[quote=teach me how to douggie][quote=MoonCat]
How am I wrong? Its the same thing. An arbitrary virtual badge. People brag about their gamerscores. Just because you see people getting too into it doesn’t make it more than it is.[/quote]
tell me the last time a videogame—by the combination of urge of competitive nature and lack of actual skill—put someone in the hospital? or got them killed? it’s very far from being similar atmo.[/quote]
Yeah, maybe the videogame hasn’t lead to that, but that really wasn’t the part of the analogy he was making.
Who is to say they guy wouldn’t have died anyway without this? What if was racing a friend down and tried drafting, bumped wheels, dies; is the friend responsible? Come on, doug. We all know there needs to be personal responsibility and judgement used any movement.
Just got an email:
[quote=strava]
Updated terms and conditions at Strava
We’ve updated our terms and conditions, and we’re doing everything we can to get the word out. You’ll also see a notice on your dashboard when you log in to strava.com, and we’ve posted to our blog as well.
What’s changed? We’ve grown a lot and have expanded our products and services since our terms were last updated. The updated terms clarify things related to our mobile apps, as well as real-world races and events that you might participate in that use Strava’s site.
That short description isn’t meant to be a substitute for the real deal, so please take the time to read the revised terms and conditions found at strava.com/terms. If you use one of our mobile apps, please download the latest version to access the updated terms from inside the app. Then, get back out there and go for a ride or a run.
Thanks,
The team at Strava
Note: You are receiving this email because you have an account with Strava. There’s no option to opt-out because this is a critical account update. We send them rarely![/quote]
Strava is basically just a ride logger. It records your ride like a Garmin or whatever. It allows you to see other peoples rides and find rides near you. The KOM feature is just a small feature in what is otherwise just a social ride logger. I use it to find rides (rarely record anything with it, maybe once or twice) and never once used KOM.
they do this local strava “west hills challenge” every year.
guaranteed to be 3 weeks of people riding like assholes in the west hills trying to get that “achievement”
except that they also offer a cash prize…on roads open to the public
tell me that’s safe
Also don’t see whats so wrong about arbitrary achievements. They are fun, small goals. Keep people interested. I’m not going to sue the makers of Fitocracy because I hurt myself attempting a weight lifting achievement.
[quote=teach me how to douggie][quote=MoonCat][quote=teach me how to douggie]
[quote=MoonCat]You are misunderstaning it big time.
Getting KOM on strava is like getting mayor in Foursquare or an achievement on your xbox.[/quote]
this dude does not
sorry coleman, but you have no idea how absurdly serious some people take this.
like guys coming into the shop trying to brag about a KOM they just got
to me it’s everything thats wrong with cycling. instead of pinning on a number and competing in a time honored and regulated manner, you have a bunch of greasy freds all gunning for the best time on a “segment”—on roads open to traffic. it’s a wonder more people haven’t died.
no need for a promoter to put up cash for a venue or insurance, you can “compete” from your laptop!
strava is bullshit[/quote]
How am I wrong? Its the same thing. An arbitrary virtual badge. People brag about their gamerscores. Just because you see people getting too into it doesn’t make it more than it is.[/quote]
tell me the last time a videogame—by the combination of urge of competitive nature and lack of actual skill—put someone in the hospital? or got them killed? it’s very far from being similar atmo.[/quote]
Couple of years ago a Korean kid died playing an MMORPG.
i think that to make the case work, the family would have to prove that the dude was traveling faster than he normally would have because of strava. Do y’all think you ride faster or more dangeriously now that you’re using strava? i certainly don’t. I ride faster and more dangeriously when I’m riding with other people who push me.
I do think a lot of people do stupid things when they ride, though, and strava just records it. Like, there are a few sections around here that people have 24mph averages on that have three lights and a stop sign. I’m willing to bet people were blowing through there long before strava.
My only kom was on a downhill section of a bike path called ‘you should probably brake a little’ that included running at least 4 signaled crossings. They eventually flagged it but only after a decent while. I think if you got everything green you could maybe make it, but That’s never happened to me. Also, many of the key words in the above sentences make me wonder who the hel thought that was a good thing to make into a competition.
There’s another
section through Georgetown that requires getting every light green, but I guess if you mistimed it and we’re an idiot, you could try blindly blowing through every red cars be damned.
Of course, I rode the fucking things that fast all the time before strava too.
Edit: Tim that’s exactly it. It shows you how you ride. If you are an idiot/slow/fast/can’t climb, it shows up.
Also, strava clocked me at 83 mph on a segment, so if he was using an iPhone, I bet an argument could be made that the records aren’t that accurate.
Somewhat aside but if you see a segment thats bullshit hit the flag button. Segments are user generated content, not created by Strava. So some are going to be bullshit.
I only really try to go faster uphill and on one sprint. It is a mile long segment, has one stoplight that is rarely not green, but I don’t blindly barrel down the road coz not going to get in the top 10 by myself.
Is RunKeeper bullshit because I could try running for 48 hours straight and kill myself?
Is WoW bullshit because I could keep playing for days and die?
Is my motorcycle bullshit because the speedo goes to 140MPH?
Is Fitocracy bullshit because there is an achievement to lift weights if I did my back would snap?
Cycling, like skateboarding is the most enjoyable when you just fucking do it. What’s next? Dudes trying to KOM a hill dozens of times in a row and flinging their 10K rigs in the bushes when they fall short?
I am not necessarily making a legal argument either.
People who are competitive will find competition wherever they go. It is not the fault of a program that logs rides that people got competitive.
There are folks who will see a picture of someone launching over a 10’ gap and say “I’ll do 11’”. You don’t go calling Transworld magazine bullshit because they published the picture?
Using strava and pinning numbers are not mutually exclusive. Shit, it could be argued that you will probably do better when racing said segments.
You and doug want the park life, and that is great. Some people enjoy riding and enjoy throwing in some competition, even with themselves. Hell, if most people didn’t like competition, they wouldn’t be pinning numbers on anyway.
And is your illustration any different than someone’s tire blowing when riding and them throwing it in the river (as tarck loves to threaten)?
buyer beware and all of that. i get it atmo.
sticking by my assertion that strava is bullshit
man my teammate is all hung up on the KOM shit
its unbearable
and this other local dude, strong climber/insufferable shitbird
my coworker loves poaching his KOM by loading improved KOM the day before a race
he goes out and gets his KOM back and is toasted on raceday
