# The great Strava moving time Con



## Rupie (3 Sep 2017)

Went out on a charity ride today, horrible in the rain, many people had punctures. I was lucky and when I got home found out my official time, and posted it on line for other cycle friends to see. A group of other cyclists were 30 minutes behind me because they kept stopping for rests and one puncture. They then all posted their times via strava, showing that they got home at least 20 minutes before me.
What a con and very misleading Strava is. You could stop many times, have food and rest, in reality take a very long time but using Strava claim you took no time at all. Its your total time that counts, stops and all, specially on organised, chipped tides.


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## S-Express (3 Sep 2017)

You should write to your MP about it..


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## Drago (3 Sep 2017)

You should write to the Director General of the BBC.


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## Crackle (3 Sep 2017)

I'm slightly amused by this complaint given you were riding a charity event and have this on your profile







But it gives both total and moving time on Strava


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## Milkfloat (3 Sep 2017)

Strava gives you both moving time and elaspsed time so the fault is not with the platform.


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## Tin Pot (3 Sep 2017)




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## Milkfloat (3 Sep 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> To be fair to the OP, while Strava does give both moving and elapsed times, it only gives "moving" speed, not true speed. This is because Strava users can't handle the truth.



Even with my dodgy maths, I think I could do the calculation.

Personally to me moving speed/time makes more sense to compare my own rides, that way the effects of hold ups like traffic lights are somewhat filtered out.


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## Tin Pot (3 Sep 2017)

Milkfloat said:


> Even with my dodgy maths, I think I could do the calculation.
> 
> Personally to me moving speed/time makes more sense to compare my own rides, that way the effects of hold ups like traffic lights are somewhat filtered out.



Moving time is also useful when you're training, and your plan is time based.


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## Too Tyred (3 Sep 2017)

Ahhhh so it does!! I hadn't noticed it was anything other that total time. Is your average speed then taken from your moving time or elapsed time, out of interest?


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## si_c (3 Sep 2017)

Two Tired said:


> Ahhhh so it does!! I hadn't noticed it was anything other that total time. Is your average speed then taken from your moving time or elapsed time, out of interest?


Moving. I try to minimise stopped time when riding longer rides. It's pretty much the only way for me to get faster.


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## huggy (3 Sep 2017)

But Segments are total time not moving time so you can't get a KOM up Holme Moss by splitting it into 20 sprints with 20 rests.


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## Too Tyred (3 Sep 2017)

si_c said:


> Moving. I try to minimise stopped time when riding longer rides. It's pretty much the only way for me to get faster.



Good to know.

No mate you've got it the wrong way round... if you speed up before the red lights then slam your brakes on you'll spend more time stopped thus increasing your average speed! That's if you do a me and roll up to the lights as slow as possible to try and beat them haha. I'm definitely joking! Nobody likes a skidder!


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## Globalti (4 Sep 2017)

We have one Strava user in our little group of five and I have to admit that he is irritating; he will often say: "If it's not on Strava it didn't happen" and he will argue ad nauseam about times and distances and averages, saying Strava is the only true arbiter. From what I see Strava can be quite inaccurate especially on height measurement.

Mind you he also likes the smarmy wheel-sucker Alberto Contador. Say no more.


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## Venod (4 Sep 2017)

If you think Stravas odd try loading your rides to the free version of Ride with GPS they must assume anything below a certain mph that you are stopped, it certainly improves your average moving speed on the computer but doesn't reflect what happened on the bike, if anyone knows how to change this behavior please let me know.


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## Banjo (4 Sep 2017)

Free version of RWGPS also gives figures for moving and total pace but I dont know how these numbers are calculated .ie a 20 kph average speed ride will have a "pace" reading of about 3.


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## tallliman (4 Sep 2017)

Is that pace reading 3mins/km?


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## S-Express (4 Sep 2017)

OP has gone strangely quiet..


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## Aravis (4 Sep 2017)

On a 10 hour ride I find that RwGPS gives me under 10 minutes extra stopped time compared with Strava, nothing to get worked up about. Whereas distance and elapsed time are pretty much absolutes, moving time and elevation involve quite a bit of subjectivity.

