Strava v Sporttracks

I have a Garmin 305 which Andy bought off someone here (ta v much ). I use it every time we go out and download our rides to Sport-tracks. I like having a map of where we've been as well as details of heart rate/speed/elevation (quite often below sea level in some areas round here :? ) etc. So far, I've not shared any of our rides outside of my own lap-top but I sometimes think it would be nice to cos we have found some great routes off the beaten track.
I keep reading about Strava and what I want to know is... how does it compare to Sport-tracks?

I've also got a 305 that I use mainly for road riding.

I use Strava and also Garmin Connect; both are pretty much the same and sound very similar to Sportstrack with route map, elevation, cadence, heart rate, max mins and ave's all shown.

I keep my rides private, as they are just training references and I see little point comparing my times to guys half my age, although I do sneak the occasional look at some of the local climbs. Recently I was quite pleased to see that I was only 10 seconds slower up a sharp local climb than my 25 year old, hyper fit, roadie son. Then I noticed that his heart rate was the best part of 25bpm slower than mine and his power output.... well, let's not go there.

I think all these web sites are pretty much the same, it's just that Strava has a vast following, including the occasional pro rider.

I use Strava as a social thing. See when and where people have been riding. It's interesting to see how fast you are, but its not everything. If you do use it, make sure you set up your shadow(s) so it's not obvious where your bikes are kept

I still use Sporttracks, I believe there's a mobile version coming to allow sharing of data and uploading to social network sites, but I'm still using the free version. It does all I need to, keep a diary of where I went and when with a few stats for fun. I don't use it at all professionally for analysis.

Strava I tried and, meh, couldn't care much for it but then I'm not competitive. If I really wanted king of the mountain on Strava I could edit the GPX before upload and cheat.

There are so many apps and websites now that do the same thing that they're all much of a muchness.

PS. I need a developer as I have a killer app./site idea, does anyone code?

Thanks for the replies. I like having my own stats but just as an interest thing and I'm not at all competitive - which is just as well as I wouldn't compare very well to anyone :? and as for being king (queen?) of the mountain, that ain't never going to happen for me - well, not unless the inmates of the local old folks home start getting mountain bikes :roll:

P20 - good point about the set-up not giving away where the bikes are kept.

I think I'll prob just carry on with Sport-tracks especially while I can still get the free version.

P20":2po7tco6 said:

I use Strava as a social thing. See when and where people have been riding. It's interesting to see how fast you are, but its not everything. If you do use it, make sure you set up your shadow(s) so it's not obvious where your bikes are kept

Click to expand...

My GPS tracker had a route so detailed it led straight to the side door! I think strava has an option not to show any routes within a certain distance of home, but the sports tracker app on my nokia doesn't seem to have that option so I retracted all published rides starting from anywhere bikes are kept.

While you're on the subject have a read at this :?

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Posh Bikes and Tea Leaves...

Staffordshire Police have been noting an increase in bike thefts in their area, particularly in the number of high-value cycles being stolen from sheds and outbuildings across the south of the county.

Their comments come in a document available from the Online Watch Link website and it says that:

"Our investigations have shown that some of the victims had been using websites and mobile phone apps to log their routes - these sites allow users to view each others' routes and track their rides.

"Some of the GPS data recorded and shared on these sites is so accurate you can pinpoint the house where the journeys have begun and ended. We suspect some thieves have been using these sites to identify potential victims and high-value bikes.

"Many of the sites also link to social networking sites to share routes. Users are urged to check the privacy settings of any apps they use and avoid using Twitter and Facebook to share maps of their routes, as these could potentially identify their home addresses and inadvertently 'advertise' the location of their bike to thieves.

"Alternatively, they can opt to start the tracking function a few streets away from their home address and stop it again before returning home.

You have been warned...