Strava or Garmin: which sports app suits each customer
When you add a customer, one of the first questions is which app they use to record their rides. The answer shapes what you'll know about their bikes: some apps say which bike was used on each ride and others don't. And that decides whether your alerts reach the right bike.
This guide compares the sports apps sincrona works with today: Strava and Garmin Connect. We'll update it when we add more.
What you need from a sports app
To estimate a bike's wear you need three things, and each app gives them in a different measure:
- Which bike was used. If a customer has three, each one's wear depends on every ride reaching the right one.
- The past. The more history you start with, the sooner the estimate is right.
- Rides that arrive on time, and can be fixed. They should come in on their own, and be correctable if the rider picked the wrong bike.
Strava
The good
- It knows the bikes. We import the bikes the rider has set up in Strava and assign each ride to its own.
- It brings the history. When the rider accepts the invitation we also sync their earlier rides, so their bike starts with its wear rather than from zero.
- It allows corrections. We wait 2 to 3 days before confirming a ride. If the rider changes the bike in that time, the ride moves to the right one. And if they delete the activity, we take it off the wear.
The less good
- It asks the rider for some tidiness. Each bike needs a clear, unique name, and each ride needs the right bike.
- Rides without a bike get grouped. If the rider doesn't pick a bike, the ride lands on their default bike.
- A confirmed ride isn't checked again. To move it to another bike, the rider has to delete it in Strava and upload it again.
Garmin Connect
The good
- It works with the watch or bike computer they already have. A rider who records with a Garmin device doesn't need another account.
- Rides count straight away. They arrive when the rider syncs their device and add to the wear without waiting.
- No chores. There are no bikes to name and nothing to check in the app.
The less good
- It doesn't know which bike was used. Every ride goes to the rider's default bike. If they have several, the wear piles up on one.
- It only counts what happens after connecting. We don't bring in earlier rides.
- Only rides recorded on a Garmin device. Garmin shares what its watches and bike computers record, so a ride logged with just a phone app doesn't reach us.
- A confirmed ride is final. There's no correction window: it adds to the wear as soon as it arrives, and later edits in Garmin Connect don't reach us.
- It needs a specific permission. The rider must share their activities when connecting. If they don't, or withdraw it later, the connection stops working and they have to repair it.
Which one to ask each customer for
| The customer… | Best |
|---|---|
| Has several bikes and swaps between them | Strava |
| Has a single bike | Either |
| Joins with a bike that already has plenty of kilometers | Strava, for the history |
| Records with a Garmin device and doesn't use Strava | Garmin Connect |
When in doubt, ask how many bikes they ride. With one, the difference barely shows. With several, the bike matters.
How sincrona applies it
When you register a rider you tell us which sports app they use, and the invitation takes them to authorize access in that app. The details of each app are on its page, Strava and Garmin Connect, and the compatible apps are listed under compatible applications. When the wear of several bikes piles up on one, your preferences decide whether your workshop looks after it or leaves it out of your alerts.
Ask before you invite
A one-minute question at the counter saves explanations later: "What do you record your rides with, and how many bikes do you ride?" That tells you which app to pick and whether that customer's figures will cover one bike or several.
Create your workshop's account and invite your customers with the app that suits them best. It's free for up to 10 riders.