That is the question that dawned on me today. It turns out... it could be if you're not conscientious. I am probably the VERY LAST PERSON who rides a bike to download this app. I didn't (and still don't) plan to link instagram/facebook/etc., I was just looking for a nice app to track my commute.
Last night on my commute, I passed a guy who I feel like is a bit of a Denver bicycling celebrity. He rides a penny farthing around town like a boss. Often wearing period clothing. He has let me kids sit on the bike, he's super friendly and just an all around good dude. So anyway, we passed on the path last evening, I gave him a salute, and smiled thinking about how cool it was to see him. I got home, stretched, showered, and went about with life. While checking my phone before bed, I saw this "Paul gave you kudos" message from strata. I looked, and sure enough... there's penny farthing dude... giving me a thumbs up on my ride. I was all giddy about it as I drifted off to sleep.
This morning when I woke up and got the chariot ready, I was looking at my phone and it hit me like a brick wall: even though I'm not sharing it on facebook or instagram, Strava itself is sharing my rides (and my embarrassingly high heart rate) to the Strava community. Any idiot with a smart phone now knows that some fat dude with a bike capable of a decent commute lives EXACTLY HERE and works EXACTLY there and takes the same route (more or less) at about the same time of day (more or less).
ALERT ALERT ALERT.
My brain started firing off like crazy on the ride in to work. I was super panicked and bummed that this new app I had downloaded (which really is pretty great) was going to compromise my peace of mind.
BUT... crisis averted. A quick google search later and POOF - panic averted... privacy settings enabled. SO yah... I'm late to the party, but for anyone else who cares, you can have your cake and eat it too.
Forget bike theft, Strava is a threat to national security.
I run through an area with a lot of homeless. In one spot I saw a decaying bag of derailleurs. I reported it to the cops. In another spot I found a note with a bunch of phone numbers on it and notes about who had shifters, who had frames, who had wheels. I reported it, too. Never heard anything from it.
I ride through an area with a legendary amount of homeless. Over there on the islands you see piles of bicycles. You see shopping carts, too. I've seen giant piles of oxycontin containers (empty, of course) and I once found about 200 watch boxes lying shucked on the shore like a goddamn oyster flats.
I had a bike stolen in LA. It was chained up. It was in front of a grocery store. I went in to buy groceries and spent an extra 10 minutes griping to the manager over the fact that they don't consider a backpack to be a "shopping bag". When I came out the bike was gone. The Salvation Army bell ringer helpfully said "dude, somebody stole your bike. Just walked right up to it and clipped the chain with bolt cutters." Thanks, Salvation Army. It was a $350 Raleigh. It was a week old. I went and bought the exact same goddamn $350 Raleigh the next day. Guy who sold it to me said that they estimate 80% of the bicycles they sell are stolen within a year.
The thing all these have in common is it's not clever syndicates of organized thieves monitoring social media and targeting hapless Lycra wearers. It's junkies. Bike theft is a crime of opportunity. Minimize the opportunity and you minimize the bike theft.
Went running day before yesterday. There's a homeless guy whom I've saved from getting his ass beat once before (called the cops as someone was taking a tire wrench to him). He always cheers me on, I always encourage him to run with me. Day before yesterday he did. His name is Chad. He's in a halfway house now. Got all his 2nd-degree trespass convictions vacated. Found God. Is now 4 days sober.
Pretty sure it isn't his nest I found with the note. Pretty sure he knows whose nest it is. And I'm pretty sure that Chad would have a real hard time deciding between "fifth of Old Crow" and "not stealing someone's bike."