Strava lies

[ScottyManc]

Does anyone else's Strava results give elevation, then about an hour later drastically reduce it? On a couple of occasions mine has taken hundreds of feet off. The post-exercise glow of knowing how much you've potentially done is good, but not when you're wondering whether Strava is just lulling you into thinking you're better / fitter than you are!

 

[Irishrich]

I did the same ride on Sunday as hundreds of others but when I checked my strava results, although the average times seemed to be right compared to my bike computer, the elevation was way off. For example it said my elevation gain was 1337 ft but for everyone else I checked, they were over 2000 ft, some up to 2500 ft. It was the exact same route for everyone so I dont know how my elevation was so low.

 

[Joffey]

Often the details such as calories and elevation change after a ride. Think it's just syncing the ride with its databases and maps.

 

[Cupra]

it lies on everything.

Me and my friend did a ride the other day he sat on my back wheel the whole way yet it says he did 1/2 a mile more than me and his average speed was .3 of a mile slower.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

It's all down to how strava interprates the data and the algorithms it uses, if you use the strava app on a mobile ther is not much you can do, well there is.
If you use a gps unit, don't update the elevation, segment times are taken from entering a segment to finishing it, and the distance can vary, it also seems to truncate avg speed as opposed to rounding.
What you have to remember is it's just a fun thing, some take it too serious.

 

[jo_e]

Does anyone else's Strava results give elevation, then about an hour later drastically reduce it? On a couple of occasions mine has taken hundreds of feet off.

Yes! Last week I did a 45km ride, and when I finished strava said my elevation gain was around 960m, and when I went to show my husband about 2 hours later, it said 460m. I imported the ride into runkeeper and that said it was 650m. So I honestly have no idea.

 

[MikeW-71]

It seems to be different depending what device you use to log the ride. I really only use Strava to compare against myself.

 

[gavroche]

I stopped using Strava a few months ago. I now use Endomondo and Mapmyride at the same time and Mapmyride always gives a higher average speed and better running time than Endo ( I have ckecked it manually against real time) so I keep MMR for my records. The reason why I use both together is simply in case one packs up on my rides.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

Yes! Last week I did a 45km ride, and when I finished strava said my elevation gain was around 960m, and when I went to show my husband about 2 hours later, it said 460m. I imported the ride into runkeeper and that said it was 650m. So I honestly have no idea.

RWGPS and GPSIES
If you export your ride eiher as a gpx (strava) or a tcx other sites and load it to one of this sites it will give you a better idea, though none is perfect.
For the same ride yesterday
Gpsies 1014 ft gain http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=xuhbjhayzmrksqld
RWGPS 1452ft
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1712508
http://ridewithgps.com/trips/1712507

Strava, this was an import of the two separate files combined into one.
971ft
http://app.strava.com/activities/78242181

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I stopped using Strava a few months ago. I now use Endomondo and Mapmyride at the same time and Mapmyride always gives a higher average speed and better running time than Endo ( I have ckecked it manually against real time) so I keep MMR for my records. The reason why I use both together is simply in case one packs up on my rides.

I use the raw data from my garmin, in a spreadsheet, web sites are just there for a little bit of fun.

 

[jo_e]

RWGPS and GPSIES

Thanks, RWGPS says 584m, so I guess it's somewhere in the middle of it all.

 

[Joey Shabadoo]

I did the same ride on Sunday as hundreds of others but when I checked my strava results, although the average times seemed to be right compared to my bike computer, the elevation was way off. For example it said my elevation gain was 1337 ft but for everyone else I checked, they were over 2000 ft, some up to 2500 ft. It was the exact same route for everyone so I dont know how my elevation was so low.

Maybe it's to do with differing saddle heights?

 

[BAtoo]

Does anyone else's Strava results give elevation, then about an hour later drastically reduce it? On a couple of occasions mine has taken hundreds of feet off. The post-exercise glow of knowing how much you've potentially done is good, but not when you're wondering whether Strava is just lulling you into thinking you're better / fitter than you are!

The other day my elevation went from an unbelievable 1500ft to a more realistic 500ft - I'm in fairly flat Suffolk - after posting the ride.

I just use it to compare & log my own rides.

Thinking about it maybe the variation has something to do with how level the device is whilst riding or is it bobbing about in a pocket ??

In my other hobby - sailing - GPS recievers are mounted low down on the boat to reduce pitching and yawing errors & are not mounted high on the mast.

Just a thought....

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I did the same ride on Sunday as hundreds of others but when I checked my strava results, although the average times seemed to be right compared to my bike computer, the elevation was way off. For example it said my elevation gain was 1337 ft but for everyone else I checked, they were over 2000 ft, some up to 2500 ft. It was the exact same route for everyone so I dont know how my elevation was so low.

To get max elevation from a garmin unit, load to garmin connect, correct elevation, export tcx file load to strava, garmin connect gives the highest corrected elevation I have seen. But dont then correct on strava

 

[Nigelnaturist]

The other day my elevation went from an unbelievable 1500ft to a more realistic 500ft - I'm in fairly flat Suffolk - after posting the ride.

I just use it to compare & log my own rides.

Thinking about it maybe the variation has something to do with how level the device is whilst riding or is it bobbing about in a pocket ??

In my other hobby - sailing - GPS recievers are mounted low down on the boat to reduce pitching and yawing errors & are not mounted high on the mast.

Just a thought....

it's more to do with the algorithms each site uses to work out data.