaay too seriously, when really its just informative and fun.


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## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

I really doubt that strava is responsible for braiding of trails. Partially?? Perhaps, but who has the research to back up this conclusion??
You think that users who don't use strava never cut a corner or are responsible for cheater lines? Once a line gets a deep rut or is filled with water or mud, most riders try to take a different line resulting in braiding or whatever you want to call it.

As far as gps accuracy is concerned it depends upon the device you are using. According to the government they do not degrade the satellite signal to the average joe vs. what the military gets. From the government GPS website:

"High-end users boost GPS accuracy with dual-frequency receivers and/or augmentation systems. These can enable real-time positioning within a few centimeters, and long-term measurements at the millimeter level." 
Source: https://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/performance/accuracy/

An app isn't causing these problems, more users and the very nature of trails and erosion lead to a lot of what is being discussed here. Trails change over time regardless of whether they receive a ton of traffic or none.

I like Strava. Don't use it on all my rides but it is a fun and useful tool. No KOM's for this old guy. I use it more as a cycle computer and to map out rides.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Yes STRAVA is a major player in corner cuts and cheater lines. Google it. I already added one link.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

I'm going to comment on the accuracy of GPS units as well.

A good GPS surveying system is accurate to within a (very small) fraction of a foot. 

It involves a base station, which is set up on a known base point, a fixed height above it, and a mobile unit attached at the top of a rod of known length, with a computer connected via cable or BT for collecting data. The computer also displays data to be collected, data for the design plan (for calculating cuts/fills), known base points, etc. You need line of sight between base station and user fir these systems. If you don't, you have to use a known base point, then throw find a location to put in another known base point that will give you line of sight to the area to be surveyed. 

Re: phone, Garmin, etc. I hit a couple of segments in Moab recently. Recorded on both my phone (airplane mode) and my Garmin 520. 520 on bars, phone in pocket. 8:19 for one segment on the phone, 8:22 on the Garmin. So, a bit of difference despite traveling the same distance at the same rate. I attribute this to positioning error and maybe sampling rate.





Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## richwolf (Dec 8, 2004)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Yes STRAVA is a major player in corner cuts and cheater lines. Google it. I already added one link.


I looked at your links. I didn't find any compelling evidence that strava is a major player in corner cuts and cheater lines. Where are the stats that prove that strava users create more corner cut and cheater lines than non strava users? What percent of mountain bikers are using strava?

You can google the **** out of things to make a point but I don't think that your links are conclusive proof regarding strava.

Do I think people abuse strava? Sure. But to me it is well down the list of our first world problems.

Over and out on this thread!


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

richwolf said:


> I looked at your links. I didn't find any compelling evidence that strava is a major player in corner cuts and cheater lines. Where are the stats that prove that strava users create more corner cut and cheater lines than non strava users? What percent of mountain bikers are using strava?
> 
> You can google the **** out of things to make a point but I don't think that your links are conclusive proof regarding strava.
> 
> ...


It Is discussed in the link. And is discussed elsewhere. Do you race? Racers will do what they can to get to the finish line 1st. I've raced for decades and if there's a faster way thru, even if it means cutting thru the bushes off trail to get past a tree in a straighter line, racers will take that line. Once that line shows any little bit of use, a braid forms. STRAVA is pretty much the same as racing. People racing against their imaginary friends lol will cut corners to do so and to think otherwise is so naive it's crazy.

Tootles.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Here it is from that one link. 

"3. Strava. That’s right. We’ve seen it on multiple trails out here, such as Kessel Run at 18 Road, Rustler’s, and Horsethief. People want faster times; they want to stay at the top of the pack. To do that, they sometimes cut corners. Taking a straighter route, once again, creates a new path. Some Strava riders seem to take whatever path is quickest, whether it’s the true path of the trail or not. This certainly isn’t the case with all Strava riders, but since the BLM and COPMOBA have had to put up flagging tape on the edges of Kessel Run to keep riders from cutting corners, I’d say it is at least true of some of them. In fact, one person on my Facebook page brought up Strava and said, “…Not much we can do given the attitudes a lot of our locals promote on their FB pages about ‘riding what where and how they want.’ Really unfortunate. Obviously not the only factor, but one of them…”


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

HacksawReynolds said:


> It Is discussed in the link. And is discussed elsewhere. *Do you race? Racers will do what they can to get to the finish line 1st. I've raced for decades and if there's a faster way thru, even if it means cutting thru the bushes off trail to get past a tree in a straighter line, racers will take that line.* Once that line shows any little bit of use, a braid forms. STRAVA is pretty much the same as racing. People racing against their imaginary friends lol will cut corners to do so and to think otherwise is so naive it's crazy.
> 
> Tootles.


Wait...so you race, you look for the faster way, you cut corners...so apparently you are the problem not strava...


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

mik_git said:


> Wait...so you race, you look for the faster way, you cut corners...so apparently you are the problem not strava...


This irony was not lost on me, either.

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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

People have been cutting corners since the dawn of trails. Heck I even find that hikers will make a cheater line a mere 7-10 feet from a switchback. :crazy:
That never made any sense to me.


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## andytiedye (Jul 26, 2014)

I don't need Strava to tell me how slow I am.

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

slimphatty said:


> I met my gf through strava...


you realise stalking a girl on Strava doesnt make her your girlfriend?


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

mik_git said:


> Wait...so you race, you look for the faster way, you cut corners...so apparently you are the problem not strava...


I don't cut corners.

Racers will, STRAVA users will. Much more so than riders who don't race for real or use STRAVA. STRAVA is far worse as its a continuous daily race.

Do some people really need STRAVA or any other form of computerized riding to get motivated to ride a bike? ?


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Mookie said:


> People have been cutting corners since the dawn of trails. Heck I even find that hikers will make a cheater line a mere 7-10 feet from a switchback. :crazy:
> That never made any sense to me.


Me neither. Of course they have. All I'm saying is that STRAVA has compounded the problem.


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## mileslong (Aug 20, 2016)

I think I have it figured out now, let's see if I'm right:

Strava is an inaccurate measuring system used by people who may or may not cheat so that they can publicly declare themselves superior to others they have never met while simultaneously creating unauthorized braids and cheater lines in order to improve their already invalid reports for the sole purpose of being able to argue endlessly on the interwebs.

Sounds like fun!


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

HacksawReynolds said:


> I don't cut corners.
> 
> Racers will, STRAVA users will. Much more so than riders who don't race for real or use STRAVA. STRAVA is far worse as its a continuous daily race.
> 
> Do some people really need STRAVA or any other form of computerized riding to get motivated to ride a bike? ?


Do people really need to race to get any motivation to ride?

Personally I'll record every ride, It really does encourage me to get out and ride, but it doesn't encourage me to go cut corners. In the summer we have a weekly mid-week race series, usually get 100-120 riders (or racers), but only about 30 of them appear on strava, so around here there's an awful lot of people that aren't on strava. We also find there are a whole lot of people that arn't members of the local club that maintain the trails and arn't on strava, that ride the trails when they are closed due to weather/maintenance.

I just don't think you can blame strava, straight out, you dont know whether the people doing it would do it anyway (since people have always been doing this sort of thing). Not saying that strava isn't an issue for this with some people, but even the article you linked, it was 1 out of 5 issues.
Heck I've seen people cutting the course at Parkrun, which is a get out and do it for yourself thing, you just can't help some people, they are just a-holes and think the rules don't apply to them because they're so awesome.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

mileslong said:


> I think I have it figured out now, let's see if I'm right:
> 
> Strava is an inaccurate measuring system used by people who may or may not cheat so that they can publicly declare themselves superior to others they have never met while simultaneously creating unauthorized braids and cheater lines in order to improve their already invalid reports for the sole purpose of being able to argue endlessly on the interwebs.
> 
> Sounds like fun!


aaawhh, doesn't understand how strava works, complains how strava works. I think it's best that you don't ever use it, you seem like the sort of person that would take it way too seriously, and then complain that it's ruining your rides.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

nvphatty said:


> strava? what's that?? some kind of spread for bread?


Nah. Pretty sure it's a type of bean.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

mik_git said:


> Do people really need to race to get any motivation to ride?
> 
> Personally I'll record every ride, It really does encourage me to get out and ride, but it doesn't encourage me to go cut corners. In the summer we have a weekly mid-week race series, usually get 100-120 riders (or racers), but only about 30 of them appear on strava, so around here there's an awful lot of people that aren't on strava. We also find there are a whole lot of people that arn't members of the local club that maintain the trails and arn't on strava, that ride the trails when they are closed due to weather/maintenance.
> 
> ...


I've known quite a few over the years that most likely wouldn't have ridden much at all without a race on their schedule. STRAVA is a huge motivating factor for them. Friends are shocked that I don't use it as I can tend to be a type A competitive rider even tho I haven't raced much in recent years. I just have no interest and I ride pretty much everyday.

It could be more of a regional thing. STRAVA use in many parts of NE is huge, especially where I live. We have a weekly summer race series at a local park that draws about 100 racers per week and it runs 4 weeks. This year I went out and blocked over 30 cheater/corner cuts the week before the 1st race haha. This park is super STRAVA use heavy. Those racers musta been like WTF? When they though they had all over their passing corner cut spots dialed. Not a single blocked braid was tampered with in the months following my braid blocking. In fact I got many thank you's from local riders.


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## big_slacker (Feb 16, 2004)

Am I the only person that uses strava mostly to track training time/miles and getting better over time? I don't even turn it on/off, my rides just auto upload from my garmin. Have never once tried to go faster to get a better strava time, lol! 

