Strava Price up 50%
01-27-23, 01:56 PM
#51
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While there might be all sorts of reasons people might prefer monthly, I'd guess there aren't that many common ones.
But it seems they didn't quite expect the backlash they got (or didn't care too much).
https://www.velonews.com/gear/tech-w...oved-too-fast/
- Some people like to budget/pay for stuff monthly.
- Some people might subscribe for 4 months (for a riding season) to save money over a yearly subscription.
- People might not want to commit to a full year (mostly new subscribers, I suppose).
- If a substantial number subscribe seasonally, it's a weird cash flow.
- People paying monthly might be more prone to drop their subscriptions permanently.
- A fair number of people likely sign-up and don't renew. With the yearly subscription being cheaper, Strava might squeeze a few extra dollars from this group.
But it seems they didn't quite expect the backlash they got (or didn't care too much).
https://www.velonews.com/gear/tech-w...oved-too-fast/
Last edited by njkayaker; 01-27-23 at 02:21 PM.
01-27-23, 03:02 PM
#52
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When I was in college, I worked at a liquor store in a sketchy area.
We sold lots of single cigarettes and airplane size shooter liquor bottles to people, many of whom would come in multiple times a day to make those same purchases over and over. It would've been far cheaper to save up and buy a full pack of cigarettes and a pint of liquor, but they never wanted to commit to that level of saving/spending.
I wonder how many of those people went on to become Strava Monthly subscribers?
We sold lots of single cigarettes and airplane size shooter liquor bottles to people, many of whom would come in multiple times a day to make those same purchases over and over. It would've been far cheaper to save up and buy a full pack of cigarettes and a pint of liquor, but they never wanted to commit to that level of saving/spending.
I wonder how many of those people went on to become Strava Monthly subscribers?
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01-27-23, 03:11 PM
#53
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Nice attempt to tangent off this thread. Fell free to spin off a new thread with that question.
I am not surprised at the reaction I have received here. Yes prices go up, sometimes they go down. Sometimes Strava makes changes to features so that there is less value after a change, for example any segments remotely close to down hill were gutted a couple years ago. Some "features" don't work correctly and in spite of users turning off the "feature" it continues... again a couple years ago with Local Legend notification.
I seem to also recall a price increase a couple years ago.
Not like it really matters I used to be an annual subscriber, for years. I adopted the platform rather early in my area. A couple of years ago I cancelled. Last summer they offered a free (re)trial. I decided at the end that it was adding enough to pay for it. For me it is a matter of principal. If their reasoning is to increase annual subscriptions I can understand their perspective. I don't support such ploys. If the savings are enough then I will go for the less costly option, but only if I mostly agree with their ethics.
To the folks that say "why would anyone buy monthly?" Do you buy a dozen eggs at a time? one pound of burger or other small quantity of protein or do you buy the whole critter? Do you buy a 12 ounce package of bacon or the whole slab? I am going to guess that most buy small quantities of most every thing rather than bulk in spite of the fact that buying in bulk will save you money.
I am not surprised at the reaction I have received here. Yes prices go up, sometimes they go down. Sometimes Strava makes changes to features so that there is less value after a change, for example any segments remotely close to down hill were gutted a couple years ago. Some "features" don't work correctly and in spite of users turning off the "feature" it continues... again a couple years ago with Local Legend notification.
I seem to also recall a price increase a couple years ago.
Not like it really matters I used to be an annual subscriber, for years. I adopted the platform rather early in my area. A couple of years ago I cancelled. Last summer they offered a free (re)trial. I decided at the end that it was adding enough to pay for it. For me it is a matter of principal. If their reasoning is to increase annual subscriptions I can understand their perspective. I don't support such ploys. If the savings are enough then I will go for the less costly option, but only if I mostly agree with their ethics.
To the folks that say "why would anyone buy monthly?" Do you buy a dozen eggs at a time? one pound of burger or other small quantity of protein or do you buy the whole critter? Do you buy a 12 ounce package of bacon or the whole slab? I am going to guess that most buy small quantities of most every thing rather than bulk in spite of the fact that buying in bulk will save you money.
As for your egg example...thats a terrible example. You just listed purchasing 1 dozen eggs instead of 1 single egg. The better analogy would be if you asked how many buy 1 single egg at a time. Heck or who buys the cut off half dozen eggs. Buying 1 dozen, which standard, is also more than you need to buy so it is buying in bulk. Its the standard though, so you could also ask about buying eggs in the 36 or 48 trays that sell at Costco. Ill let you in on a secret- they are popular. Many buy them because they see value in that bulk. Others buy the largest the grocery store will carry, be it 18 or 24 instead of the standard 12.