I can see that Strava wouldn't want to highlight two separate average speed figures. A useful stat it could add would be "percentage stopped time", which would neatly put the moving average speed into perspective. Rider 1 does 16mph (25%); rider 2 does 13mph (4%) - you have a more complete picture of what they've both done.

Rider 2 is me, btw.


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## Aravis (4 Sep 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> ...an interesting Audax conundrum. At the controls you need to buy something to get a receipt. This is normally food, so you then have to eat it. At the last control, I bought a Magnum lolly. Which I then had to wolf down as quick as possible, which meant I had to set off with one of those "eating ice cream too fast" headaches.


When you can get three Double Raspberry Magnums for £2 at Tesco to eat at leisure post-ride, that would be enough to persuade me to buy something transportable at a control.

I empathise to an extent with the OP. Some of the stuff Strava spits out, such as the Yearly Century Challenge weekly leaderboard, includes stats like average (moving) speed and total climbing, but doesn't say anything about time spent hanging around in bars. My inactive time is almost invariably very low, so one of the measures where I'd normally score well is absent. Added to that, last year when I was using an Edge 200, I was getting much lower climbing numbers than most of the others on the same terrain. But of course, I shouldn't be trying to compare myself with anyone else...


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## KneesUp (4 Sep 2017)

So are we concluding that Strava and similar tools are just another source of stress in life, and as such have no place in a leisure activity?


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## Crackle (4 Sep 2017)

I use both times according to what I'm planning. If I'm just out for a ride then I'm interested in moving time because if I'm stopped it's lights or traffic. if I'm out all day or touring, then I'm interested in total time.

I have my Sportstracks programme set to smooth out anything below 2mph! Even Strava isn't that optimistic.


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## Apollonius (4 Sep 2017)

Why all this hate for Strava? It is a free service that records your cycling for you, allows you to see how long your tyres and chains and stuff have lasted and gives you some idea of your fitness. I really enjoy seeing how I have done against my previous rides if I have been pushing myself. I do not compare myself with anyone else. Why all this shooting of the messenger? It is a free tool. Up to you how you use/abuse it.


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## Aravis (4 Sep 2017)

I hate to say this, but comparing with oneself can be stressful as well. In the last couple of months I've been struggling, and failing, to match what I was doing in March, April, and May. We're not talking anything remarkable here, I hasten to add.

I'm sure it's the new tyres I've been using. Trouble is, if I go back to the old ones, and find that it isn't, that will just make it worse.


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## pjd57 (4 Sep 2017)

Strava is good , as long as you don't take it too seriously.

For someone like me who plods along its a useful tool for knowing how long it takes me to get to various places .
Just check how long the last trip or a similar one took , and I don't end up being too early. ( I'm never late )

The segments and PB stuff are just a bit of fun , not something you should rely on.

It's been good this week seeing the difference in times with my new bike v the old one.

C.cross v hybrid


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## fossyant (4 Sep 2017)

It's also good for helping track your own fitness. Other than that, don't take it seriously.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> Went out on a charity ride today, horrible in the rain, many people had punctures. I was lucky and when I got home found out my official time, and posted it on line for other cycle friends to see. A group of other cyclists were 30 minutes behind me because they kept stopping for rests and one puncture. They then all posted their times via strava, showing that they got home at least 20 minutes before me.
> What a con and very misleading Strava is. You could stop many times, have food and rest, in reality take a very long time but using Strava claim you took no time at all. Its your total time that counts, stops and all, specially on organised, chipped tides.


Who, er, cares?


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Sep 2017)

User said:


> @Rupie


It was a charidee ride. Did the fundraising depend on the speed of completion?


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## Alan O (4 Sep 2017)

Aravis said:


> I hate to say this, but comparing with oneself can be stressful as well.


Indeed it can - many's the time I've finished a ride, looked at the stats, and thought "I can't even beat that fat b*****d!" 

Seriously, all I really use Strava for is to keep a record of my approximate total mileage - and it's a lot more accurate at that the old mechanical doo-dahs I used to have on my front wheel when I was younger.