It's never about the tech, it's about you.


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## JDHutch (Sep 29, 2017)

It’s interesting to me how people who dislike or don’t use something can be so angry at those who do. I don’t get it. Why not just move along? Of course I’m talking about The Last Jedi


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

big_slacker said:


> Am I the only person that uses strava mostly to track training time/miles and getting better over time? I don't even turn it on/off, my rides just auto upload from my garmin. Have never once tried to go faster to get a better strava time, lol!
> 
> It's never about the tech, it's about you.


That's pretty much how I use it on the trail, although I do like to use the times as motivation to work harder to get faster. If I get home and find I'm a couple seconds off the KOM time, I'd be lying if I were to say that I don't keep that in mind the next time I ride that segment.

I don't let Strava dictate what lines I take though or let it turn me into a jerk on the trail. I start tracking on my phone, throw it in my pack, and usually don't take the phone out until the end of the ride.


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

HacksawReynolds said:


> *I've known quite a few over the years that most likely wouldn't have ridden much at all without a race on their schedule. STRAVA is a huge motivating factor for them.* Friends are shocked that I don't use it as I can tend to be a type A competitive rider even tho I haven't raced much in recent years. I just have no interest and I ride pretty much everyday.


so you answered your own question


> It could be more of a regional thing. STRAVA use in many parts of NE is huge, especially where I live. We have a weekly summer race series at a local park that draws about 100 racers per week and it runs 4 weeks. *This year I went out and blocked over 30 cheater/corner cuts the week before the 1st race haha*. This park is super STRAVA use heavy.* Those racers musta been like WTF? When they though they had all over their passing corner cut spots dialed*. Not a single blocked braid was tampered with in the months following my braid blocking. In fact I got many thank you's from local riders.


so is it strava users, or racers as you keep saying racers and then blaming it on strava users...

but for sure, I'm not denying that strava can't encourage that sort of thing, i'm just saying you can't purely blame strava, there are going to be people that never thought about it before, then got strava and the red mist comes down, but there are going to be people that are like that before strava, or that arnt on strava. For every strava-hole there's going to be like 1000 perfectly nice people out riding.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

mileslong said:


> I think I have it figured out now, let's see if I'm right:
> 
> Strava is an inaccurate measuring system......


Where I live it's very accurate, even in the forested mountains. When I complete a segment I know within a few seconds what the time was before I ever look at the data. Also riding with other people and different devices times and distances remain very consistent, though elevation may vary some.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

Le Duke said:


> This irony was not lost on me, either.


What's really ironic is all the people slamming Strava and the people who use it as attention seekers, but saying nothing about the OP posting pictures of his non-Strava ride in an attempt to impress people.

.


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## grooveface (Feb 6, 2008)

I once left it on in my bike bag and didn't realize it and drove home. A lot of Roadies were upset with my times that day.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

i will chime in here.

for me, strava simply is a tool to track my ride distance, top speed, elevation gain and calories burned.

i could give two sh!ts about KOMs and segments.

i just like to know how far i'm riding.


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

I've never really bought into the theory that Strava leads to bad behavior on the trails. For one thing its impossible to isolate Strava-specific effects from other variables. It could be argued that people in general are just more self centered and assholish now than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Or perhaps there are more trail users now, so increase the number of people and the chances of observing stupid behavior goes up. And before Strava people had stopwatches and a note pad. So there's always been pressure to increase performance. I'm sure Strava does play a role in poor trail practices and etiquette, particularly with its social component, but I don't think its quite the factor that its often made out to be.

I'm one of those Strava using folks who uses it to keep track of my own times. Otherwise I'd be waaaay down the list on virtually every segment I ride!


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

i also might add my racing and going-really-fast days (unless the trail is a fast downhill) are more or less over...


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

I dont think Strava (Garmin, or any other App with segments) is responsible for cut corners/braids/sanitation/damage/dead cute animals,

I think d!ckheads are..........

every ride of mine is Strava'd, cause l want a run down of kms & hms for me and my bikes.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I don't understand why people focus on the "app" or the "bike", geez its all on the USER/RIDER! 

Just go out and have fun, we all track our miles one way or another. As I stated earlier.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

jcd46 said:


> I don't understand why people focus on the "app" or the "bike", geez its all on the USER/RIDER!
> 
> Just go out and have fun, we all track our miles one way or another. As I stated earlier.


Ummmm I don't track miles, but I sure have fun.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

STRAVA caused one of our local parks to mostly close to MTB. More on that in a bit.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> STRAVA caused one of our local parks to mostly close to MTB. More on that in a bit.


STRAVA? or the irresponsible riders? Back to, its USER's responsibility.

Let's make the right distinction, so there is accountability! The app sits on your phone, and you either enjoy it, or be a d!ick about it. IF the "apps" didn't exist, the same d!ickhead will ride just as irresponsible.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

jcd46 said:


> STRAVA? or the irresponsible riders? Back to, its USER's responsibility.
> 
> Let's make the right distinction, so there is accountability! The app sits on your phone, and you either enjoy it, or be a d!ick about it. IF the "apps" didn't exist, the same d!ickhead will ride just as irresponsible.


spot on!


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

jcd46 said:


> STRAVA? or the irresponsible riders? Back to, its USER's responsibility.
> 
> Let's make the right distinction, so there is accountability! The app sits on your phone, and you either enjoy it, or be a d!ick about it. IF the "apps" didn't exist, the same d!ickhead will ride just as irresponsible.


STRAVA. Without STRAVA there wouldn't be segments. Without segments there wouldn't be countless riders trying to up themselves on a leaderboard.

So there's an area near me where most of the singletrack that had been enjoyed by local riders for years recently got shut down. Recently meaning in the last 2-3 years. This park always has trails but there was a lot of untapped potential so a friend and fellow trailbuilder got in touch with the town and private landowner and was granted permission to build trail. Miles of great new trail. Once completed the trails were enjoyed by friends and other locals. Then my friend discovered STRAVA and got into it pretty heavy and of course he couldn't help himself and started adding segments and almost immediately ridership increased 10 fold and the trails that had been enjoyed and were holding up quite well were getting trashed from stravaholes riding even when trails were wet causing erosion and trail braids and corner cuts that were NEVER an issue before STRAVA became such a problem that the private landowner after seeing the trails getting destroyed contacted conservation and they closed the trails off for good. My friend was so bummed and soon after completely stopped using STRAVA. True story.

Put that in yer pipe and smoke it.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> .
> ... True story.


I don't believe it, no self respecting kom chasing "stravahole" would ever go after a segment in sub-prime (wet) conditions that would damage trails because it's too slow.


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## Curveball (Aug 10, 2015)

I will typically go through a trail first with a mini ex to straighten and smooth it out, then ride it on my hopped up e-mtb at full speed to make sure I get a KOM.

Of course I do the same thing on trails that are signed as closed to bikes. I find that hikers generally jump out of my way quicker than other bikers do.

I'm the fastest thing on two wheels in the woods except for MX bikes and I have the Strava awards to prove it.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

I have my Garmin running every ride. I have to manually upload it when I get home. Strava has NEVER ruined a ride for me.

I can't help you if it does.

If I'm trying, I normally put in top 5% times ascending or descending. If I find myself in the top 50%, I don't care. I was top 5% because I stopped a descent to politely pass hikers and mention how beautiful of a day it was. Then again, maybe the top 6% ahead of me all did the same thing, maybe they stopped and chatted!

I mostly like it for the social aspect. I've made a lot of friends crossing paths on Strava and then connecting on future rides. Someone from this board started liking my rides, didn't even know it was him. Haven't ridden with him yet, but I'm sure we will soon.



DIRTJUNKIE said:


> There are a couple shots near BLT with the rounded boulders and the water in the background. But the gnar shots are not part of the Noble "trail", hint.


I'm planning a Noble ride in spring with some friends. Is this obvious, or takes a little looking for?


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

J.B. Weld said:


> I don't believe it, no self respecting kom chasing "stravahole" would ever go after a segment in sub-prime (wet) conditions that would damage trails because it's too slow.


i think a grain of truth in the story is being blown way the hell out of proportion...


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> STRAVA. Without STRAVA there wouldn't be segments. Without segments there wouldn't be countless riders trying to up themselves on a leaderboard.
> 
> So there's an area near me where most of the singletrack that had been enjoyed by local riders for years recently got shut down. Recently meaning in the last 2-3 years. This park always has trails but there was a lot of untapped potential so a friend and fellow trailbuilder got in touch with the town and private landowner and was granted permission to build trail. Miles of great new trail. Once completed the trails were enjoyed by friends and other locals. Then my friend discovered STRAVA and got into it pretty heavy and of course he couldn't help himself and started adding segments and almost immediately ridership increased 10 fold and the trails that had been enjoyed and were holding up quite well were getting trashed from stravaholes riding even when trails were wet causing erosion and trail braids and corner cuts that were NEVER an issue before STRAVA became such a problem that the private landowner after seeing the trails getting destroyed contacted conservation and they closed the trails off for good. My friend was so bummed and soon after completely stopped using STRAVA. True story.
> 
> Put that in yer pipe and smoke it.


Nah, I prefer good stuff in my pipe, not BS!

Still proves the point that it was your "buddy" that decided to play hard! and other RIDERS followed. Always trying to find something to blame, and no one takes responsibility for their actions.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

jcd46 said:


> Nah, I prefer good stuff in my pipe, not BS!
> 
> Still proves the point that it was your "buddy" that decided to play hard! and other RIDERS followed. Always trying to find something to blame, and no one takes responsibility for their actions.


