Strava changes - great analysis by DC Rainmaker: "Today, Strava sold its segmented soul."

Training log still works for my free account as of now. Is it being phased out on a certain date?

Je suis Francais wrote:

kudosmyass wrote:

Say La Vee.

This is a french phrase. It is written "c'est la vie".

Let's knock out another one while I'm here:

it's "voila", not "walla"

Thanks Frenchie! You have a certain, how do they say ..., Jay Nay Say Qwah.

Garmin Connect does nearly all the same things as strava. Garmin connect has segments and allows you to connect to friends and follow their training. I keep seeing people talk about segments like only strava does it. You can do the exact same thing on garmin connect.

mister mr wrote:

I hadn’t ever chased a segment intentionally until racing got cancelled. So the timing of the change is unfortunate.

Why would Strava be doing worse financially during the coronavirus? I’m brainstorming on that one.

I think their problem is that they're still not profitable, and borrowing money is getting harder. Maybe some people are cancelling their subscriptions after losing their jobs, but the overarching problem is that they're losing money.

IMO their problem has always been that the free version too good and the pro version wasn't worth the money. So in that sense it's probably smart to rebalance, but who knows how it works out.

Cb wrote:

Do longtime Strava users really care about Segments?

For cyclists, yes it's the core, almost sole reason for the popularity of the app. It's incredibly common to specifically plot out your route around a handful of hill climb segments and to focus on segment PRs the way a runner would focus on distance PRs.

I'm pretty bummed about this, it essentially kills strava for me, competing against friends on the various notable climbs around town is the main reason for using it, but at the same time, not something I want to allocate $600 to over the next decade.

injured guy wrote:

Cb wrote:

Do longtime Strava users really care about Segments?

For cyclists, yes it's the core, almost sole reason for the popularity of the app. It's incredibly common to specifically plot out your route around a handful of hill climb segments and to focus on segment PRs the way a runner would focus on distance PRs.

I'm pretty bummed about this, it essentially kills strava for me, competing against friends on the various notable climbs around town is the main reason for using it, but at the same time, not something I want to allocate $600 to over the next decade.

What? I guess you don't have a sub-14 PR and model wife either?

I've been a regular Strava user since about 2012 and it's been my sole log since maybe 2014. When I started using it you had just the locally competitive folks on there, but not the elites. In my area (fairly big running culture, San Luis Obispo CA, home of running warehouse), in that time I'd basically get every KOM if I ran any faster than easy pace, other than on tracks.

In around 2013/2014 I started getting too into the monthly distance challenges and was running extra miles just to stay in the top 50 for that month (top 50 is the first page). People say that strava makes people overtrain to show off, and that was my single experience with that type of thing. A couple years down the line, the mileage I was doing (maybe 75 mpw) didn't even get me in the top 200 on those month challenges, so I stopped caring about that anyway.

Segments were't competitive until about that time as well (2014ish, in California). Once they got competitive, you had some people stop caring about them because they couldn't compete, but you also had people creating new segments in their neighborhoods.

My thoughts on the changes...I could just say that I only care about the segments I'm top ten on anyway so this doesn't impact me much, but that's not true as I'm also somewhat of a cyclist and I can't even get top 100 in those popular segments. The feature I like the most is the heat maps which you can find using the route creator/building tool, which is now for paying users only. That alone is worth the monthly fee, for me definitely but also for anybody who travels much or enjoys finding new places to run.

comparing segment performances was also neat if you were close to getting a KOM and needed some extra strategy for pacing. It's also great for analysis of races because you can create a segment for the race course and see how you did compared to others from past years (whereas you could always use fly-bys to see how you compared to other races on that day)

The changes are rolling out over the next two days so you might not see anything yet.

King Gizzard wrote:

Apparently I have been using Strava wrong. I use it as a log for my runs. What are segments and all these other features? You find a route someone has run and try and beat their time? Isn't that was races are for? Genuinely asking.

And segments are for people who just like to go out and run fast. FKTs have always been fascinating and up until now, they have been free to view.