It's also nice to see if my moving average speed increases as I ride more over the same routes, but just as a rough guide to how my fitness is going.


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## si_c (4 Sep 2017)

I use it to track my mileage on my bikes, and to keep track of my general fitness. I also like seeing improvements in speed and endurance over time, which I wouldn't be able to do easily without it. I'm never going to be competitive with the younger, thinner people who also use strava, so there is little competitiveness in it for me.

I think part of the beauty of the tool is that it gives those who use it what they need, whether they want to see themselves at the top of leaderboards or are just interested in tracking their own progress.


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## Racing roadkill (4 Sep 2017)

Strava is THE LAW. If it isn't on Strava, it DIDN'T FLIPPING WELL HAPPEN. That's how it is, live with it.


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## Crackle (4 Sep 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> Me Sir! I do! I care!
> 
> It gives me the opportunity to blather on endlessly about the meaningfulness or otherwise of the various stats that Strava and RWGPS supply.
> 
> I care very much. Endless blathering is my reason for being.



You've only got 6000 blathers. Some way to go to catch Adrian. You need to make your blathers pithier.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Sep 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> Me Sir! I do! I care!
> 
> It gives me the opportunity to blather on endlessly about the meaningfulness or otherwise of the various stats that Strava and RWGPS supply.
> 
> I care very much. Endless blathering is my reason for being.


That much blathering comes perilously close to wittering on.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Sep 2017)

si_c said:


> I use it to track my mileage on my bikes, and to keep track of my general fitness. I also like seeing improvements in speed and endurance over time, which I wouldn't be able to do easily without it. I'm never going to be competitive with the younger, thinner people who also use strava, so there is little competitiveness in it for me.


I use it track mileage on my running shoes and my decline into advancing middle-age. Whilst laughing at PB's I'll never get within minutes of, ever again.


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## Venod (4 Sep 2017)

GrumpyGregry said:


> Whilst laughing at PB's I'll never get within minutes of, ever again



It was getting like that with me so I gave it up while I still had some KOM's, to lose, I gave 40 KOM's to others when I stopped using Strava it gave me a feel good moment that soon passed.


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## GrumpyGregry (4 Sep 2017)

Afnug said:


> It was getting like that with me so I gave it up while I still had some KOM's, to lose, I gave 40 KOM's to others when I stopped using Strava it gave me a feel good moment that soon passed.


Being passed by the 5km in 30 minute runners I mentored on four learn-to-run courses has yet to yield a feel good moment.


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## Milkfloat (4 Sep 2017)

GrumpyGregry said:


> Being passed by the 5km in 30 minute runners I mentored on four learn-to-run courses has yet to yield a feel good moment.


And you were passed whilst on your bike? That would be tough to swallow.


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## Drago (4 Sep 2017)

You must never let another cyclist pass you, and you should always look nonchalant while desperately pedalling to keep them at bay. That is the law.


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## User169 (4 Sep 2017)

Globalti said:


> Mind you he also likes the smarmy wheel-sucker Alberto Contador. Say no more.



Sounds like he might actually have watched some pro-racing unlike you. 

Contador a wheel-sucker - total BS. He's one of the very few riders that actually try to shake a race up.


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## Mr Celine (4 Sep 2017)

Yesterday I dropped 20 places on some of my local segments. 

The Tour of Britain passing through is much more annoying than the 'moving time con'.


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## Slick (4 Sep 2017)

You dropped more than 20 places then.


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## Ian H (4 Sep 2017)

'Segments' really must be up among the daftest ever inventions.


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## Tim Hall (4 Sep 2017)

GrumpyGregry said:


> That much blathering comes perilously close to wittering on.


Speaking of which, Unman, Wittering and Zigo was on Radio 4 Extra t'other day.


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## Rupie (4 Sep 2017)

I don't have many things to worry about but for some reason this really annoys me. If you keep stopping for tea breaks your moving time is always going to be faster, because of the resting. They then claim their time is 20 minutes faster than everyone else. They then get all defensive when you tell them their actual total time.

As for segments, out on group rides etc, just get people to hide in the group, resting, then burst away in front like fools and then hide and rest again afterwards.