It was STRAVA that turned the park into a shitshow. Pure and simple.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

jcd46 said:


> Always trying to find something to blame, and no one takes responsibility for their actions.


I can't rep you twice in one thread!


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

You should take a poll of those on the trail and see how few are actually on strava. 

This rediculous theory of alternate lines being created to best strava times is far fetched. 

It most likely has more to do with the popularity of the sport, more users, and digital availability of trail maps through other services. 

Oh and laziness. 




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Sidewalk said:


> I have my Garmin running every ride. I have to manually upload it when I get home. Strava has NEVER ruined a ride for me.
> 
> I can't help you if it does.
> 
> ...


Everything you need to know here: Noble Canyon

May I suggest doing the upper loop of BLT [Big Laguna Trail] before descending Noble. Whether you climb up from Pine Valley on the fire road or shuttle and drive up to the Penny Pines parking lot. Either way it's a very rewarding outing. The BLT loop is up top and is a very mellow sweet single track that circles a lake [if it has water] which sits at the bottom of a meadow. The trail runs through old growth pine that borders the meadow. Then once you've circled the lake you drop down the Noble Trail. A 12 mile drop [if you don't shuttle it's a 12 mile climb] through many types of terrain from numerous rock gardens to miles of flowing single track, all types of terrain and micro habitat and climates from the forest above to the desert below.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Boy, that ride just sounds awful.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Everything you need to know here: Noble Canyon
> 
> May I suggest doing the upper loop of BLT [Big Laguna Trail] before descending Noble. Whether you climb up from Pine Valley on the fire road or shuttle and drive up to the Penny Pines parking lot. Either way it's a very rewarding outing. The BLT loop is up top and is a very mellow sweet single track that circles a lake [if it has water] which sits at the bottom of a meadow. The trail runs through old growth pine that borders the meadow. Then once you've circled the lake you drop down the Noble Trail. A 12 mile drop [if you don't shuttle it's a 12 mile climb] through many types of terrain from numerous rock gardens to miles of flowing single track, all types of terrain and micro habitat and climates from the forest above to the desert below.


Thanks for the info. If I go solo I'll ride up, with a friend or group I don't know 

More miles are good miles to me! I was just watching Ben Goyette's video going all the way down Mt. Wilson....I want to ride more!


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## iowamtb (May 17, 2014)

I went Strava free for a while this fall but came back. I got rid of Facebook a month ago and now the only way i can keep track of a few people is by commenting on their Strava rides lol. Someone replied in this thread about Strava adding pressure. I will say that I can't tell you how many times I have been on a ride and looked down to see how many miles I had or had not ridden yet, and thought I can't quit yet. That mentality gets old fast. Those were days when I had my smart phone mounted to my stem. Now I use a Garmin and once I sync it to my computer it auto syncs to Strava. 

I feel that Strava can be a valuable tool to keep track of your miles to date and which bike you rode for how many miles for the year. But like any tool it can be used as a right of manhood to better your friends and boast your arrogance lol. As far as KOMS........I didn't even know what those were till a friend explained them to me this summer. I don't do the KOM thing and still don't fully understand it and don't care to.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

shekky said:


> i think a grain of truth in the story is being blown way the hell out of proportion...


Truth hurts doesn't it Mr negative rep Nancy haha. Does your hubby ride too?


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## Cary (Dec 29, 2003)

sgltrak said:


> None for me. A quick check at the end of the ride for total distance, elapsed time, approximate calories burned, and elevation climbed is all I use it for.


This is how I use it.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

HacksawReynolds said:


> I've known quite a few over the years that most likely wouldn't have ridden much at all without a race on their schedule. STRAVA is a huge motivating factor for them. Friends are shocked that I don't use it as I can tend to be a type A competitive rider even tho I haven't raced much in recent years. I just have no interest and I ride pretty much everyday.
> 
> It could be more of a regional thing. STRAVA use in many parts of NE is huge, especially where I live. We have a weekly summer race series at a local park that draws about 100 racers per week and it runs 4 weeks. This year I went out and blocked over 30 cheater/corner cuts the week before the 1st race haha. This park is super STRAVA use heavy. Those racers musta been like WTF? When they though they had all over their passing corner cut spots dialed. Not a single blocked braid was tampered with in the months following my braid blocking. In fact I got many thank you's from local riders.


sorry pal, you haven't been around long enough to give negative rep.

but i see you're pretty adept at name calling and spewing BS. stop this and maybe you'll accumulate enough to respond in kind.

trolls are not welcome at MTBR.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

shekky said:


> sorry pal, you haven't been around long enough to give negative rep.
> 
> but i see you're pretty adept at name calling and spewing BS. stop this and maybe you'll accumulate enough to respond in kind. Trolls are not welcome here on MTBR.


Trolling? It's a forum. There's back and forth talk on a topic. Giving me a negative rep is totally ghey when all I was doing is holding my stance on a subject that I feel strongly about. So how was I trolling exactly?


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

what?!? 

did i hear something?

sorry there Mister Troll, i see you've never heard of the "ignore" function on MTBR.

keep trying.

do something stupid and i'll have the mods shut you down in a heartbeat.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

I think, the point you are missing is that people that behave as you described have that mentality, period.

Be it Garmin/Strava/Straws/Sticks, they will ride in the same manner. Although you are firm on your believe, there is no way to prove an APP by itself is a problem. 

Roadies cheat right? Same stuff win or win no matter what! That's a mentality thing. 

And yeah, name calling is just not necessary.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

jcd46 said:


> I think, the point you are missing is that people that behave as you described have that mentality, period.
> 
> Be it Garmin/Strava/Straws/Sticks, they will ride in the same manner. Although you are firm on your believe, there is no way to prove an APP by itself is a problem.
> 
> ...


people were riding/acting like schmucks long before strava or smartphones were even dreamed of.

it's just that now society has the internets to rapidly spread news/information/misinformation.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Well you gotta admit that giving a negative rep and calling someone out as a troll for having a different opinion (with no prior public name calling) is douchey. I name called privately. Mr Shekky thin skin decided to make it public. Also Douchey.

#fvckSTRAVA.


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

Whinging over pretend leaderboards......

is sorta like whinging over pretend reputation..

wait....what?


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Whinging??


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## lubes17319 (Dec 19, 2005)

Whinging about Strava is childs' play.

I'm so hip, I quit the entire internet.


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## Cot-Rodger (Aug 26, 2015)

shekky said:


> what?!?
> 
> do something stupid and i'll have the mods shut you down in a heartbeat.


That's really scary


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## Singlespeedmedia (Aug 17, 2016)

I use strava only for comparison in downhill segments to see where I can shave time. It doesnt affect my distance or routes at all, and I do my best regardless of if it is recording or not. But the KOM's and Top 10's are quite fun...


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## Jovian (Jun 18, 2013)

I record all my rides but not to compete with others, as im one of the slowest in my groups. Its more for ease of calculating how many miles I have done on the bike, or during a period of time. 

Im one of the few who actually put their bikes into strava and record rides against the bike im riding. When something needs to be replaced I actually change that out also in the gear section of strava so I know how miles are on each piece I have on the bike. 

Its neat for things like "oh im at 1200 miles on that cassette probably going to start skipping soon" or when im planning a trip to a bike park I can see how many miles are on my pads and decide if I should just get another set before the trip.

Sure I can just look at these parts too but its nice to have numbers along with a visual.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

I have zero issues with STRAVA other than some users negative impact on trails and trails that are found and ridden that shouldn't be found and ridden unless you know whether it's cool to be riding those trails or not. 

Other than those two things I can totally see how it can be fun and useful. 

For me it's so nice to just go out and ride with no gps, no bar mounted computer or phone or any kind of app. Nothing except for my phone to pull out and take a picture here and there. Unplugged. Been riding that way for 30 years. In this world we are so plugged in everywhere we go no matter what we're doing. The bike is such a great escape from all of that, IMO.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

Jovian said:


> I record all my rides but not to compete with others, as im one of the slowest in my groups. Its more for ease of calculating how many miles I have done on the bike, or during a period of time.
> 
> Im one of the few who actually put their bikes into strava and record rides against the bike im riding. When something needs to be replaced I actually change that out also in the gear section of strava so I know how miles are on each piece I have on the bike.
> 
> ...


**Its neat for things like "oh im at 1200 miles on that cassette probably going to start skipping soon" **

precisely!


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

Cot-Rodger said:


> That's really scary


a healthy dose of fear every now and then is not a bad thing...when your testicles get sucked up into your gut, they grow back bigger...:devil:


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

ut:


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## iowamtb (May 17, 2014)

HacksawReynolds said:


> I have zero issues with STRAVA other than some users negative impact on trails and trails that are found and ridden that shouldn't be found and ridden unless you know whether it's cool to be riding those trails or not.
> 
> Other than those two things I can totally see how it can be fun and useful.
> 
> For me it's so nice to just go out and ride with no gps, no bar mounted computer or phone or any kind of app. Nothing except for my phone to pull out and take a picture here and there. Unplugged. Been riding that way for 30 years. In this world we are so plugged in everywhere we go no matter what we're doing. The bike is such a great escape from all of that, IMO.


OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SIR!!! I work in technology and I am getting burnt out/sick of it. You nailed it and this may be the best response to this thread so far. Thank you


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

iowamtb said:


> OMG THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS SIR!!! I work in technology and I am getting burnt out/sick of it. You nailed it and this may be the best response to this thread so far. Thank you


Glad you appreciate my take on the matter!!! I keep getting negative reps from certain mouth breathers that can't take my opinions I guess. Panties all in a bunch and whatnot.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Glad you appreciate my take on the matter!!! I keep getting negative reps from certain mouth breathers that can't take my opinions I guess. Panties all in a bunch and whatnot.


I'm not even one of the guys to do that whole neg rep thing, I've never done it to anyone (though I've received it). But your whining is getting old, and I want to point it out before I put you on my ignore list.

I'll do it after I get off my bike. Riding my Enduro to a birthday party.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Sidewalk said:


> I'm not even one of the guys to do that whole neg rep thing, I've never done it to anyone (though I've received it). But your whining is getting old, and I want to point it out before I put you on my ignore list.
> 
> I'll do it after I get off my bike. Riding my Enduro to a birthday party.


Make sure you Strava that ridre man!


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## iowamtb (May 17, 2014)

I am not joining in the argument that has been unfolding. I simply liked what he said about technology and how we live in a world that has to be connected to everything. So hopefully everybody realizes that I’m neutral and just here to spectate.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Sidewalk said:


> I'm not even one of the guys to do that whole neg rep thing, I've never done it to anyone (though I've received it). But your whining is getting old, and I want to point it out before I put you on my ignore list.
> 
> I'll do it after I get off my bike. Riding my Enduro to a birthday party.


Riding your Endurobro to a birthday party? I hope you gotta droppah post on that rig for that ride. (Finger mustache). Ignore list lol.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Well, this thread made it to FB, go figure!


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

Sidewalk said:


> I'm not even one of the guys to do that whole neg rep thing, I've never done it to anyone (though I've received it). But your whining is getting old, and I want to point it out before I put you on my ignore list.
> 
> I'll do it after I get off my bike. Riding my Enduro to a birthday party.


i very rarely give negative rep.

but there's a point in which name calling and mouthing off must stop, and moderators ought to step in. in this case, i've done what i felt needed to be done based on this. if you come in here and can't be civil, be prepared to deal with the consequences:


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

iowamtb said:


> I am not joining in the argument that has been unfolding. I simply liked what he said about technology and how we live in a world that has to be connected to everything. So hopefully everybody realizes that I'm neutral and just here to spectate.


there are those of us who have been around awhile who don't feel the need to be connected all the time.

i'm one of them.

i've already posted how i only use strava to track miles ridden, speeds and altitude gained, regardless of the app's accuracy. i just like a general idea of having the specifics of the ride instantly available.

the only argument i see unfolding is coming from one new-ish MTBR user who feels that civil behavior has no place on an internet forum, while slinging insults and name calling are tolerated behavior, which i hope the mods somehow catch.

while it is acceptable to call out people on BS or express disagreement, aggressive and boorish language needs to be spotted and removed by mods with extreme prejudice.

personal disputes should be handled via private message--without resorting to name calling or threats.

negative rep is part of keeping trolls in check.

thank you for your cooperation.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

I can see how that other thread got so out of hand, but this one is puzzling? It must simply be STRAVA reference?

I don't know the OP but he is either laughing, crying, or hopefully just out riding and ignoring this disaster.

This gives me an idea for a new thread starter...


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

cjsb said:


> I can see how that other thread got so out of hand, but this one is puzzling? It must simply be STRAVA reference?
> 
> I don't know the OP but he is either laughing, crying, or hopefully just out riding and ignoring this disaster.
> 
> ...


The OP gave me a positive rep for my participation in this thread. ?


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

HacksawReynolds said:


> The OP gave me a positive rep for my participation in this thread.


That's awesome! I would, too but that feature is not included on Tapatalk.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

HacksawReynolds said:


> The OP gave me a positive rep for my participation in this thread. 👍


Pic or it didn't happen.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Mookie said:


> Pic or it didn't happen.


I assure you it did happen. I bet shekky didn't get one haha.


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

Weird, wants to be unplugged.......

boasts about positive rep......


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

cmg71 said:


> Weird, wants to be unplugged.......
> 
> boasts about positive rep......


Beat me to it. I was going to say, unplugged..and here we are, right?


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

cmg71 said:


> Weird, wants to be unplugged.......
> 
> boasts about positive rep......


Unplugged when I ride. And you may want to be careful with your choice of words. Using the word "Weird" may get someone upset and that someone may put you on ignore or call the mods on you. Slippery slope.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

jcd46 said:


> Make sure you Strava that ridre man!


https://www.strava.com/activities/1321520523

I try to avoid driving when possible.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Sidewalk said:


> https://www.strava.com/activities/1321520523
> 
> I try to avoid driving when possible.


Lol! 4.1miles, hope you didn't break any rules.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

HacksawReynolds said:


> The OP gave me a positive rep for my participation in this thread. 


That is a lie. I know the OP personally and he laughs at the rep system. Look at the photos he posted. Does it look like he's into KOM's or old fashioned ride passion?

A simple screen shot of that rep for proof.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

jcd46 said:


> Lol! 4.1miles, hope you didn't break any rules.


yup.

four miles in three hours, that's what i call being a stravasahole or whatever the haters call it...


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Unplugged when I ride. And you may want to be careful with your choice of words. Using the word "Weird" may get someone upset and that someone may put you on ignore or call the mods on you. Slippery slope.


Knobhead, now there's a word that springs to mind, I guess if I called someone a knobhead I'd get a banning (wouldn't be the first time), good thing is I cant get banned for thinking someone is a knobhead.

no slippery slope at all


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> That is a lie. I know the OP personally and he laughs at the rep system. Look at the photos he posted. Does it look like he's into KOM's or old fashioned ride passion?
> 
> A simple screen shot of that rep for proof.


I wouldn't know how to do a screen shot. But i assure you that he did. Ask him again. Or maybe you don't know him as you say....


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

HacksawReynolds said:


> I wouldn't know how to do a screen shot. But i assure you that he did. Ask him again. Or maybe you don't know him as you say....


The easy way, if you are running Windows 10, is to use the Snipping Tool. Otherwise you can press the "PrtScn" button on your keyboard and paste into Paint, crop, and save. Not a big hurdle. It should take like 10s to figure it out. If all else fails, consult the Google.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Thank you kind sir^^^^^^^. I'll try it after my next 2.5 hour bus run and lunch time ride today.👍


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## big_slacker (Feb 16, 2004)

I'm gonna go snowboarding in a couple hours, did you guys know you can strava that ****?! Hopefully I don't fall into a tree well trying to get the KOM on the local steeps.


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

in an hour starts my work xmas party, might Strava it, see if I get a KOM going to the bar, I plan on covering a few kms , and Ill definitely cut a few corners to straighten the line


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

jcd46 said:


> Lol! 4.1miles, hope you didn't break any rules.





shekky said:


> yup.
> 
> four miles in three hours, that's what i call being a stravasahole or whatever the haters call it...


Did you see the KOM's though?

(I basically replace driving with riding at any opportunity. Groceries, errands, birthday parties, etc. If there is a reason to ride instead of drive, I take it. Only takes a second to put my Garmin on my bars.)


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

HacksawReynolds said:


> STRAVA. Without STRAVA there wouldn't be segments. Without segments there wouldn't be countless riders trying to up themselves on a leaderboard.
> 
> So there's an area near me where most of the singletrack that had been enjoyed by local riders for years recently got shut down. Recently meaning in the last 2-3 years. This park always has trails but there was a lot of untapped potential so a friend and fellow trailbuilder got in touch with the town and private landowner and was granted permission to build trail. Miles of great new trail. Once completed the trails were enjoyed by friends and other locals. Then my friend discovered STRAVA and got into it pretty heavy and of course he couldn't help himself and started adding segments and almost immediately ridership increased 10 fold and the trails that had been enjoyed and were holding up quite well were getting trashed from stravaholes riding even when trails were wet causing erosion and trail braids and corner cuts that were NEVER an issue before STRAVA became such a problem that the private landowner after seeing the trails getting destroyed contacted conservation and they closed the trails off for good. My friend was so bummed and soon after completely stopped using STRAVA. True story.
> 
> Put that in yer pipe and smoke it.


Sounds like user error. Strava is just an app. Your friend decided to make public segments. He could have chosen to keep those rides and segments private since they were on private land. Poor decisions, poor results.

Your friend should blame himself, not Strava. Smoke on that.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Duplicate


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

HacksawReynolds said:


> I wouldn't know how to do a screen shot. But i assure you that he did. Ask him again. Or maybe you don't know him as you say....


That's funny, I didn't say I asked him. I'm assuming he didn't having known him for 30 some years. BTW he's 60 years old and railing lines like that on a regular basis.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> That's funny, I didn't say I asked him. I'm assuming he didn't having known him for 30 some years. BTW he's 60 years old and railing lines like that on a regular basis.


Awesome! I've 8yrs to catch up to that level


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

Sidewalk said:


> Did you see the KOM's though?
> 
> (I basically replace driving with riding at any opportunity. Groceries, errands, birthday parties, etc. If there is a reason to ride instead of drive, I take it. Only takes a second to put my Garmin on my bars.)


no, i did not see the KOMs.

i don't own a car. owning a car in SF is a major PITA. kudos to you for avoiding your car whenever possible where ever it is that you live.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

big_slacker said:


> I'm gonna go snowboarding in a couple hours, did you guys know you can strava that ****?! Hopefully I don't fall into a tree well trying to get the KOM on the local steeps.


look at the heatmaps and you can see strava swims, too.

i think.

there's a wavy icon to choose next to running and cycling ones, and the heatmaps show routes in the pacific ocean.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

shekky said:


> look at the heatmaps and you can see strava swims, too.
> 
> i think.
> 
> there's a wavy icon to choose next to running and cycling ones, and the heatmaps show routes in the pacific ocean.


