Admittedly, it’s about the only new non-security/rebranding feature we’ve seen from Strava in years – so the bar is kinda low. Still, I think this is the best new feature we’ve seen from Strava in years. I’m sure there’s other recommendations people have as well – such as choosing routes that aren’t hilly, or perhaps are specific to on-road/off-road type scenarios. So it’s likely that we’ll see more changes to it in the future. Of course, this is a beta, and one that Strava reportedly fast-tracked in under two months from initial solo developer concept to the widespread beta we see today. (Note: For more complex routes, I continue to use this method/app here instead. Farmland? Industrial wasteland? Nudist colony? All things potentially spotted on satellite view. ![]() I totally get that the security concerns of one area don’t apply to all, but the reality is that in virtually all my route planning anywhere in the world, I toggle satellite view constantly to see what kind of areas am I going through. And since the maps data here isn’t terribly accurate, even the non-coastal run (according to Strava) is actually a very nice coastal beach run in reality, while the part through the green is very much a giant mountain (and the green sorta implies a park). It’s simply not safe:īut I can’t really easily see what are areas I want to run or ride with the Strava routes feature, since it doesn’t allow me to toggle between map view and satellite view. Here in Cape Town, for example, I’d want to specifically avoid off-road trails while running (or riding) alone. As you may have noted by my title above – this leads to tricky route creation. I don’t see any way to edit a route after I’ve done one finger swipe:Īnd that gets to what I see as the most problematic issue with the beta: No satellite mode. So, what about point to point routes? Yup, you can do those too. The route then shows up in your routes list like other routes.Īnd if you’ve got 3rd party devices like those from Garmin, Wahoo, Sigma, Karoo, and many others – it’ll automatically show up on those devices depending on how you have those devices/apps configured. You can then give it a name and change the privacy settings on it. Either way, once done hit the pencil icon, and then simply draw (for example) a circle using your finger, like this (in orange):Ī few seconds later it’ll create a route automatically that roughly follows what you proposed via your finger expertise. Instead, if you want to move the screen somewhere else you can. Next, you’ll see a blue dot on where you are, but that doesn’t have much bearing on your routes. ![]() You can tap the little shoe (or bike) in the lower right corner to change it. Then, decide whether you want a running route or cycling route. Next, whack that “+” icon in the upper corner to create a new route. Here we are at the beginning of opening the Strava app and then tapping the Record button, after which you hit the routes button. Wait, you wanted a visual demonstration of those 9 steps? No problem. Once you’ve checked off those two boxes, you’ll go through the most non-logical steps on planet earth to find it.Ģ) Tap the ‘Record’ button as if to start a rideģ) Click the Routes icon (lower left one)Ĥ) Click the + in the upper right corner of the routes pageĥ) Change the route type if desired between run or rideħ) Swig-zag-wag your finger around the map like Karate KidĨ) Wait a few seconds, magic route appears. How it works:Ī) That your Strava app on iOS or Android is fully up to date (the update quietly released on Feb 12th or 13th for iOS, but was enabled on the 14th).ī) That you’re a Strava Summit member (that’s the paid tier) Now though, you can merely swipe your finger in the direction you want to go, and it’ll automatically generated the route based on heatmap style data from millions of activities. See, previously to create a route on Strava you had to tap your way through street by street, trying to get exactly the route you wanted. Plus, it’s simple enough I can write about it in under 4,000 words. Is it perfect or complete? No – it’s still beta, but it’s definitely cool as it stands here today – and it’s something you can use immediately. ![]() Still, titles aside – this is actually probably the most interesting and useful new feature Strava’s rolled out in years. I’m sure there’s many creative ways I could have titled this post, but I’m going with what I believe to be the most accurate representation of this new feature, despite my desire to channel my inner 5-year old boy self.
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