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## classic33 (4 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> I don't have many things to worry about but for some reason this really annoys me. If you keep stopping for tea breaks your moving time is always going to be faster, because of the resting. They then claim their time is 20 minutes faster than everyone else. They then get all defensive when you tell them their actual total time.
> 
> As for segments, out on group rides etc, just get people to hide in the group, resting, then burst away in front like fools and then hide and rest again afterwards.


Use a stopwatch.

Time taken to get from start to finish is what matters. That factors everything in, breaks, traffic and time spent actually moving.

Train timetables would look great using a similar method.


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## burntoutbanger (4 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> As for segments, out on group rides etc, just get people to hide in the group, resting, then burst away in front like fools and then hide and rest again afterwards.



Well if it's good enough for the pros....


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## Ming the Merciless (4 Sep 2017)

First world problems


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## themosquitoking (4 Sep 2017)

My mate gets really wound up when i point out to him my moving time for a ride was faster than his even though he finished before me. Make me laugh so much.


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## Tin Pot (4 Sep 2017)

YukonBoy said:


> First world problems


I'm choking on my quinoa salad


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## Mr Celine (4 Sep 2017)

Slick said:


> You dropped more than 20 places then.


Yikes, so I have. Some of them are faster at riding than they are at uploading.


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## User33236 (5 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> Went out on a charity ride today, horrible in the rain, many people had punctures. I was lucky and when I got home found out my official time, and posted it on line for other cycle friends to see. A group of other cyclists were 30 minutes behind me because they kept stopping for rests and one puncture. They then all posted their times via strava, showing that they got home at least 20 minutes before me.
> What a con and very misleading Strava is. You could stop many times, have food and rest, in reality take a very long time but using Strava claim you took no time at all. Its your total time that counts, stops and all, specially on organised, chipped tides.


Yet another first world problem.


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## Globalti (5 Sep 2017)

So I go out for a leisurely ride with my pals and we stop for 45 minutes at a cafe or a pub. Are the "total time" crowd seriously suggesting that break should be included in my riding time? I'm interested in knowing how fast I rode a particular route, not how long I was out of the house.

Example: last Sunday I rode the Manchester 100 in 24 minutes less time than in 2016 despite a stiff headwind for the outbound half. That for me is positive proof that I'm still improving my strength, technique and nutrition despite being a year older. I'm not in the least interested in the time I took from door to door.

Different philosophy I guess.


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## User169 (5 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> I don't have many things to worry about but for some reason this really annoys me. If you keep stopping for tea breaks your moving time is always going to be faster, because of the resting. They then claim their time is 20 minutes faster than everyone else. They then get all defensive when you tell them their actual total time.
> 
> As for segments, out on group rides etc, just get people to hide in the group, resting, then burst away in front like fools and then hide and rest again afterwards.



Sounds like it's time for you to pin a number on and show em what your made of...


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## 400bhp (5 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> If you keep stopping for tea breaks your moving time is always going to be faster, because of the resting.



Not true.


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## Aravis (5 Sep 2017)

Globalti said:


> So I go out for a leisurely ride with my pals and we stop for 45 minutes at a cafe or a pub. Are the "total time" crowd seriously suggesting that break should be included in my riding time? I'm interested in knowing how fast I rode a particular route, not how long I was out of the house.



Last December I rode what Strava considers to be one of my fastest 100 milers. It took almost 23 hours, with a 15½ hour break after 71 miles. All completed on a single calendar day. That's an extreme example, done in part as a very mild mickey-take. 

Certainly if you're assessing your own performance, how you regard your stops will depend on what you were trying to achieve. But if you're regarding an effort as a single activity, you can't really argue that stationary time wasn't part of it.


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## jefmcg (5 Sep 2017)

YukonBoy said:


> First world problems





User33236 said:


> Yet another first world problem.



So from now on, cycle chat should no longer deal with "first world" problems?

OK, guys, that's a wrap. @Shaun, you can shutter the site now.

Edit: and I think it may be time stop using first etc world. Show me a country that people aren't bitching about strava segments and I'll show you a country strava hasn't rolled out to yet.


