Home > Other Fun Stuff > Gadgets & Hacks

Strava and Specialized Team up for “Strava Shop Pages”

18 Comments
Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

strava spesh 2

Hoping to provide another way for customers to interact with their favorite shops, Specialized is partnering with Strava to develop what they call “Strava Shop pages.” Currently only offered to select Specialized retailers in the US, Canada, UK, and Austrailia, Shop Pages contain the shop’s identity plus allow the unique customers of that shop to compete amongst themselves on a personal leaderboard. This allows both the shop and the customers to see how is out riding the most, as well as climbing stats.

Strava Spesh 1

Shops will also be able to create group events that are announced through the Strava program. Currently limited to select Specialized retailers, the pres release states that the service will be available to all bike retailers later in the year.

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

18 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Rico
Rico
9 years ago

Will big online retailers be welcome to this? Just wondering, because those are my favorite shops and it says “Hoping to provide another way for customers to interact with their favorite shops”. Or is this just meant to aid local “LBS” shops? In my area local shops are terrible ripoffs.

Nate
Nate
9 years ago

@Rico, it seems as though those are your favorite ‘stores.’ There is a large difference between a bike shop and a retailer of cycling goods.

Jason
Jason
9 years ago

You missed the point. Online shops do not build cycling.
No group rides. The point is to build some substance to
Cycling-riding buddies, teaching new riders, cultivating aspiring
Racers…
Online you get a good price- and nothing else.
Support the local shop.

DesertWolf
DesertWolf
9 years ago

@ Rico – Please never ever come into my store. You’re the type that gets pissed I won’t sell you an Ultegra gruppo for the same price you can get it on the Internet.

Volsung
Volsung
9 years ago

let’s cry about how technology changes the way we shop. I’m going to complain to the owner of the local general store when I pick up my supplies for the month if my money makes it to me via the pony express.

goridebikes
goridebikes
9 years ago

Volsung misses the point…
The criticism of Mr. Online Shopper is that he’s missing the point as well.
The idea of a “shop page” is to promote customers of the shop to create a community – an online store has customers across the country, rendering things like local leader boards or group rides fairly pointless – this is meant for brick/mortar stores by design. Not as an attempt to discriminate against customers who want cheap prices, but as a way to build community amongst people who might not otherwise get to know eachother.

justride
justride
9 years ago

I work in a bike shop and while it can be frustrating that online retailers offer ridiculous prices. Instead of complaining and alienating cyclists who shop in this manner, I look at it as a challenge to provide the best customer service and knowledge. A bike shop contributes to bike culture and personal relationships. A virtual cycling world like Strava flies directly in the face of the social aspects of cycling. My advice is to get off your smart phone and go out and ride…with real people. We are a Specialized dealer and I will NOT be opening a Strava shop page!

Alex
9 years ago

Maybe Cafe Roubaix can get a shop page? #specializedisevil

Antipodean_G
9 years ago

Hmm. Maybe I missed something but I thought Strava was slowly killing ‘community’ rides, as every metre of a ride becomes a pissing contest? I was amazed to see the smallest, little insignificant bits of rides I do logged as segments…..

And yes, we ARE an online store but only because no local shop in this country was willing to pay our wholesale price… because out kit, made locally costs a lot more than stuff out of ‘China’.

Antipodean_G
9 years ago

PS: I support, and will continue to, good local shops and I support good online retailers. The world’s global folks, best get used to it.

MB
MB
9 years ago

How is this different from what shops are currently doing by creating “clubs”?

Brent
Brent
9 years ago

Sounds like a great way to open litigation against Spesh when a stupid Strava chaser blows a redlight trying to win a KOM.

Champs
Champs
9 years ago

Antipodean_G: the world’s going virtual, best get used to it.

Strava didn’t invent the pissing contest. Everybody’s got a Wednesday Worlds “community” ride in their area. If you don’t want to get up at 6am to take on that ride, drop $10 on a four corner crit, or join a plodding no-drop group ride, then maybe you should compete on the Internets.

Of course I hate all of that. I use it to track/compare my own rides, study routes, and find new ones. The last thing I do is look at the leaderboards. Those KOMs will never be mine, but maybe that name you keep seeing near your own is someone worth riding with.

AR
AR
9 years ago

@justride, plenty of people Strava their chill group rides. Not everyone wants snag KOMs. However, if you’re a shop and you’re NOT open to using something like this, might as well shut your doors while you’re only a little behind. This is a way to future-proof your shop. No, you can’t compete with online parts prices. But, now you can track the miles of your customers, and customers of other shops, and drive traffic to your store/service department by messaging them about their long over-due 150hr rear shock service, or their bearing service after all their riding during the spring mud. With your attitude, you’re basically giving customers to your competition, who are likely more open-minded.

goridebikes
goridebikes
9 years ago

@justride, I don’t see how this kills the social aspect of cycling. Personally, the simple “kudos” you can get/give are a nice “attaboy” from someone you might not otherwise see that often to inspire you to keep riding. And losing your KOM, if you’re into that – motivation to ride. And, seeing a cool loop someone does, or that they’re out riding every day – makes me want to go ride with them.

I feel like saying Strava is bad for reality-based interactions is like saying Facebook is bad for that… I beg to differ. Sure, it encourages us to stare at our screens… but the content that makes that rewarding is only achieved by going out and doing cool stuff to take your selfies and win your KOMs…

This is cool. I can’t understand the hate…

shakeli
shakeli
9 years ago

How does my shop sign up for this. This can be a fantastic tool for us

Fattylocks
Fattylocks
9 years ago

@Brent, you nailed it.
Google KOM. See what the first result is.

Andy
Andy
9 years ago

I’ll also agree with the confusion for the Strava hate. If someone doesn’t like it, don’t participate. 3 nights a week, I can go out on group rides and turn myself inside out until my eyes bleed, and the intensity has nothing to do with Strava. Boys will be boys, regardless of if a website/service exists to track how fast they are.

That being said, lots of people like tracking things. They like knowing where they stand among those they ride with. They like accumulating numbers. They like improving. Strava fills this desire, and if it can be leveraged to build more of a community, I see zero downside.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.

Subscribe Now

Sign up to receive BikeRumor content direct to your inbox.