Never noticed that feature. Though it looks like a lot of people are using it on boats or something. Makes it real easy to find Lake San Antonio, location of my favorite tri:

https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#14.39/-120.94140/35.82115/hot/water

Fun bonus, you can see where the course was modified due to the low lake levels, and we were running INTO the lake bed to get to the transition area. Looks like we are walking on water!

https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#15.98/-120.95276/35.82840/hot/run



shekky said:


> no, i did not see the KOMs.


Exactly



> i don't own a car. owning a car in SF is a major PITA. kudos to you for avoiding your car whenever possible where ever it is that you live.


I was stationed in Alameda for 7 years. I wish I was into cycling/running/tri back then instead of being fat and lazy. I missed out on so much 

I'm down south near Riverside. Unfortunately it is inconvenient to haul 4-500 pounds of hay every week, and being able to tow in an emergency means owning a truck. I use it onces a week to meet friends to ride dirt too. Wife drives an economy car 3 miles to the Metrolink station and takes that to work.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

Sidewalk said:


> Never noticed that feature. Though it looks like a lot of people are using it on boats or something. Makes it real easy to find Lake San Antonio, location of my favorite tri:
> 
> https://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#14.39/-120.94140/35.82115/hot/water
> 
> ...


if i ever buy a vehicle (which is unlikely at this time), the prerequisites will be capability to haul bikes and camping gear for two.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

shekky said:


> if i ever buy a vehicle (which is unlikely at this time), the prerequisites will be capability to haul bikes and camping gear for two.


F-150 Supercrew + backseat air mattress = hay hauler + camper + bike hauler

I've used it to race an 8 hour event, camp out, then swap bikes to do an enduro the next day!


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Sidewalk said:


> F-150 Supercrew + backseat air mattress = hay hauler + camper + bike hauler
> 
> I've used it to race an 8 hour event, camp out, then swap bikes to do an enduro the next day!


We have now launched a new thread within a thread. The most recommended vehicle for Shekky and his needs.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

^^ Why not? better than the topic at hand


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

jcd46 said:


> ^^ Why not? better than the topic at hand


Ahh. . .good choice, you are on the right path, although I think he'd be better suited for the pop up camper version. Hopefully he's got some big bucks though. These babies are rare and worth some serious coin these days.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Ahh. . .good choice, you are on the right path, although I think he'd be better suited for the pop up camper version. Hopefully he's got some big bucks though. These babies are rare and worth some serious coin these days.
> 
> View attachment 1173449


I just went into CL for kicks (as you were posting) WOW $$$$$! The cheap ones.. 3k.. no engine lol - That one w/pop up is sweet. I could live in that thing lol


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

jcd46 said:


> I just went into CL for kicks (as you were posting) WOW $$$$$! The cheap ones.. 3k.. no engine lol - That one w/pop up is sweet. I could live in that thing lol


i will need something that'll run faster than 45mph uphill...i have driven one of those vans before on the 280 headed north from san jose.

there is a longish slight but steady grade uphill some of the way. the van wouldn't push over 40 up those minor grades.

this was well before strava was invented, so i have no proof this ever happened...


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

ryguy79 said:


> Sounds like user error. Strava is just an app. Your friend decided to make public segments. He could have chosen to keep those rides and segments private since they were on private land. Poor decisions, poor results.
> 
> Your friend should blame himself, not Strava. Smoke on that.


QFT (oh wait will shekky call the mods for me using those 3 letters together?) My friend knows that was a poor decision. Still had there been no STRAVA it never woulda happened although the abomination that is STRAVA heat map woulda gotten the masses there to wreck stuff eventually I guess.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> That's funny, I didn't say I asked him. I'm assuming he didn't having known him for 30 some years. BTW he's 60 years old and railing lines like that on a regular basis.


He rips! Ask him.


----------



## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

shekky said:


> i will need something that'll run faster than 45mph uphill...i have driven one of those vans before on the 280 headed north from san jose.
> 
> there is a longish slight but steady grade uphill some of the way. the van wouldn't push over 40 up those minor grades.
> 
> this was well before strava was invented, so i have no proof this ever happened...


I still have my first car, a 1959 Bug. Let's just say, the engine isn't stock. 45 uphill isn't a problem with a few extra ponies added in. I have an EFI setup and turbo to go in at some point.

But my 2002 F150 (bought in 2012) has the 4.6 Modular. Basically everything under the bodywork is just a generic Ford engine, trans, axle, etc. Even after the zombie apocalypse, I'll have enough spare parts to keep it running until there is no gas left. Considering how little I drive, that will be forever.


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## Cuyuna (May 14, 2017)

If the use of Strava, or any other app, imposes some involuntary emotional pressure on your bicycle riding, y'all might just be taking your mountain biking a little too seriously.


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## shekky (Oct 21, 2011)

Cuyuna said:


> If the use of Strava, or any other app, imposes some involuntary emotional pressure on your bicycle riding, y'all might just be taking your mountain biking a little too seriously.


that's why i quit racing back in 2000.


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## ryguy79 (Apr 12, 2007)

HacksawReynolds said:


> QFT (oh wait will shekky call the mods for me using those 3 letters together?) My friend knows that was a poor decision. Still had there been no STRAVA it never woulda happened although the abomination that is STRAVA heat map woulda gotten the masses there to wreck stuff eventually I guess.


Your friend chose to use strava on these trails. Chose to leave them public. The end. Blaming strava is like blaming a car for crashing.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

jcd46 said:


> I just went into CL for kicks (as you were posting) WOW $$$$$! The cheap ones.. 3k.. no engine lol - That one w/pop up is sweet. I could live in that thing lol


Yeah, the older late 60's through early 70's pop up camper versions are very rare and are quite pricey.


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## 2old (Aug 31, 2015)

Never have raced a mtn bike. Love riding my own race.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Racing is fun and hard. You'll never experience riding a bike at the effort and speed if you're JRA....aka not racing. I'd recommend anyone who's any bit curious about racing to try one.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> That is a lie. I know the OP personally and he laughs at the rep system. Look at the photos he posted. Does it look like he's into KOM's or old fashioned ride passion?
> 
> A simple screen shot of that rep for proof.


Put this in yer pipe and smoke it. Guess you don't know a lie from the truth.








Shekky will probably feel left out and pm the OP as to why HE didn't get a positive rep haha. Truth!


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Put this in yer pipe and smoke it. Guess you don't know a lie from the truth.
> View attachment 1173521
> 
> 
> Shekky will probably feel left out and pm the OP as to why HE didn't get a positive rep haha. Truth!


Let it go man! Please!

So you got neg rep....who cares!

You started the name calling, were you bullied in HS or something?


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Put this in yer pipe and smoke it. Guess you don't know a lie from the truth.
> View attachment 1173521
> 
> 
> Shekky will probably feel left out and pm the OP as to why HE didn't get a positive rep haha. Truth!


I'm glad you figured out how to do a snap shot. I did ask him today if he repped you and and he said "I think so". Lol - I wasn't about to come back here with that kind of proof here or there.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> I'm glad you figured out how to do a snap shot. I did ask him today if he repped you and and he said "I think so". Lol - I wasn't about to come back here with that kind of proof here or there.


Thanx for the screen shot idea. I'm wicked computer dumb. At least you now know I wasn't lying.


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Thanx for the screen shot idea. I'm wicked computer dumb. At least you now know I wasn't lying.


All I know is "now" should be where "know" should be and vice versa. ^


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

jcd46 said:


> Let it go man! Please!
> 
> So you got neg rep....who cares!
> 
> You started the name calling, were you bullied in HS or something?


I'm letting it go!!!! Ooooh like name calling is the worst thing ever. We all name called as kids and some of us still do as adults to bust the balls of our friends and occasionally those we don't know if aggravated. No not bullied. Was wondering if shekky was bullied as a kid tho.....based on his reactions here.

Ok letting it go!!!!


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> All I know is "now" should be where "know" should be and vice versa. ^


Another thank you! Are you a teacher?


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## DavidNeiles (May 8, 2008)

I like Strava, It has helped me get stronger and faster by looking at my PRs and also longer Segments(10-15miles) on MTB to push my fitness level up. I like to just ride at my pace and see how I do when done on my PRs. Some segments I go after or create and go after when I feel spicy. 

Strava is like a Drug, just don't overdose and burnout on riding. It is a great way to track data for bike maintaince too. I use a Garmin and my phone, It is funny how different the two can be. 

When i first started using it in 2012 I was surprised to see top 10 trophies, Some KOMs and it help me in my confidence. Now I don't worry as there are so many more users, I don't ride like a ass or Kill myself for a segment, I just ride.... some days slow, some fast. But it is nice to just be in the woods. 

I ride some road, and road segments are fun and stupid dangerous too, worse than MTB my opinion


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## JJ Welks (Jan 15, 2015)

The main reason mtn biking drew me in to begin with was being out there in the woods away from technology/civilization and I still don't feel any reason to track and "share" my rides. I think Strava has really cool functionality but as far as using it myself I don't plan on it.