People buy 3# of chicken breast all the time instead of the 1# packages. People buy the 3# tube of ground beef instead of the 1# packages all the time. People buy a case of beer instead of a single beer. People buy 48 rolls of toilet paper instead of a single roll. etc etc etc.
These purchasing decisions are simply based on what each of us values and needs, depending on our situations.
If you want to not spend money on a product because you disagree with their business policies, OK then.
Saying you wont pay based on principle in this example is a curious claim to me since I dont see this as a matter of principles, but OK then. I dont see how ethics plays a part in any of this, even after you claim it does and I step back to try and see where the ethical decision exists.
01-27-23, 03:33 PM
#54
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Au contraire my friend. You're just not shopping in the right places.
I sold many a single beer in my day as well. We'd keep a cooler of cold ones right next to the register. Busch was a big hit, but lots of Icehouse and Steel Reserve.
Now that I think about it, customers would often refer to these as "roadies". I never knew what that meant at that time, but now that I'm into biking it all makes sense - they were probably road cyclists who didn't want to carry a lot. Future Strava users.
I sold many a single beer in my day as well. We'd keep a cooler of cold ones right next to the register. Busch was a big hit, but lots of Icehouse and Steel Reserve.
Now that I think about it, customers would often refer to these as "roadies". I never knew what that meant at that time, but now that I'm into biking it all makes sense - they were probably road cyclists who didn't want to carry a lot. Future Strava users.
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01-27-23, 04:02 PM
#55
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I thought strava was still VC funded, maybe they lost their funding
Last edited by Germany_chris; 01-27-23 at 04:20 PM.
01-27-23, 04:17 PM
#56
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01-27-23, 04:24 PM
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01-27-23, 05:20 PM
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While there might be all sorts of reasons people might prefer monthly, I'd guess there aren't that many common ones.
- Some people like to budget/pay for stuff monthly.
- Some people might subscribe for 4 months (for a riding season) to save money over a yearly subscription.
- People might not want to commit to a full year (mostly new subscribers, I suppose).
- If a substantial number subscribe seasonally, it's a weird cash flow.
- People paying monthly might be more prone to drop their subscriptions permanently.
- A fair number of people likely sign-up and don't renew. With the yearly subscription being cheaper, Strava might squeeze a few extra dollars from this group.
01-27-23, 05:52 PM
#59
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01-27-23, 05:57 PM
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In my business (Biotech), by this time the VCs would have pumped and dumped already, leaving the institutional investors to hound management for The Next Big Thing.
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01-27-23, 06:30 PM
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thinking more on this, i believe there are four paid features that i use.
training log (this is my preferred way to see overall ride history)
live segment “race” mode. this may be available to free subscribers depending on your device, not sure. but seeing the cross section of the segment along with your best and last times as a little virtual dot plus the time ahead or behind is cool. racing yourself, really.
fitness and freshness (pretty useless)
heat map. i enjoy making/looking at these.
training log (this is my preferred way to see overall ride history)
live segment “race” mode. this may be available to free subscribers depending on your device, not sure. but seeing the cross section of the segment along with your best and last times as a little virtual dot plus the time ahead or behind is cool. racing yourself, really.
fitness and freshness (pretty useless)
heat map. i enjoy making/looking at these.
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01-27-23, 06:37 PM
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I paid close to 7k for my bike, I’m not about to worry about this.
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01-27-23, 08:35 PM
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While I don't use Strava, I know a couple of people I ride with that do. I asked them about this, and one was like meh, whatever, the other was not upset with the cost increase so much as his issue was how they tried to just sneak it by people. He said he is going to keep his account, but thought the way the went about it was pretty slimy.
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you should learn to embrace change, and mock it's failings every step of the way.
01-27-23, 09:28 PM
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Was that previously a paid-only feature? I've been using the beacon for about the past year or so as a free user, my wife likes it too and so do I since I often leave home without much of a plan in mind.
01-27-23, 11:20 PM
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Good for you, BTW.
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01-27-23, 11:54 PM
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01-28-23, 12:58 AM
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Looks like the OP didn’t quit the internet from what he was originally charged when he first got AOL or used Netscape. A how many percent increase for internet service over the years?
