How Strava Ruins Cycling

Just Ride by Grant Petersen:

"If it's not on Strava, it didn't happen." "I was just riding with my family, so it doesn't count." "Can't talk, gotta get this segment."

Cyclists, including myself, have a bad habit of over complicating everything and prescribing the "best" way to ride bikes.

I love Strava. It's a useful tool; it's fun to look back on rides and remember defeatedly scarfing down a peanut butter sandwich on the side of the road during rush hour because I bonked hard on mile 80 of my first century, and it's inspiring to see what kinds of rides everyone in the Reasonably Dangerous Crew are crushing.

But like any other tool, Strava has serious drawbacks that you should consider before using it.

The danger with Strava is overvaluing stats, especially if you're not a racer. When this happens, Strava stops being a tool that records how you ride, and starts dictating how and when you should ride.

When you overuse Strava, it takes the fun out of cycling and ruins it. It develops a hyper-competitive mindset of achieving goals at all costs that disqualifies other forms of riding that are just as important as the long, hard rides where you feel like throwing up your stomach afterwards.

Every ride becomes a race, and they're not. Sometimes, you're better off not using Strava.

This is How Strava Ruins Cycling.

*DISCLAIMER: This video and description contain affiliate links, meaning if you click one of the product links, I'll receive a small commission. This helps support the channel and allows me to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!

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Follow my rarely used Strava account:

Join the Reasonably Dangerous Crew on Strava:

[sasamsa]

Strava doesn't ruin anything. People obsessing over stats ruin it but only for themselves. I have it on all the time but It doesn't rule me. I still stop to enjoy the view.

[BanacaNation]

I agree in a way, but Strava motivates me to ride more not less. No one cares about your stats as much as you do, so once I realized that I have been a little better about enjoying my rides more. I never hunt for segments, I just look back on ones I happened to do and like the stat tracking aspect. You're right that if Strava turns your rides into work then you need to reevaluate what you are using it for.

[williamframpton]

I love Strava because I use the metrics to see my progress. However, it isn't my focus.

[twotwoocritter]

I like using it to track my route when I go to unfamiliar territory

[xGshikamaru]

I do record every commute I do by bike just to be able to look back at the end of the year and be satisfied by how many gasoline liters I've spared for the planet. But I do keep these private because noone cares about a dude who does the same ride every day of the week. I like to share my rides and runs though. It's not just about KOMs or distance/average speed even though KOMs are fun especially on run segments (wind is less a factor), it's about sharing a lifestyle, cheering your mates for what they did, motivate one another to just be the best version of yourself. Sometimes a run is just a long run at a slow pace, no KOM involved, and it's great too. There's nothing wrong with training and it takes nothing out of the enjoyment of riding a bike

[MatthewBodaly]

You touched on the point where a tool becomes overused and that is super valid. Seeing Strava as just a tool (and not status) would probably chill some people out. I record rides mostly to see progress over time with the segment stuff being a nice add on. I also record lots of data points about myself outside of Strava so this is normal for me. Seeing my change over long periods of time is super encouraging to me.

It's all about how the tool is used.

[UnliAhon]

That is why I dont use my phone to record rides with Strava. I have a bike computer (not Garmin) for that. Though I am not much of a segment hunter, it is just nice how easy it is to see your improvements via PB's.

[dbpooper]

Personally, I get the biggest kick out of seeing my longer term stats; total number of rides, time in the saddle, elevation gain per year. It sort of validates the hobby for me to watch those numbers slowly accumulate.

[yermanoh]

learn to control things instead of letting things control you

[LomTong]

I record everything, but also don't let it dictate how I ride.

You're damn right I'm gonna stop and take a picture, but you can also bet your ass I'm going to fly off up that hill and wait at the top for you if my legs see fit. Neither of these things are dictated by Strava, but are just how I ride. I love scenery, but I also can't ride at anyone else's pace on a climb. It's whatever pace my legs tell me I'm setting, or I won't make it to the top.

[ionraice]

So I am losing weight through cycling. I consider myself a scientific type of person so I started using strava to track my mileage mainly. I have phone, i dont need a bike computer. The speed has shown me i am getting faster. I find that encouraging. I do find it discouraging to see that the segment that is the hill i walked up on my commute placed me 184th of 184 or something but thats not why I'm there. I got my ass up off the couch and I want to know exactly how many miles i push it this year. I want to do 1000 miles this season and I love being outside on my bike. I like knowing that even if I felt slow today maybe i wasn't. It helps me see the signs when i need to take more recovery time in addition to listening to my body. It's a tool and I suppose i agree with you that if you're seeking validation and acceptance from someone else (or an app) that its not healthy. I'm proud of me. I don't need anyone on strava to be proud of me.

[HrvojeMihajlic]

Strava didn't ruin cycling. People like you did. Strava is a fantastic tool that can dig amazing data points of your rides, and it becomes even more useful paired with tools like Veloviewer. It's not a competition. It can be if you're up to it, and then it values, surprise surprise, time and altitude the most (because it only makes sense). I don't understand why it should record how many corgies you bring on your back. Bottom line, don't be jealous if somebody is better than you. Let it be a motivation.

[pwrshots]

enjoyed your comments. I'm 62 and have been riding since I was a kid. Still a kid in a sense. age is a number. I ride to live and I live to ride. I ride with a club on weekends and in the park with the wife (on ocassion). no computers on my bike. I judge my rides by how I feel. however I am looking at some GPS's. Just for mapping out rides. Btw, I can still out climb some youngins. :)

[ZachGallardo]

In my experience, overusing Strava took the fun out of cycling and discouraged me from riding my bike. Often times, people would be better off not using it.
My opinion may be unpopular, so I'd love to hear your thoughts and reasoning for or against stat tracking your rides.

[bluetickhound]

It’s why I ditched my “Fitbit”... instead of enjoying being outdoors, active and having that be sufficient I started obsessing over steps, kcals burned and outdoing everyone else for the day, week or month. BS on all that mess. Technology is a wonderful thing but when it overrides my enjoyment of simply being outside (whether hiking, biking or anything else) it becomes an albatross...

[timboha]

I suppose it depends on what sort of personality you have. I started using it, and enjoyed it at first.
But when things didn’t go my way, and I started missing rides. I got really paranoid about what my stats would look like to other people.
I really hated it when people I followed, started catching up with my mileage totals, or if someone had gotten in a really big ride, when I was unable to respond.
So I deleted my account and rode without for a while. I then thought I was being silly, and started using again. Things went well for a time, but then life gets in the way, and I’m stuck working away and unable to get a ride in, which is stressing my out a little.
So I think for people with addictive personality’s, it’s likely not a good thing.

[psychoaiko]

This is exactly why I'm not on strava or facebut for that matter.
Social media like these are aimed at certain psychological trigger points. Especially younger people are susceptible to this kind of manipulation.
Damn, now I sound like an old man, I'm 16!
Would you believe that I am 16?

Don't apply the rule of 3, that would make me 14 years older then I actually am!

[joshlichtnauer]

Hey, Zach I was wondering if you could tell me about any fixed gear or track bikes that has cheap shipping to Australia.

[avxrevo]

Hey Zach, what handlebars are you using ?

[AKARalph]

Doesn't the Strava phone app record the data on the phone so you can re-sync with the mothership?