About half a year ago I remember someone from Strava telling me that with ~15,000 independent apps connected to their API, Strava would get ~10 million pings a day to collect the authorized activity data that 3rd-party developers turn into enhanced & customized user interfaces. Strava celebrated tracking 1 billion activities last month, so all of that data collection & sharing continues to expand. Now Strava has rolled out a centralized directory called Strava Apps that mines the now 18,000+ apps, and organized out 200 of the best. Check out a few of them with us after the break, whether you are looking to connect with more people, import more data, boost your training potential, see your activity from a new perspective, or even immortalize a favorite ride in 3D…
The Strava API has spawned a huge range of extra applications. We’ve seen everything from printing posters of your heatmap to hang on the wall to live updating power & performance optimizing applications. There really is something for every athlete on Strava.
Some of the most basic and useful apps are ones that pull in your data from other sources like the simple one-function Nike.Vinz app that syncs training logs from Nike+ over to Strava. Or the more feature-rich Tapiriik that takes all activities and synchronizes them back-and-forth between a number of sites like Strava, Garmin Connect, TrainingPeaks, Dropbox, and a dozen more.
The cool ones that really sold us on the API & third-party apps in the first place were the enhanced visualizations like VeloViewer that let us really geek out on numbers and graphs, and then Relive that creates 3D videos of your rides (or a good Grand Tour stage like that Giro stage video above.) But new to us are Storyteller that helps you mix ride data, maps & photos, then lets you write a story about the activity that gets embedded in your Strava activity or can be shared over social media;
…or the Cycliq Plus app that connects your Fly12 camera/light videos to Strava for ride metric data overlays on your sick (commuting?) edits.
On the performance side we’ve already seen Xert that really steps up the whole smart training/smart workout game. With adaptive power training workouts, it is maybe the easiest (if not always simplest) way to get the most out of training with a power meter. Then there’s Segment Ninja to get out there and use the prevailing winds to take your next KOM. New to us are Wattsboard a web app (so mobile or PC friendly) way to track & analyze your power data post-ride to better plan your next efforts;
…and My Wind Sock an app that will let you look back at the weather conditions during any Strava activity or let you plan a ride to see how winds will impact your next ride.
On the lighter side of things Pace Match is designed to mine the data of other people in your area who do the same rides & runs as you. Based on your pace & routes its goal is to find other Strava users who would make good training partners for you. If you are into charity events, Everyday Hero & Great Cycle Challenge are both designed to better track how much you’ve ridden to meet your fundraising goals.
And lastly Nice Trails will take one of your most memorable rides, and really memorialize it with a 3D printed desktop sculpture of every hill and dale.
We really could go on and on. There are 200. Go dig some good ones up yourself. Let us know your personal favorite Strava API application in the comments.
