Thread: Thoughts on Strava Lawsuit

Who here uses Strava to track rides? Complete for KOMs? Comments on the recent lawsuit filed against Strava...

Got a link?

Sounds like bullshit to me.

Here's a link to a story about the suit:
http://www.mobilesportsreport.com/20...cident-deaths/

I think the lawsuit is bullshit

but...

if Strava is actually offering prizes for top finishers on popular routes (not sure about this, but it's mentioned in the article) then they're treading into sketchy territory. Especially for road biking, I'm not sure holding what is effectively an ongoing race on open roads where no one else knows people are racing is a good idea. Agro road weenies + unaware drivers / pedestrians is not a great combination.

Strava can disengage your brakes on a bike?

who knew?

haven't read the linked story, but agree w/ Toast. all kinds of liability issues crop up when any organization or company arranges a 'race'.

Originally Posted by toast2266

I think the lawsuit is bullshit

but...

if Strava is actually offering prizes for top finishers on popular routes (not sure about this, but it's mentioned in the article) then they're treading into sketchy territory. Especially for road biking, I'm not sure holding what is effectively an ongoing race on open roads where no one else knows people are racing is a good idea. Agro road weenies + unaware drivers / pedestrians is not a great combination.

I use strava, sort of. The talent around here is through the roof so it's more about sharing routes with friends and seeing how slow I am. The only official "events" I've seen are for doing absurd amounts of miles or climbing. You can flag a segment as dangerous (which should be done for anything with a stop sign, light, etc.) and as always, a stupid little flag on a social media website is not an excuse to be a moron and get yourself/others hurt/killed.

I've used it to track rides twice, but no longer have a smart phone (killed the battery anyway), so no more. I still check the site for beta on trails I've never ridden before, particularly if there is a big climb because I'm a fat wuss that needs a lot of mental prep before a big grind. I think it's pretty silly that anyone takes this shit seriously.

It's pretty obvious these riders aren't responsible for their actions. I suspect Strava sends mind-control signals through the camera in a users computer or phone.

Or maybe Strava is a government ruse for pulling overly-aggressive cyclists out of the gene pool.

Originally Posted by toast2266

I think the lawsuit is bullshit

but...

if Strava is actually offering prizes for top finishers on popular routes (not sure about this, but it's mentioned in the article)

they are not. There might be groups outside of Strava that are doing this to set up their own un-sanctioned races while using Strava (or a similar service) as a timing mechanism.

they do seem to occasionally have competitions/challenges, but I don't see anything about prizes

http://app.strava.com/challenges

Originally Posted by nit wit

they do seem to occasionally have competitions/challenges, but I don't see anything about prizes

http://app.strava.com/challenges

yeah but those challenges are more about logging vertical feet climbing, or who can log the most miles in a month.....Sort of like May is Bike month type of stuff.

I'm sure someone could call a KOM a prize. Hell, I hear stupid people pay real money for virtual crap on farmville. You know who you are

That said, the real issue is way more basic than Strava, or running unorganized races in the public domain. People today seem so obsessed with themselves that they are oblivious to the people around them or the impact they might have on them. I really don't give a crap if someone does 200mph down a road as long as they only hurt themselves and don't get in the way of others that are just going about their lives. Ideally, people would be liable for their own actions and prosecuted criminally for endangering/harming others, but then the water gets muddy. Would that person have acted in the same way if some other outside influence didn't exist? Was that outside influence a person or a mean corporation, because we like going after mean corporations? Getting rid of prosecuting the outside influences seems like the logical solution, but we should question what demon that would unleash in the name of getting higher profits.

Non-sanctioned racing is as old as time, and I love it, but when doing so, you must always remember...no one else knows you are Fucking racing, so act accordingly. Same is true for sanctioned races run on open public trails/roads.

BTW - yes I use Strava. I mostly push it on the climbs and one way trails and I've really backed off to normal fun riding pace on two way downhills, just out of fear of hurting others (On the road, I would never push it on a segment that crosses through intersections just because I actually follow the law and stop at stop signs on my bike...99% of the time at least)

This is the basic 'website (is/is not) responsible for the content' lawsuit. This is like the lady in Park City who used google maps and wandered onto a road and got ran over and sued google..

http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_15199273

I use it to track same training rides in a weekly, monthly, year over year thing. I can see that this time last year my weekly average for this ride was X versus this year Y.

One of the things I find annoying is days when I feel like crap versus days I feel like I'm Lance hopped up on goofballs. You look at the two files and see you are maybe a few minutes difference. Last night I rode the route with a chocolate malt in my belly, felt like crap. Think I was minus two minutes off average on a 22 mile ride.You think damn those days I feel great I should be crushing the time, yeah no.

Basically, this lawsuit is just yet more proof that those in America can't have any personal responsibility and must find fault with other instead of accepting the consequences.

Originally Posted by flatlander#2

One of the things I find annoying is days when I feel like crap versus days I feel like I'm Lance hopped up on goofballs. You look at the two files and see you are maybe a few minutes difference. Last night I rode the route with a chocolate malt in my belly, felt like crap. Think I was minus two minutes off average on a 22 mile ride.You think damn those days I feel great I should be crushing the time, yeah no.

There's a lesson to be learned here, and it involves more chocolate malt.

Absolute fucking bullshit.

Will be thrown out/dismissed.

Strava is turning cycling into a video game for nerds. Folks, just use it for yourself and shut-up.

the suit is ridiculous from all sorts of perspectives

how old is the complainant? 4?!?

i like strava and use it to track my riding, especially off road since i don't have a computer on my mtb

Originally Posted by kidwoo

Strava can disengage your brakes on a bike?

who knew?

Open and Shut

Originally Posted by toast2266

I think the lawsuit is bullshit

but...

if Strava is actually offering prizes for top finishers on popular routes (not sure about this, but it's mentioned in the article) then they're treading into sketchy territory. Especially for road biking, I'm not sure holding what is effectively an ongoing race on open roads where no one else knows people are racing is a good idea. Agro road weenies + unaware drivers / pedestrians is not a great combination.

That describes my home town every single day. You should see some of the midlife crisis Heads down speedsters around here. They take themselves and each other out on a regular basis.

I use Strava, and it's been fun to see where I'm at amongst my peers, but I've always wondered about the inadvertent evidence collecting functionality that it facilitates. Seeing this lawsuit just reminds me that maybe tracking my activities isn't so smart considering what the mainstreams' assumptions of risk are compared to mine.

Any undergrad business law class will teach you that if there's ever any evidence to support a negligence case, you can be damned sure some lawyer's going to subpoena it to go after anyone who might have had even the slightest association to the case/incident. While I'd like to see this case dismissed, I'm betting that legal precedence will show that Strava does encourage negligent activities. Watch for Strava to settle this one out of court.

What a BS lawsuit. I say that as my uncle is under the knife for reduction and fixation of triple fractured pelvis from being hit while riding his road bike on Sunday. These activities are fun, but dangerous. If one chooses to be competitive on an "open course," real world dangers are part of the "game."

Sent from my TI-89

Originally Posted by ski_adk

I've always wondered about the inadvertent evidence collecting functionality that it facilitates.

so turn it off when poaching trails

Got into it last year, like others have said it's a nice way to track personal progress (I have a mini track loop segment that's stupid and no one else does), and also a fun way to compete with your friends. Popularity has exploded this year with my group of riding friends and acquaintances, which sucks because my KOMs have been falling like dominoes.