photo: syd

Strava announced this morning a few new additions to their popular GPS-enabled ride tracking software. The GPS-enabled application currently awards King or Queen of the Mountain (KOM or QOM for short) to the rider who records the fastest time on a prescribed section, or as Strava calls them, “segments.” Riders can see the fastest times on each segment via Strava’s leader boards, and some can be hotly contested.

The announcement this morning contains information about new styles of points that can be won not by the rider’s ability, but his equipment.

“At Strava, we realize that much of the fun of being a cyclist is upgrading components, making your bicycle your own. Our new achievements reflect that spirit,” said Carr Bonne-Fibur, Strava spokesperson.

Complete details of the new scoring system have not been released by Strava, but the new of award will be known as BOM (Bling of the Mountain).

Bonne-Fibur provided parts of the points list to Singletracks.com with caution that it is still in the testing phase and subject to change.

Riders will earn BOM points for exotic bike materials. A frame made of aluminum earns a single point, whereas steel gets two. “Steel is real, bro,” explained Bonne-Fibur. Carbon fiber frames are good for five points, and ultra-rare magnesium is good for a whopping ten points, if you can find one.

Any component painted white is an extra point. “White is the fastest color,” explains Bonne-Fibur. Anodized components are worth a point or two, and of course, any component at all bearing the words “Chris King” is worth ten points. Any Bikes Direct, REI, Performance Bike, or department store bike is worth negative points.

Chris King headsets are worth a whopping twenty points. “No human being, blindfolded, can tell a Chris King headset from a Ritchey or a Cane Creek, yet riders lay out big bucks for them,” said Bonne-Fibur. “They deserve BOM points for that.”

Some of the more complex point calculations involve the rider himself. For instance, overweight riders on ultralight bikes earn extra points for spending hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on equipment rather than getting their bodies into decent shape.

We can’t wait to try out the new app when Strava rolls out their next update. Get out those wallets and earn some points, guys!