The Strava increase is a cup of coffee a month and I ain’t giving up my coffee or Strava.
The Strava increase is a cup of coffee a month and I ain’t giving up my coffee or Strava.
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01-28-23, 07:55 AM
#68
Advocatus Diaboli
While I don't use Strava, I know a couple of people I ride with that do. I asked them about this, and one was like meh, whatever, the other was not upset with the cost increase so much as his issue was how they tried to just sneak it by people. He said he is going to keep his account, but thought the way the went about it was pretty slimy.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2023/01/...g-country.html
01-29-23, 10:40 PM
#69
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Might be a little off topic, as not related to the price increase per se, but there’s very little I get from premium Strava that I wouldn’t get from free Strava and I still pay because I think the overall product has value.
To be honest I was not aware of the price hike before seeing this thread and am actually more surprised there haven’t been more. I presumed it would have gone up since I first started using it so, if anything, when looked at over a number of years, I don’t think it’s too outrageous.
I suppose they should have been more upfront about it. An email or something? Or perhaps I just missed it…they usually only write to let me know someone has taken my KOM so I chuck ‘em straight in the bin.
To be honest I was not aware of the price hike before seeing this thread and am actually more surprised there haven’t been more. I presumed it would have gone up since I first started using it so, if anything, when looked at over a number of years, I don’t think it’s too outrageous.
I suppose they should have been more upfront about it. An email or something? Or perhaps I just missed it…they usually only write to let me know someone has taken my KOM so I chuck ‘em straight in the bin.
01-30-23, 04:09 AM
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I find Strava very useful and I don't see a viable alternative. The cost is trivial in the overall cost of cycling. An annual sub is a no-brainer if you want the premium features. Then there's always the free tier, which actually gives you quite a lot of the functionality. Strava can price their product however they see fit and then we can all decide whether or not to pay for it. Just like any other consumer product.
01-30-23, 06:53 AM
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I had Strava. Dumped it years ago. Zero value product to me. YMMV.
RidewithGPS? I pay
Zwift? Once in a while but monthly
I also buy (good) beer 1 or 2 bottles at a time although admittedly, eggs three dozen at a time.
RidewithGPS? I pay
Zwift? Once in a while but monthly
I also buy (good) beer 1 or 2 bottles at a time although admittedly, eggs three dozen at a time.
01-30-23, 07:19 AM
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I'm not a Strava user, but it seems like cheap entertainment for what some people get out of it.
01-30-23, 07:43 AM
#73
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The beacon/live track feature was paid-only when I joined. Is it free now? I may keep the app on my phone and stick with free.
01-30-23, 09:16 AM
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I find Strava very useful and I don't see a viable alternative. The cost is trivial in the overall cost of cycling. An annual sub is a no-brainer if you want the premium features. Then there's always the free tier, which actually gives you quite a lot of the functionality. Strava can price their product however they see fit and then we can all decide whether or not to pay for it. Just like any other consumer product.
I'm surprised at the number of people in this thread that seem to not realize that the features they don't think are worth paying extra for are still available in the free version.
Strava should've been more transparent about all of this, but beyond that I don't really see what the issue is here.
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01-30-23, 09:54 AM
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Here's a list of paid vs free features, for those that aren't sure:
Strava Subscription Features – Strava Support
Free version:
Route recording, tracking and sharing for multiple sports
Basic post-workout analysis tools
Social feed/kudos/comments
Limited segment info (you can track your own segment efforts, but not compare to others)
Beacon (this was previously a paid feature that was made free a few years ago)
Paid version:
Route builder
Segment leaderboards and tracking efforts on segments over time
Live segments - so you can get info on your head unit while out riding
Custom training goals
Training plans
More advanced training analytics and tools (relative effort, freshness/fitness over time, more detailed post-ride analysis, power curves/zones, etc)
Heatmaps
Strava Subscription Features – Strava Support
Free version:
Route recording, tracking and sharing for multiple sports
Basic post-workout analysis tools
Social feed/kudos/comments
Limited segment info (you can track your own segment efforts, but not compare to others)
Beacon (this was previously a paid feature that was made free a few years ago)
Paid version:
Route builder
Segment leaderboards and tracking efforts on segments over time
Live segments - so you can get info on your head unit while out riding
Custom training goals
Training plans
More advanced training analytics and tools (relative effort, freshness/fitness over time, more detailed post-ride analysis, power curves/zones, etc)
Heatmaps
