Add Cycling Best Efforts for Virtual Rides (separate from outdoor rides)

[parna]

New cycling Best Efforts has now been implemented and I see the reasons why many would like it, but what about all those people who are only virtual riders?  Suddenly one of the best features and reasons for having Strava has been removed. As a 95% plus Zwifter these days I know many who have gone 100% virtual for various reasons, mostly because it is too dangerous outside in a lot of places these days. I have 3 virtual friends who have been hit by traffic, one is now paraplegic, one had a broken neck, the other many broken bones. I know others who have been killed, and some who have turned to virtual after a friend was killed.

I use Strava mainly to record my rides and efforts, and now none of my best efforts, particularly longest distances show on Strava. If I have to start recording all my efforts myself I don't see the point in having Strava any more, or at least paying for it. It does still serve as a forum to share your activities with others. I am very disappointed in the change.

This could easily be fixed by providing a tab at the top of the list of Best Efforts so that one could toggle between real world efforts and virtual world rides. This would keep everyone happy. Virtual riding is gaining more and more followers all the time, Strava needs to keep up and cater to us as well as the real world warriors!

[parna]

Hi George1

Not sure what you are seeing as a virtual rider only, but if all your rides were virtual I imagine that now you would not see anything under the best efforts section, whereas last year you would have seen a summary of your virtual rides. There was a decision made by Strava I think end of last year, (forget when now) spurred on by a small number of vocal real world riders who didn't want any of their virtual rides polluting their real world efforts, (there were only 30 votes for the idea and it got implemented) so Strava in their wisdom and with total disrespect and disregard for all their sole or mainly virtual riders wiped all virtual rides from any best efforts listings. If this is what you are seeing it is not a bug, but a deliberate decision by Strava that nothing virtual matters, only real world efforts are worthy of noting, and so virtual efforts are no longer listed!! Just shows you how out of touch they have become!!

And yes I agree their whole system of contacting them stinks too. I have contacted them in the past about something just to let them know feed back on something and was told essentially they don't care or want feed back, instead you have to put it up as a new idea and have it voted on!!! Talk about a closed mind!!

[mubarak]

Hi, 

One of the reasons I ride indoors is the heat in the Gulf countries during the summer; the temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius, 122 Fahrenheit, and almost 100% humidity, which is dangerous, in addition to the reckless drivers. I would suggest that Indoors and Outdoors should be treated the same. I use a Garmin watch, and they treat both the same in Garmin Connect. Please note that not all your subscribers ride in pleasant weather. Many people are forced to ride indoors and should be treated equally to those who ride outdoors.

[satch]

I feel my patience running out here. Strava has now had this "vote" running since April, and it's gathered three times as much votes as the 30 people that decided to remove a valuable feature for indoor riders. I can only conclude that Strava is basically only focused on people able to ride outdoors, and really don't care about their other customers.

It would be so easy to fix. Admit they made a mistake, and undo the original change. Or even better, do what several people have suggested, and put up another tab for virtual rides.

Last years subscription fee was increased, and Stava's usefulness for me decreased. Now that renewal is coming up, I have to reconsider. It's an expensive app now, and I don't see the point of paying if they can't even admit to their own mistakes, and fix them.

[parna]

You read my mind satch, I too have been wondering lately why nothing has happened so far. I have also been wondering how to get the attention of the moderator but cannot see any way. Typical of the closed insular approach that Strava adopted.

I find the whole business extremely disappointing, and can only draw the same conclusion as you that Strava really only care about competition focused real word activities and don't value anything or anyone else. There is no way to just send feedback as a suggestion to them either. I tried once and they just told me to post on here so it can be voted on, which basically means they don't want feed back or your thoughts on anything! It wasn't a new feature so I didn't bother. Seems to me like a very closed minded and arrogant approach to running a company. Company's have life cycles, where they start off as new and innovative etc and progress through until they become old and complacent, content in their own accomplishments, and forget they are only here to serve a need. Strava is a company in decline.

As a comparison Zwift is a vital, growing and open minded company that is actually interested in what their customer think and welcome any feedback you care to offer.

I too will not be renewing my subscription unless this is fixed. Strava has got less and less useful to me over the years as I have become more and more indoor focused. New features that they have added in recent times have not been useful to me and more often I just find annoying.

So Strava the ball is in your court!! And I dare say nobody in Strava will even read this!!

[JDzacovsky]

Finally do something about it, the period of more significant virtual performances is coming...