THE STRAVA DILEMMA

Now that Strava is charging £4 per month for full access to leaderboards, Hannah Reynolds assesses whether, in terms of motivation and training benefits, it’s money well spent

- Hannah Reynolds

Late last month, training platform Strava made some significant changes to its user terms. Some of the features that were previously free are now available only with a paid-for subscription, and most new development will be available only to subscribers. In Strava’s own words to its users, “A few of our free features that are especially complex and expensive to maintain, like segment leaderboards, will become subscription features. And from now on, more of our new feature development will be for subscribers – we’ll invest the most in the athletes who have invested in us.”

There followed an eruption of passionate responses on social media, many attacking Strava’s decision, but also quite a few defending the platform. We’ve been forced to reassess the value of segments, KOMs and kudos to each of us personally. It’s time to cut through the noise and weigh up the benefits of Strava – to training, motivation and general enjoyment of cycling – against the £4 per month subscription fee: simply, is it worth it?

The switch to a paid-for model has roused heartfelt emotions. Ben Dowman, a psychologist and self-confessed Strava addict, gives his perspective: “From the outside, as a user myself, Strava’s communication has been very parentchild. We have had free access to Strava’s functions for a very long time, and now it feels like we are having our favourite toy taken away from us, with no room for discussion or negotiation.”