Interesting stuff is happening around Strava. They’ve introduced new developer API terms that seem to break most connected third party services that focus around providing training advice and coaching to end users.

Strava claims that the changes have been made to strengthen end-user privacy and prevent peoples' data from ending up in countless places used to train AI models. This, I can absolutely get behind. I don’t care for AI one bit and I don’t want my data scraped for it, especially not biometric data.

The way the new developer API usage terms and conditions are phrased, though, indicates that Strava is trying to bamboozle customers into thinking that’s the main reason. Effectively what they appear to be doing is killing the ecosystem.

Ray Maker of DC Rainmaker has a good summary of things on his site that’s worth a read and includes the most recent update on the situation by Strava on 19 Nov.

There are two things that give me a very bad feeling about the situation:

1. Strava announced that any discussion on their community forum around this topic would not be tolerated. If there was anything they could’ve done to ensure people would understand that this change is user-hostile, it was this.
2. In most of the language in the announcement and the developer API terms of service, Strava talks about “Stava data” and how that data is their property. What they refer to is my data. That’s my training data given to Strava and not even through their app but through my Hammerhead cycling computer, my Concept2 rowing machine and other sources. I understand that they are hosting the information and providing me with a service that I pay for but that doesn’t give them permission to do with the data as they please.

In the end, Strava is a business like any other and if they do not want to provide a platform that other companies build their business model on, I get that but then please just say that and see people move on to the next one that offers better conditions.
I appreciated having a platform where I could aggregate my fitness data outside of the Apple ecosystem (I use the Apple fitness and health apps intensely) and even connect to other services I use but I’m just as happy using a different service for this.

As a precautionary measure, I’ve exported an archive of my Strava data and if you use Strava and don’t like the changes they’re making, maybe you should, too.

My partner and I are headed on another bikepacking trip soon and once again we’re reminded that the bike industry has issues catering to women and smaller persons. My partner is 158 cm tall (5' 2") and of a slender build.

Two years ago it was a mess trying to find a gravel bike that fit her and that didn’t have a completely compromised geometry and handling. Out of all the bikes in the market, only roughly 6 models were even worth considering¹ and even on those the componentry was sometimes ill-conceived with bars that are too wide, brifters too large, really long cranks (think 170 mm), two instances where the seat post was too long to allow for any kind of proper seat height, and just strange saddles.

This time around she was trying to find a hip bag with

• decent usable volume,
• proper waterproofing,
• an outside attachment point for a bottle or a rain jacket,
• and optionally: the ability to attach it to the handlebars of the bicycle.

We’ve scoured the web to find something and in the end ordered a Chrome Doubletrack Bike Bar Bag (5 l, already discontinued) and a Restrap Utility Hip Pack (6 l). Both bags are well-made (the Restrap definitely taking the cake, though), check all the boxes of features she was looking for … and both do not fit her at all.

On the Chrome bag the strap is way too long, making it impossible to cinch it down around her hip (the waist is completely out of question). If she wanted to use that one, she’d have to modify the strap and shorten it by about 20 cm.

The Restrap can be cinched down to fit her hips at least but the way the straps attach to the body leave the top half of it always dangling and rocking, creating discomfort and instability. Oh and the padding of the hip belt is very oddly cut so it digs into her hips.

The search continues and my hunch is that she’ll have to work with the people from Wizard Works in the UK or someone else for something custom and expensive.