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## rockerc (Nov 22, 2010)

Born strava free, will die strava free. I used to race in the UK in the 80s, and that was all the competition I needed in my life. When a 15 year old kid almost finished my life on a downhill section, I decided it was more fun to remove myself from all that. Sometimes I mapped rides when I wrote ride reports for our local mtb sites, but that is all the tech I use out there, and all my local trails are done now. If I am riding well or badly, I don't need to know by what minor increment I am either over or under performing. I am performing is all.


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

How did you identify the kid was using strava? 


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## Mookie (Feb 28, 2008)

He wasn't referring to the kid as a Strava user. Rather the 15 yo did something reckless in competition so rocker said "enough of this competition crap!" He's making the point that Strava is by its nature a competitive element to riding, much like racing is.


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## cjsb (Mar 4, 2009)

I had to access the site through Safari, which isn't easy as I have to type the URL, just to confirm that I received positive rep. Now I am feeling good about this thread again. Although the VW Camper stuff is way more interesting than the Strava stuff. I rerad through Mikesee's post on his red conversion van, the Canadians who are "Lost In America" on their mtb Sprinter voyage, and now starting to think about building one up down the road or looking for something used. For me, it woukld make much more sense if I moved out west again or as retirement approaches. The latter won't be for a while, but a move out west just depends on finding the right opportunity. We'll see.... 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## IPunchCholla (Dec 8, 2013)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Racing is fun and hard. You'll never experience riding a bike at the effort and speed if you're JRA....aka not racing. I'd recommend anyone who's any bit curious about racing to try one.


And Strava is how many people turn every ride into a race.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


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## FJSnoozer (Mar 3, 2015)

Racing is even harder than strava "racing". That's why most will never know until they show up to the line and get their doors blown off.

Take that 3 minute segment they once got a top ten on and go that fast for 90 minutes. 

That's what the racers are doing and why trails where races are hosted will put a stravasshole in their place. 

You guys sound like a bunch of 80 year old men bitching at the donut shop over coffee. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

cjsb said:


> I had to access the site through Safari, which isn't easy as I have to type the URL, just to confirm that I received positive rep. Now I am feeling good about this thread again. Although the VW Camper stuff is way more interesting than the Strava stuff. I rerad through Mikesee's post on his red conversion van, the Canadians who are "Lost In America" on their mtb Sprinter voyage, and now starting to think about building one up down the road or looking for something used. For me, it woukld make much more sense if I moved out west again or as retirement approaches. The latter won't be for a while, but a move out west just depends on finding the right opportunity. We'll see....
> 
> Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


An ultra running couple I know just put their money down on a Sprinter. Moving out of the house and into the van so they can call home where ever they are at the moment. Sounds wonderful.

I'm slightly locked in with my wife's two horses right now.


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## Fleas (Jan 19, 2006)

shekky said:


> look at the heatmaps and you can see strava swims, too.
> 
> i think.
> 
> there's a wavy icon to choose next to running and cycling ones, and the heatmaps show routes in the pacific ocean.


Funny - a friend of mine was doing open water swims and recorded about 300' of elevation gain. I think it was just from her watch/arm going up and down. :lol:

-F


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

Sidewalk said:


> An ultra running couple I know just put their money down on a Sprinter. Moving out of the house and into the van so they can call home where ever they are at the moment. Sounds wonderful.
> 
> I'm slightly locked in with my wife's two horses right now.


dude...get a stagecoach!!!!That would be ultra cool, and you could keep the horses. I am sure that 1 UP makes a bike hitch rack fora stagecaoch


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

sXeXBMXer said:


> dude...get a stagecoach!!!!That would be ultra cool, and you could keep the horses. I am sure that 1 UP makes a bike hitch rack fora stagecaoch


Well, I did learn how to "drive", but the horses aren't trained. One is a rescue who likely has a history of abuse, the other is a former mounted posse horse that likes to run people over (also a gaited Tennessee Walker, the type of horse Roy Moore can't handle :rolleye). I don't want my wife to find a way to justify more horses!


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Another thank you! Are you a teacher?


I'm sure Mookie could vouch that I'm far from that.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

IPunchCholla said:


> And Strava is how many people turn every ride into a race.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


STRAVA and real racing are far from the same thing.


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## IPunchCholla (Dec 8, 2013)

HacksawReynolds said:


> STRAVA and real racing are far from the same thing.


No disagreement there.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


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## rockerc (Nov 22, 2010)

FJSnoozer said:


> How did you identify the kid was using strava?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I had a pretty shrewd idea he was not using it unless he'd popped in from a couple of decades in the future... I do not need an app to improve my times, I need the fountain of youth!


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

rockerc said:


> I had a pretty shrewd idea he was not using it unless he'd popped in from a couple of decades in the future... I do not need an app to improve my times, I need the fountain of youth!


Was he driving a Delorean time machine? That would be a pretty good indicator of who he really was.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

DIRTJUNKIE said:


> Was he driving a Delorean time machine? That would be a pretty good indicator of who he really was.


Its stainless steel bodywork makes it perfect for time travel.


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## rockerc (Nov 22, 2010)

Sidewalk said:


> Its stainless steel bodywork makes it perfect for time travel.


Carbon fibre works even better though...


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## dv8zen (Nov 30, 2017)

rockerc said:


> I do not need an app to improve my times, I need the fountain of youth!


https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/...ellmann-at-100-is-still-breaking-records.html

This guy is setting records in the 100+ age category, attempting to pole vault a little over 3ft. It's all about attitude! _*sarcasm*_

I primarily use it to calibrate my senses. If I feel like I did good or bad, the app will tell it to me straight. I'll retune my senses until it predicts as close to the app as I'd like it. That way, I can actually trust my feelings. I recalibrate every so often, so my memories aren't a bunch of delusions.

Hard to tell apart a liar from someone with delusions, but you lose respect from others either way if those memories are shared. I mean, even young people face this issue, examples being like "pinkbike feet" when measuring drops/jumps. It's not cool to have your stories questioned. Might not sound as awesome without exaggerations, but I find people remember these things later and actually respect you more in the end. Good way to keep connections in the long term, so you don't end up as a lonely depressed old-fart. Rather be average, having useful recount of memories if someone questions what it was like to ride in my time (compared to the more advanced future) than be someone who will instead preach the benefits of living in ignorance/delusion. Ignorant people are often the butt of jokes (see North Koreans)...

BTW, negative rep makes me happy. No sarcasm here.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

jcd46 said:


> Lol! 4.1miles, hope you didn't break any rules.


Better?
https://www.strava.com/activities/1324907981


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## rockerc (Nov 22, 2010)

dv8zen said:


> https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/22/...ellmann-at-100-is-still-breaking-records.html
> 
> This guy is setting records in the 100+ age category, attempting to pole vault a little over 3ft. It's all about attitude! _*sarcasm*_
> 
> ...


Are you talking about fisherman's tales, when they move their hands a little further apart than strictly true? I'm actually not at all bothered about maintaining bragging rights or anything like that. When I used to race, I was either in front of or behind someone. When I was younger we were pretty good at spotting someone who was boasting without foundation, and cheating in any way is simply not satisfying or fun.


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## jcd46 (Jul 25, 2012)

Sidewalk said:


> Better?
> https://www.strava.com/activities/1324907981


Damn! Awesome!


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## dv8zen (Nov 30, 2017)

rockerc said:


> Are you talking about fisherman's tales, when they move their hands a little further apart than strictly true?


Yea, like that. *roll eyes*

I also use it for maintenance purposes too. Like checking mileage on drivetrain and other parts.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Park chainwear indicator tool is 10 bux and tells me all I need to know about my drivetrain wear. Keeping track of past rides? Once a ride is done, it's done. Ride for the now and the future till it's the past. If a past ride was that special, your brain won't forget it.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> STRAVA and real racing are far from the same thing.


Hows that then? If you ride a known course hard you can roughly gauge where you'll end up in a race, be it near the front or near the back of the field. You then do the race and find it's about right? They're not mutually exclusive, every racer I know uses Strava, they use it to test themselves against their own bests and others. How is it not the same thing?


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## rockerc (Nov 22, 2010)

weeksy950 said:


> Hows that then? If you ride a known course hard you can roughly gauge where you'll end up in a race, be it near the front or near the back of the field. You then do the race and find it's about right? They're not mutually exclusive, every racer I know uses Strava, they use it to test themselves against their own bests and others. How is it not the same thing?


I think you answered your own question when you said "roughly gauge"...


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

Is this where we all share our Strava end of year videos? 


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

Quentin said:


> Is this where we all share our Strava end of year videos?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


No, the year isn't over yet.


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## weeksy950 (Jan 11, 2012)

rockerc said:


> I think you answered your own question when you said "roughly gauge"...


But the statement was they're far from the same thing. Which is clearly incorrect?


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

Sidewalk said:


> No, the year isn't over yet.


Strava made mine already... like they expect me to not ride anymore.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

I’d like to take a minute to wish all a Merry Christmas and to thank Aqua the OP of a well thought out title to this ride passion thread. :lol:ut::incazzato:


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

weeksy950 said:


> But the statement was they're far from the same thing. Which is clearly incorrect?


They are a rough approximation, but still not the same. For one, most people ride Strava differently than races, from a mental racing perspective. I know of some pretty good riders who are really bad about the mental game of racing, get sucked into a faster pace then they can handle and blowing up, instead of a more realistic pace that would lead to a better finish. That is easier with Strava.

