Beacon on Strava
Moderators: Philip Whiteman, George, Dave Cox
Beacon on Strava
In case anybody hasn't noticed there is a growing and lively Beacon club on strava. Join it and you can keep tabs on how much training they are doing.
Patch
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Dave, there's a Beacon club page on Strava which you can join at http://app.strava.com/clubs/beacon-rcc .Here you can see rides by other Beacon members who are on Strava.
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- Andy Terry
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- Andy Terry
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Garmin Connect does not make sharing so easy - you can't export GPX for example. And Facebook is, well, it's just Facebook. I suppose if you want all your 'friends' to know about your rides it's OK - if you prefer to just share that with fellow cyclists then Strava is the place.
Plus everyone in the Beacon is on Strava (OK, slight exaggeration there)
Plus everyone in the Beacon is on Strava (OK, slight exaggeration there)
Dave,
Like the others, I feel Strava is a preferable way of sharing data: nice clean interface, intuitive controls, quick access to what you want.
It's worth saying that Strava is a self-contained sharing platform. When you upload a ride, all your followers see it in their Strava activity feed (unless you make it private). So it's questionable whether there's a real need to additionally share via platforms such as Facebook. I suppose it comes down to whether your non-cycling friends (who probably aren't on Strava) are likely to be interested in your rides. If you do decide to share on other platforms, it's very easy: just tick a box.
A lot of members of the Beacon group share some of their more 'interesting' rides on other platforms as well, but not their everyday rides. Personally, although I include links on my photographic diary pages, I don't usually share my ride data directly, because I don't think that my non-cycling friends are all that bothered (and, to a non-cyclist, it easily looks as if you're showing off).
Like the others, I feel Strava is a preferable way of sharing data: nice clean interface, intuitive controls, quick access to what you want.
It's worth saying that Strava is a self-contained sharing platform. When you upload a ride, all your followers see it in their Strava activity feed (unless you make it private). So it's questionable whether there's a real need to additionally share via platforms such as Facebook. I suppose it comes down to whether your non-cycling friends (who probably aren't on Strava) are likely to be interested in your rides. If you do decide to share on other platforms, it's very easy: just tick a box.
A lot of members of the Beacon group share some of their more 'interesting' rides on other platforms as well, but not their everyday rides. Personally, although I include links on my photographic diary pages, I don't usually share my ride data directly, because I don't think that my non-cycling friends are all that bothered (and, to a non-cyclist, it easily looks as if you're showing off).
You can have Strava automatically be updated from Garmin Connect by using the garminsync.com service.
I use it to keep Strava and Runkeeper up to date. Means I have everything thing where I want it without having to push to several services.
I use it to keep Strava and Runkeeper up to date. Means I have everything thing where I want it without having to push to several services.
New, so go easy on me.
twitter.com/mosspalmer - facebook.com/mosspalmer - dailymile.com/people/MossiahP - strava.com/athletes/mossp
twitter.com/mosspalmer - facebook.com/mosspalmer - dailymile.com/people/MossiahP - strava.com/athletes/mossp
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Dave, presuming this is you, I can see your heart rate.
- Andy Terry
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Yep - it's definitely ticking.laurence_cooley wrote:Dave, presuming this is you, I can see your heart rate.
Dave, you don't have to stop using connect anyway I use both. Just use http://www.garminsync.com/ to share the data for you. It takes under 15mins for titled rides and around 40mins for untitled ones to give you chance to title them before they get pushed out to other services.
New, so go easy on me.
twitter.com/mosspalmer - facebook.com/mosspalmer - dailymile.com/people/MossiahP - strava.com/athletes/mossp
twitter.com/mosspalmer - facebook.com/mosspalmer - dailymile.com/people/MossiahP - strava.com/athletes/mossp
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George that's why I put my rides on Facebook to show off to non-cycling friendsI don't usually share my ride data directly, because I don't think that my non-cycling friends are all that bothered (and, to a non-cyclist, it easily looks as if you're showing off).
Yes I see it now Laurence, I was looking for a graph rather than a list of numbers. I find that the Strava app on my phone is much easier to use than on my PC.Dave, presuming this is you, I can see your heart rate.
Thanks Moss. It's good to have both. Garmin Connect is in miles which I prefer to kmJust use http://www.garminsync.com/ to share the data for you.
Dave
David Cole
Beacon Roads Cycling Club
Beacon Roads Cycling Club
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If you scroll down to just below the map, there's a tab called "performance". That gives you a graph of elevation, speed, heart rate, etc. You can switch each variable on or off using the tick boxes above the graph.
You can also switch Strava to miles (:roll:) by hovering the mouse over your name up in the top-right, clicking settings on the drop-down menu and then selecting "display preferences" on the left of the screen.
You can also switch Strava to miles (:roll:) by hovering the mouse over your name up in the top-right, clicking settings on the drop-down menu and then selecting "display preferences" on the left of the screen.