Losing the training log is the one big loss for me, and kind of irritating. It's the data I've provided to them, after all, with Strava not doing much besides drawing circles and adding numbers. Such a basic view of your own data seems like something Strava shouldn't be charging for. It's the one feature I really could implement somewhere else or by myself.

I'm less concerned about comparing runs on the same route because eventually it's not all that useful. Some days you use a route for a tempo run, and some days you use it for an easy run, and eventually the upshot is simply that some days you ran faster and some days you ran slower.

But losing the training log really bugs me.

I only heard from one user here that training logs were going to premium.

others have said that was an error.

just keep that in mind...I don't think they're taking that away but I haven't read every word of the press release

my 2c wrote:

Losing the training log is the one big loss for me, and kind of irritating. It's the data I've provided to them, after all, with Strava not doing much besides drawing circles and adding numbers. Such a basic view of your own data seems like something Strava shouldn't be charging for. It's the one feature I really could implement somewhere else or by myself.

I assume the Training Calendar will still be there. And the weekly mileages on your profile page. Those show the data you've provided to them.

And that's the point, they're providing the data to you in various formats, one of which you particularly like but aren't willing to pay for.

Anyway this is why I've always kept a spreadsheet on my PC of my runs. I used MapMyRun from about 2008-10 and that turned into a pile of poop. Looking back to 2012 on Garmin Connect and while they still had my runs, some of the maps/locations were missing.

just past the Gap on my Touche Touche wrote:

Je suis Francais wrote:

This is a french phrase. It is written "c'est la vie".

Let's knock out another one while I'm here:

it's "voila", not "walla"

Have you ever been to Walla Walla? It's eye opening.

Voila, onions.

Strava is fantastic and many many people rely on it for many things.

It is one of the very few things that i am happy to pay the subscription for. I recognise the central role it has in my central hobby and i think the people responsible should be compensated.

LRC and wiki do not fall into the above category.

Garmin Connect? Are you having a laugh? Maired.

I like it, the changes. I can probably sneak into top ten every segment. Brings more clout now for 10 podium for us joggers.

Garmin Connect > Strava if you don't care about segments.

Segments is kinda cool for seeing what chicks run the same route as you then going on their profile and seeing all the THIRSTY guys saying well done and giving her advice on every run -_-.

This is interesting. I've never subscribed to their summit options, whatever they were, as ironically enough I am pretty much only interested in the now effected segments.

Thing is though I have CRs or place well inside the top 10 for any I have targeted over the years, so this will act as no incentive for me to part cash.

What has annoyed me recently - and would possibly make me sign up - are the following:-

1. Tailored feeds. Not interested in cycles / swims / how many burpees (seriously) people have done. Let me just see running only.

2. Coronavirus Segment shutdown. Not interested in seeing insecure sub-elite who've lost their local 5/10k "glory" and now want to use Strava to bolster their ego.

3. Ring fence carbon plated footwear from Segments. e.g. I had a 4:30 mile segment from about 4 years ago recently "beaten" by some Next% loser by a couple of seconds. I ran my time in an old pair of Asics GT-2000! Where's the comparison there? Let me filter that garbage out of the leaderboard, it means nothing.

If they did these changes maybe I'd pay up.

1. I agree 100%. Someone posts they friggin walks on there now..FFS no.

2. Ouch, that's me you just described. Damn.

3. Man, talking about me again! Kind of agree with this though.

they are trying to turn into a sustainable business...

I've been paying for years mostly as a 'I spend alot of time here so I should' but I really hope this pays off for them. I'm unsure of how much engineering resource they have for purely new features, mind.

Improvements to the clubs feature could justify this quite quickly... if they do it.

Stravazzi wrote:

1. Tailored feeds. Not interested in cycles / swims / how many burpees (seriously) people have done. Let me just see running only.

Personally really not interested in non-runners.

That said, I suspect those are the people who they'll be able get to pay a subscription if they can find the prompt. Make them feel there's some kind of hidden key to fitness success and peer group adulation locked away in the subscription.

I won't be surprised if they branch out to including some kind of "nutrition" service, recommendations. And that'll allow the social media types to post pictures of their breakfasts. Yawn.

If it fails and has to shutdown ... watch as Google, Twitter or Facebook pick it up and integrate it into their offerings.