Two, not a lot of segments will replicate race conditions. One of my favorites is a 30+ minute hill climb. Not very technical, but long enough and mostly only MTB riders on it, not a lot of "dirt roadies" as it takes you to prime singletrack as a reward. But if one guy (KOM holder) goes in April and it is 55 degrees, that gives him a big advantage over the guy right ahead of me in September where it was 80 at the start, 90 at the finish (my attempt was in June, similar weather). So hard to compare those.

And third, the KOM holder did that climb, and THEN did 40 more miles of singletrack and 3000' more foot of climbing. The guy right ahead of me hit some fireroad, then road asphalt down the hill, no technical riding was done.

So looking at Strava, all three of us look close, only a few minutes separate us over a 30+ minute climb. But in reality, I did a 50 mile, 6000' day on half or more singletrack. KOM holder did a 50 mile, 5000' day in likely cooler weather on almost exclusively singletrack. The guy just ahead of me did 25 miles, and no singletrack. Do you you think those three really replicate race conditions?

https://www.strava.com/segments/646715



Quentin said:


> Strava made mine already... like they expect me to not ride anymore.


I haven't clicked the link, I assume it auto generates the video when you do? If no, that's disappointing. I still have hundreds of miles of riding before the end of the year!



DIRTJUNKIE said:


> I'd like to take a minute to wish all a Merry Christmas and to thank Aqua the OP of a well thought out title to this ride passion thread. :lol:ut::incazzato:


Happy Saturnalia, I'm at work collecting OT


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Sidewalk said:


> They are a rough approximation, but still not the same. For one, most people ride Strava differently than races, from a mental racing perspective. I know of some pretty good riders who are really bad about the mental game of racing, get sucked into a faster pace then they can handle and blowing up, instead of a more realistic pace that would lead to a better finish. That is easier with Strava.
> 
> Two, not a lot of segments will replicate race conditions. One of my favorites is a 30+ minute hill climb. Not very technical, but long enough and mostly only MTB riders on it, not a lot of "dirt roadies" as it takes you to prime singletrack as a reward. But if one guy (KOM holder) goes in April and it is 55 degrees, that gives him a big advantage over the guy right ahead of me in September where it was 80 at the start, 90 at the finish (my attempt was in June, similar weather). So hard to compare those.
> 
> ...


Let us not forget having to deal with getting stuck behind and having to get passed slower riders and the mental toll that that can take on top of going at real race effort on a course that you may have never ridden over and over to try to up yourself on a leaderboard.

And then there's the social aspect of being at a real race vs STRAVA "racing"


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## dv8zen (Nov 30, 2017)

Enduro racing is kind of the same. Time trial is kind of the same. DH is kind of the same. Can emulate the other races as long as you have the people and set the rules and route. There's social aspects to Strava. Can connect with these other guys too, without needing to pay for the organized part. Getting same conditions and weather only possible if you ride as a group. People just need to seize such opportunity.

The rough gauge/approximation is even rougher without Strava. I'm sure that someone with a high IQ can use Strava as a very accurate gauge/approximation.


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## Grassington (Jun 24, 2017)

I might consider using Strava for training purposes if I got back into racing again, but until that day comes I feel it would suck some of the fun from my rides, e.g. I can bump jump a tree stump a few times without worrying how it would affect my times.

Strava does have some artistic uses though. Here's a suitably festive picture made from London roads and ten hours of pedalling (BBC News):


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

Grassington said:


> I can bump jump a tree stump a few times without worrying how it would affect my times.


That's a personal choice. One of my local segments that I ride pretty much every week has a fast "Strava" line that bypasses all the good stuff. I took it exactly once, to steal the KOM away from a guy who thinks he is hot taking the cheater line. I hate how people do that ****. But every other time I am taking all the optional chunky stuff, the 3' drop into a double, and looking for other new ways to incorporate natural features. It adds time, but adds fun.

And, in reality, makes you faster. Taking the easy lines to try and improve your Strava time don't make you a better rider. Taking the new experimental lines makes you a better rider. Even if it did cost me a crank and pedals recently...


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

Sidewalk said:


> That's a personal choice. One of my local segments that I ride pretty much every week has a fast "Strava" line that bypasses all the good stuff. I took it exactly once, to steal the KOM away from a guy who thinks he is hot taking the cheater line. I hate how people do that ****. But every other time I am taking all the optional chunky stuff, the 3' drop into a double, and looking for other new ways to incorporate natural features. It adds time, but adds fun.
> 
> And, in reality, makes you faster. Taking the easy lines to try and improve your Strava time don't make you a better rider. Taking the new experimental lines makes you a better rider. Even if it did cost me a crank and pedals recently...


This is true. It's fun to ride fast, but it's much more important to ride well. If I can take lines I'm proud of, be considerate of other trail users, and still turn in a kick ass time, that's awesome. Getting a great time by cutting corners, avoiding obstacles, and being a douche...not so much.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

s0ckeyeus said:


> Getting a great time by cutting corners, avoiding obstacles, and being a douche...not so much.


Hey hey hey now, no one using STRAVA would ever do anything like that....


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## Skooks (Dec 24, 2008)

Seems like Mountain bike riding has turned into mountain bike racing. It's all about how fast you go and how quickly you can finish a trail. Not for me. I measure my rides by how much fun I have. Sure, going fast is fun, but it doesn't matter if someone else is faster or slower than me. I don't need Strava to tell me that alot of people ride faster than me. I am having just as much fun as they are, and I don't need anyone else to validate my rides for me. Getting out on my bike with good friends and challenging ourselves on the trails then enjoying some beers together after, that's what it's all about for me.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

HacksawReynolds said:


> Hey hey hey now, no one using STRAVA would ever do anything like that....


Of course not. Especially not the dude bombing downhill and not braking or moving over while you're climbing up the same hill...


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Sidewalk said:


> One of my local segments that I ride pretty much every week has a fast "Strava" line that bypasses all the good stuff.


STRAVA braid^^^^^^^.

STRAVA induced corner cuts even tho the intended line is as smooth as can be, but heaven forbid we have to go around a corner!!!! Here's one of the dozens that I blocked this summer. Two cheater lines in one corner. So bad.


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## 2old (Aug 31, 2015)

So what's a KOM?

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## mik_git (Feb 4, 2004)

2old said:


> So what's a KOM?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


That thing you are when you finally achieve a heightened state of awesomeness


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

2old said:


> So what's a KOM?
> 
> Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


Remember being 7 years old and going next door to the empty lot where they were constructing a new house? There was always a giant mound of dirt prior to backfilling. You and your 3 other little friends would fight to be the one on top of that giant mountain of dirt. The one that got to the top and held his own knocking the others off was called:* Fill in this blank.*


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## cmg (Mar 13, 2012)

You guys called him "fill in the blank"?

I wouldve thought winner, champion or similar would've made more sense.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

I called it King of the Mole Hill. KOMH?


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

sidewalk said:


> i called it king of the mole hill. Komh?


lol


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## sb1616ne (Feb 13, 2008)

I agree with you guys about the trail damage that Strava causes. Any opportunity to cut corners is taken and once a faster shorter line gets ridden in its tough to get the trail back. 

I use to track everything on Strava and was very into swapping KOM's on my local trails. I would cater my rides to where the competitive Strava segments were even if it meant riding trails that I didn't even enjoy and repeating the short segments that never seem to trigger correctly. The fun factor really dropped off and so did my fitness, sure i could sprint for 1-2mins really well but thats it. Now i just log rides here are there there and could care less if if every ride is not on Strava. 

I can't tell you how many of my New England friends go to great lengths to record every cold fat bike ride and have there phone shut off mid ride even if that means they have no way to call in an emergency. 

My friend once dated a girl from L/A who would spend 60 mins on makeup/hair to go on a 30 minute hike just so she looked good for her Instagram post. She told him documenting the hike and what her followers saw on social media was more important as the physical hike. The same goes for Strava, people are so worried about how many miles they rode, if they got the KOM, or if they hit there yearly mileage goal that it takes the fun out of things.


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## _CJ (May 1, 2014)

sb1616ne said:


> people are so worried about how many miles they rode, if they got the KOM, or if they hit there yearly mileage goal that it takes the fun out of things.


Couldn't take being slower than other people, and not putting in as many miles as other people, eh?

For some of us, most of us, Strava is fun, makes our rides more fun, motivates us, and gives us a chance to cheer on our friends who live thousands of miles away. If you don't like it, that's fine, but there's no need to paint everyone who uses the app with the same broad brush.

.


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## Quentin (Mar 30, 2008)

_CJ said:


> Couldn't take being slower than other people, and not putting in as many miles as other people, eh?
> 
> For some of us, most of us, Strava is fun, makes our rides more fun, motivates us, and gives us a chance to cheer on our friends who live thousands of miles away. If you don't like it, that's fine, but there's no need to paint everyone who uses the app with the same broad brush.
> 
> .


Exactly. I love seeing the different rides that my friends do. One friend just moved to Colorado and it is awesome seeing all the new exploring he gets to do. I'm sure I'm not the greatest person to follow because I'm a creature of habit, but I'm sure some of my friends enjoyed seeing my road climb of Mt. Fuji to 5th station. Some ribbed me about not being on a Fuji bike - I had no choice in my rental bike. Seeing my friend's bikepacking adventures is great, too. We check each other out on our home course as a little bit of competition but also give kudos when a rider in our group of friends sets a blazing time. I find it fun.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

sb1616ne said:


> The same goes for Strava, people are so worried about how many miles they rode, if they got the KOM, or if they hit there yearly mileage goal that it takes the fun out of things.


I'm sure that happens, keep in mind though that for some the fun part is accumulating stats. Different strokes. If strava is killing your buzz you'd be a fool not to ditch it.