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## S-Express (5 Sep 2017)

Rupie said:


> I don't have many things to worry about but for some reason this really annoys me. If you keep stopping for tea breaks your moving time is always going to be faster, because of the resting. They then claim their time is 20 minutes faster than everyone else. They then get all defensive when you tell them their actual total time.
> 
> As for segments, out on group rides etc, just get people to hide in the group, resting, then burst away in front like fools and then hide and rest again afterwards.



Hi Rupie - have you been cycling long?


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## Venod (5 Sep 2017)

Aravis said:


> Last December I rode what Strava considers to be one of my fastest 100 milers. It took almost 23 hours, with a 15½ hour break after 71 miles. All completed on a single calendar day. That's an extreme example, done in part as a very mild mickey-take.



Make it a segment and it will be one of your slowest 100's


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## User33236 (5 Sep 2017)

jefmcg said:


> So from now on, cycle chat should no longer deal with "first world" problems?
> 
> OK, guys, that's a wrap. @Shaun, you can shutter the site now.
> 
> Edit: and I think it may be time stop using first etc world. Show me a country that people aren't bitching about strava segments and I'll show you a country strava hasn't rolled out to yet.


You do know such statements are typically made with tongue firmly planted in cheek?


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## nickyboy (5 Sep 2017)

Your average speed is a pretty decent way of monitoring fitness.

I like the moving average that Strava does as it discourages stupid cycling at traffic queues, junctions, lights etc etc to maintain an average. Just stop until it's safe to start again


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## Ming the Merciless (5 Sep 2017)

There is a strava segment near me that starts just before a pub. I went to that pub for a Christmas lunch with my cycling club. The segment took me just under five hours. Rather proud that , I'm KOP for that segment.


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## classic33 (5 Sep 2017)

jefmcg said:


> So from now on, cycle chat should no longer deal with "first world" problems?
> 
> OK, guys, that's a wrap. @Shaun, you can shutter the site now.
> 
> Edit: and I think it may be time stop using first etc world. Show me a country that people aren't bitching about strava segments and I'll show you a country strava hasn't rolled out to yet.


Greenland, Suriname, Paua New Guinea, Myanmar, Yemen


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## Slick (5 Sep 2017)

classic33 said:


> Greenland, Suriname, Paua New Guinea, Myanmar, Yemen


Don't tell me you can't get Strava in Yemen, no wonder there a bloody war on.


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## classic33 (5 Sep 2017)

Slick said:


> Don't tell me you can't get Strava in Yemen, no wonder there a bloody war on.


Greenland?


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## Slick (5 Sep 2017)

classic33 said:


> Greenland?


Who wants to go to Greenland?


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## jefmcg (5 Sep 2017)

http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#9/-432.36005/18.51972/blue/bike

I can't see a country that doesn't have some strava usage. And where there is strava usage, there is bitching about segments.


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## classic33 (5 Sep 2017)

Slick said:


> Who wants to go to Greenland?


Ripe for KOM's, why not. If you're on STRAVA, that is.


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## classic33 (5 Sep 2017)

jefmcg said:


> http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#9/-432.36005/18.51972/blue/bike
> 
> I can't see a country that doesn't have some strava usage. And where there is strava usage, there is bitching about segments.
> 
> View attachment 371951


Countries named.

Madagasgar, black on the picture has STRAVA sections on the SW area.


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## Slick (5 Sep 2017)

classic33 said:


> Ripe for KOM's, why not. If you're on STRAVA, that is.


Your right, I could go and set the slowest KOM's in history.


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## Con (5 Sep 2017)

On about strava segment and how stupid they are I did one in halmer end to the gresley arms pub at the top of the bank called surprisingly the Gresley climb. Stupid me assumed that the segment ended at the pub where I stopped for a very nice pint only to find out it didn't end at the pub but 50 metres past it so it now says I did 0.4 miles in 40 minutes 35 seconds with an average speed of 0.7 mph the funny thing is I wasn't even the slowest someone took 1hr 12 minutes he must of had the same idea.


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## Ian H (5 Sep 2017)

Very few segments in the rides I uploaded from the Semaine Federale.


