[vocram]

I think the killer application of Strava is segments. Even without caring about being the quickest of all users (aka getting KOMs), I find it valuable to be able to compare my progress on a specific piece of road over time. Paired with your heart rate and perceived effort it allows you to gauge how fit you currently are - or how far you are from your peak form.

[ck2]

Someone just needs to make an open central hub for segments and leaderboards per activity type.

Then you need a way to block and nuke toxic segments and submitters, a voting system perhaps.

Detecting segments during an activity is tricky and I've been meaning to investigate it further perhaps via ChatGPT explainer but I know it involves lat/lon bounding boxes, detecting the start/end points within those points.

I vaguely remember Strava has some kind of patent on segments though.

[hasbot]

Strava does have multiple patents related to segments including defining and matching segments but Garmin Connect and Ride With GPS have had segments too for years: https://support.ridewithgps.com/hc/en-us/articles/4419581503...

[nightski]

It's a cool feature no doubt, but they really lean on that hard to make you want to pay $80/year.

[Aurornis]

$80/year isn’t much in the context of most sports that people use Strava for.

I can see how casual, frugal runners might be put off by $80/year, but casual users aren’t the target audience for competitive apps.

I’m amazed at how many people will buy $10,000 bikes and wear $600 of specialized gear and then scoff at paying $80 for a service that tracks exactly what they want.