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The learning curve is short and steep, but I'm getting there
Thanks everyone
Dave
Thanks everyone
Dave
Last edited by David Cole on 28 May 2013 21:20, edited 1 time in total.
David Cole
Beacon Roads Cycling Club
Beacon Roads Cycling Club
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I had to stop using it as it was ruining my training, say I would have to keep to a certain limit, I would end up going max power up a hill just to beat some guy I dont even know and get a website to tell me well done! Crazy really!
But it is brilliant and very addictive!
But it is brilliant and very addictive!
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
- Andy Terry
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Further to my previous moan about the absurdity of Strava's wattage data: make sense of the stats in this little collection of rides along a local segment, all done on the same bike. (Bearing in mind that Strava is unaware of variables such as wind speed/direction.)
I realise that their formula for calculating watts is necessarily an approximation based on various assumptions. But how do they apply the same formula to three apparently identical data sets and come up with three significantly different results?
I realise that their formula for calculating watts is necessarily an approximation based on various assumptions. But how do they apply the same formula to three apparently identical data sets and come up with three significantly different results?
- Andy Terry
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Have you tried asking Strava to explain it, George?George wrote:Further to my previous moan about the absurdity of Strava's wattage data: make sense of the stats in this little collection of rides along a local segment, all done on the same bike. (Bearing in mind that Strava is unaware of variables such as wind speed/direction.)
I realise that their formula for calculating watts is necessarily an approximation based on various assumptions. But how do they apply the same formula to three apparently identical data sets and come up with three significantly different results?
No, I haven't, Andy. I was sharing my incredulity with my friends in a conversational way, rather than seeking a solution. However, now that you suggest it, I think that maybe I will see what Strava says (just to satisfy my curiosity).Andy Terry wrote:Have you tried asking Strava to explain it, George?
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It will be interesting to hear what they say. The segment seems reasonably long, so one possibility could be that part of it is uphill and part of it down. If you really go for it on the uphill section (lots of watts) but then go very slowly on the downhill (not much different in power than if you went fast downhill because gravity is doing most of the work), then you could clock the same time but with very different average power?
Strava Power Calculations
Their KB article explains their calculation;
https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/2095 ... lculations
.... in which their disclaimer about wind resistance, for me, renders the whole thing bit of a waste of time;
"Because we do not know wind speed or air density during your ride, we assume no environmental wind conditions and an outside temperature of 15C. The drag coefficient is determined by the type of bike you are riding (TT bikes have less drag than mountain bikes). We use a constant for surface area."
https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/2095 ... lculations
.... in which their disclaimer about wind resistance, for me, renders the whole thing bit of a waste of time;
"Because we do not know wind speed or air density during your ride, we assume no environmental wind conditions and an outside temperature of 15C. The drag coefficient is determined by the type of bike you are riding (TT bikes have less drag than mountain bikes). We use a constant for surface area."
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Re: Strava Power Calculations
I've submitted my query; I'll let you know. However, by way of clarification: the section in question is an almost flat section of lane about three miles from home. Although it is defined as a segment, 99% of the time that I ride along it, I'm just riding along it because it's on the way to somewhere else. On the 3 featured days I was just cruising; the only way I varied my effort was if I was obliged to do so by another road user, and I find it hard to imagine that that could account for a 12% discrepancy in power output.laurence_cooley wrote:It will be interesting to hear what they say. The segment seems reasonably long, so one possibility could be that part of it is uphill and part of it down. If you really go for it on the uphill section (lots of watts) but then go very slowly on the downhill (not much different in power than if you went fast downhill because gravity is doing most of the work), then you could clock the same time but with very different average power?
Yes, I read that a while ago, Toby. It is interesting in itself, but I don't think it explains my query. Like you, I don't really see much use for Strava's power figures: they are at best only as useful as speed data. But if they are inherently variable (as my experience suggests), they are a lot less useful than simple speed data. I don't therefore pay much attention to the wattage figures, but they are there on the screen whether you like it or not, and inconsistencies like this just jump out at you.Toby wrote:Their KB article explains their calculation;
https://strava.zendesk.com/entries/2095 ... lculations
.... in which their disclaimer about wind resistance, for me, renders the whole thing bit of a waste of time;
Not true George, a ride has to be assigned to a bike, set in "My Gear" in your settings. I have not entered a bike so Strava does not attempt to calculate power for my rides.I don't therefore pay much attention to the wattage figures, but they are there on the screen whether you like it or not, and inconsistencies like this just jump out at you.
I can see value in the functionality and adding component details to log miles per component but frankly, after a day sat in front of a screen, telling customers how to use software products correctly, I cannot be bothered. I just buy new bits when the old ones have worn out.
I've not had time to go into detail on the terms and conditions of use for Strava but I wonder how much that data will be worth to Shimano's marketing department as Strava evolves!