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## classic33 (5 Sep 2017)

I want to know who set the segment on my street. It's less than 75 yards, and accessible from one end only.


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## bpsmith (5 Sep 2017)

I must be in the minority that enjoys segments. They're just a bit of fun, that you can challenge yourself on.

I like to create longer TT style ones though. That separates out the short blast segment hunters that hit various individual climbs out on different rides, as the longer segment shows.

Never understood the disdain some people have for Strava. Why get wound up, if you're not interested in it?


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## S-Express (5 Sep 2017)

jefmcg said:


> I can't see a country that doesn't have some strava usage.



North Korea? Actually, I can see plenty..



jefmcg said:


> And where there is strava usage, there is bitching about segments.



Not sure what point you are making there, unless you were just stating a truism.


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## Con (5 Sep 2017)

bpsmith said:


> I must be in the minority that enjoys segments. They're just a bit of fun, that you can challenge yourself on.
> 
> I like to create longer TT style ones though. That separates out the short blast segment hunters that hit various individual climbs out on different rides, as the longer segment shows.
> 
> Never understood the disdain some people have for Strava. Why get wound up, if you're not interested in it?


I enjoy them as well especially the names that people come up with for some of them. (There's one a few miles away from me called dodge the smack head and trust me you really do ) but I don't take it too seriously it's just a bit of fun the only time I've got into the top 50 was when a got chased by a very nasty looking dog and was riding for my life.


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## bpsmith (5 Sep 2017)

Con said:


> I enjoy them as well especially the names that people come up with for some of them. (There's one a few miles away from me called dodge the smack head and trust me you really do ) but I don't take it too seriously it's just a bit of fun the only time I've got into the top 50 was when a got chased by a very nasty looking dog and was riding for my life.


Some cracking names out there. Seen a couple of areas where people have created 3 in a row, to make you laugh at the combined names.

Was going to add some in between, but couldn't come up with anything better. Lol


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## 400bhp (7 Sep 2017)

Strava is ace.

That is all.


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## nickyboy (7 Sep 2017)

400bhp said:


> Strava is ace.
> 
> That is all.



Yeah....until a certain N Moggy keeps beating your times up all the hills in the Peak District


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## Shut Up Legs (7 Sep 2017)

bpsmith said:


> I must be in the minority that enjoys segments. They're just a bit of fun, that you can challenge yourself on.
> 
> I like to create longer TT style ones though. That separates out the short blast segment hunters that hit various individual climbs out on different rides, as the longer segment shows.
> 
> Never understood the disdain some people have for Strava. Why get wound up, if you're not interested in it?


It's not disdain. Some cyclists get so focused on beating Strava times that they forget about the basics. Like safety. That winds people up, understandably in my opinion.


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## classic33 (8 Sep 2017)

How accurate are the records









Just above where the two lines meet, there's a segment?




Through a graveyard!
To the top right of the crossroads


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## J1888 (8 Sep 2017)

I like it to track how many miles I've cycled each week, month, year etc.

I don't really give a stuff about segments.


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## Siclo (8 Sep 2017)

classic33 said:


> How accurate are the records
> View attachment 372349
> 
> View attachment 372350
> ...



No not a segment but a record of activity, probably caused by bad GPS data - loss of satellite lock during an activity. That said, my own heatmap shows a clear trace to my Dad's grave.


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## classic33 (8 Sep 2017)

The one that starts in one field, ending in another, is the one that doesn't make sense. It's a 40° slope on ankle twisting ground.

The KOM's are safe on the road running up the pictures. It's used in the Tour of Ireland and a few other races.


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## bpsmith (8 Sep 2017)

Shut Up Legs said:


> It's not disdain. Some cyclists get so focused on beating Strava times that they forget about the basics. Like safety. That winds people up, understandably in my opinion.


That's fair enough. I agree on that point. Some of those cyclists not on Strava are like that too.

What I can't agree on is tarring everyone with the same brush. Some people talk about Strava like everyone on there rides dangerously.


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## mustang1 (8 Sep 2017)

I give elapsed time more precedence than moving time because it takes into account the traffic conditions.


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