There's one segment that I go after on a regular basis and I've gotten within 1 or 2 seconds of the KOM several times. There are 2 hairpin corners on this segment that could be easily cut which would save a good 5-10 seconds. I've never done it and from the looks of it no one else has either, I'd flag my own ride if I achieved a KOM that way.

Strava doesn't damage trails, inconsiderate people do.


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## s0ckeyeus (Jun 20, 2008)

J.B. Weld said:


> There's one segment that I go after on a regular basis and I've gotten within 1 or 2 seconds of the KOM several times.


I'm currently #2 on a few segments, and I'd be lying to say I don't want to grab those KOMs this year. Two of them are trail, one is road. I am confident I can get the trail ones when I get into peak fitness. The road one is particularly frustrating because it's a short downhill sprint, and I can't get enough speed no matter how fast I spin on my singlespeed commuter. After missing by 1 second several times, I finally tied the KOM, but it doesn't show up in my trophy case. I need to be one second faster or gears, but I'm too stubborn for that.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

J.B. Weld said:


> Strava doesn't damage trails, inconsiderate people do.


But without STRAVA those inconsiderate people chasing KOM's would have little to no reason to cut corners resulting in trail damage.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

HacksawReynolds said:


> But without STRAVA those inconsiderate people chasing KOM's would have little to no reason to cut corners resulting in trail damage.


I've been looking for the fastest lines since '83, it's just how I'm wired. I do stay on the trails though.

Damaged trails and cut corners have been a thing since way before strava, also before mountain biking so obviously people found reasons to do it without an app.


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## IPunchCholla (Dec 8, 2013)

HacksawReynolds said:


> But without STRAVA those inconsiderate people chasing KOM's would have little to no reason to cut corners resulting in trail damage.


So cutting corners only started with social media?

That's funny because I remember cut corners from my 1990s hikes in wilderness. Some people are lazy and just want to go the fastest route, even if it just saves then 10 seconds during a 5 day hike.

People run red lights to avoid waiting 1 minute. Took stop signs, cut corners while driving I don't think social media causes it.

Social media might encourage a larger percentage of people to do it. Social reinforcement of assholery through malformed competitiveness if you will, but Strava doesn't cause it, unless of course we don't believe in freewill.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

STRAVA segments, at least in the hundreds of miles of singletrack within 45 minutes of my door have most certainly compoundedQuickened the corner cut/cheater line problem. I never said that STRAVA started the issue. There were pretty much ZERO corner cuts 5 years ago or before STRAVA was ever a thing at a local park where I blocked all the braids this summer. The whole park is segments in both directions. traffic in the park hasn't increased much as it isn't really a destination riding spot.


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

I guess it's different in different areas, seems to me that trails I rode 20 years ago are pretty much the same or better than ever. Strava hasn't ruined them yet. I admit that a braid here and there doesn't bother me, and a lot of the ones I've seen around here are for "A" lines (different thread) which for me just adds to the fun.


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## IPunchCholla (Dec 8, 2013)

HacksawReynolds said:


> STRAVA segments, at least in the hundreds of miles of singletrack within 45 minutes of my door have most certainly compoundedQuickened the corner cut/cheater line problem. I never said that STRAVA started the issue. There were pretty much ZERO corner cuts 5 years ago or before STRAVA was ever a thing at a local park where I blocked all the braids this summer. The whole park is segments in both directions. traffic in the park hasn't increased much as it isn't really a destination riding spot.


It sounds like your terrain and culture might be really different. Most places I ride here have very few options. The trails is almost always the easiest one, so the impact from Strava is not very large in terms of trail layout. Now in terms of good practice with other trail users it might be higher. Sucks so many people won't stay on the trail there.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Ya it's tough around here for sure. Glad you guys don't see nearly as much of it where you are.


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## ray.vermette (Jul 16, 2008)

Mookie said:


> I've never really bought into the theory that Strava leads to bad behavior on the trails. For one thing its impossible to isolate Strava-specific effects from other variables. It could be argued that people in general are just more self centered and assholish now than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Or perhaps there are more trail users now, so increase the number of people and the chances of observing stupid behavior goes up. And before Strava people had stopwatches and a note pad. So there's always been pressure to increase performance. I'm sure Strava does play a role in poor trail practices and etiquette, particularly with its social component, but I don't think its quite the factor that its often made out to be.


Agreed. Trail braiding was happening long before Strava, before cell phones, and before mountain bikes. Is it significantly worse now, and if so, is it primarily due to Strava? Who knows for sure.

People should be wary of confirmation bias and anecdotal evidence. Show me a scientific study and you'll get my attention.

And for the record, I'm Strava-free. I don't even have a cell phone.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

Scientific study my @ss. It's happening.

glad you are STRAVA free. add to that no cell phone🙌🏻


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## pdxmark (Aug 7, 2013)

HacksawReynolds said:


> View attachment 1174308
> 
> View attachment 1174309


Need to put a jump there. Maybe a small gap kicker.


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## HacksawReynolds (Dec 1, 2017)

No. Just no.


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## jim c (Dec 5, 2014)

pdxmark said:


> Need to put a jump there. Maybe a small gap kicker.


I'm not joking here. When I saw that pile of debris, at first I was trying to make out how you were supposed to hit it for good air. ha


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## scaryfast (Apr 23, 2004)

I don't use strava nearly as much as I used to. Not only do I not want people to see the trails that I ride (not all of them have been discovered yet) but my times are much slower than they used to be. I don't care if I'm beating my records anymore, I'm just stoked to throw a leg over the bike and ride.


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## ButtersNZ (Jan 15, 2014)

FJSnoozer said:


> Racing is even harder than strava "racing". That's why most will never know until they show up to the line and get their doors blown off.
> 
> Take that 3 minute segment they once got a top ten on and go that fast for 90 minutes.
> 
> That's what the racers are doing and why trails where races are hosted will put a stravasshole in their place.


100% true. A lot of fast people don't even log Strava. I got a top 10 on a well ridden stage during a race run (9th/430, 1000 attempts), I still came 20th overall on that stage, just in that one race.

I wouldn't put much stock in Strava times at all.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

ButtersNZ said:


> 100% true. A lot of fast people don't even log Strava. I got a top 10 on a well ridden stage during a race run (9th/430, 1000 attempts), I still came 20th overall on that stage, just in that one race.
> 
> I wouldn't put much stock in Strava times at all.


How many people total were in that event?


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## scaryfast (Apr 23, 2004)

I know a lot of people who take it easy on their rides just so they can give it their all for one specific section (or a couple) to try to KOM or beat their friends. You look at the rest of their ride and they got nothing.


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## MOJO K (Jan 26, 2007)

Don't the aggressive long travel bikes with bigger wheels and slack head angles change the nature of how a rider moves through the woods? We can wait for NORBA race ready 26er hardtails and "rake-and-ride" tech trails to come back into popularity, but for now, flow is king and corners get cut. Strava might be part of it, but it's not the whole story.


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## Sidewalk (May 18, 2015)

scaryfast said:


> I know a lot of people who take it easy on their rides just so they can give it their all for one specific section (or a couple) to try to KOM or beat their friends. You look at the rest of their ride and they got nothing.


Most of the MTB KOM holders (climbing at least) in my area are fast people. Some people do targets like that, but the rear fast guys don't, and still take them. Well, except maybe Phil Gaiman who targets specific climbs, but that's different.

The segment I am most proud of is 6 miles, 1900' of climbing. I did that one on a 50 mile/6000' day (respectable time, not KOM). The KOM holder did it on nearly the identical route. Both he and I didn't cruise the rest of the ride either.


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## big_slacker (Feb 16, 2004)

Yeah, I know some of the KOMs around here and they race, are fit and fast AF as well as being fast on strava as well. I think it's as lame to make up stories in your head about strava segment snipers as it is to be one.


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## scaryfast (Apr 23, 2004)

big_slacker said:


> Yeah, I know some of the KOMs around here and they race, are fit and fast AF as well as being fast on strava as well. I think it's as lame to make up stories in your head about strava segment snipers as it is to be one.


LOL first off I too have friends who are pro racers are are fit as phuck. They do own a lot of KOM's in the area. That does not mean I don't have expert bro'd out level'd friends who are fast on the dh but don't have the full gamut who aren't trying to dethrone the KOM. I have also helped coach high schoolers who also do this so ya...totally making these stories up to make myself feel good. Good one slacker.


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## Le Duke (Mar 23, 2009)

scaryfast said:


> I know a lot of people who take it easy on their rides just so they can give it their all for one specific section (or a couple) to try to KOM or beat their friends. You look at the rest of their ride and they got nothing.


I've been accused of that.

Someone basically said, "You only rode that segment?".

Well, no, that was 2:15 into a 3hr ride. I don't record or upload everything. But, sometimes I'm feeling frisky. And, my actual race category and results aren't terrible, so, I'll just choose not to respond to that.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


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## big_slacker (Feb 16, 2004)

Both exist of course, I'm just saying IN GENERAL (not about you specifically) we shouldn't have all these preconceived notions and not like the idea of people rather than real people.


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## BCsaltchucker (Jan 16, 2014)

no it's not. Strava is just a frickin odometer, way to measure how much of a workout I got. I don't ride mtnbike for best time, that is for sure. All the segment records here are set by national and world class pros anyways. really I mainly use a computer on the bars to watch my heart rate because I am over 50, I have a heart valve defect and it helps to keep the ticker from getting beating too fast. ie, Strava sort of slows me down, LOL


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