Setting up Strava: Step-by-step guide for beginners
Strava is the most widely used training and community app for cyclists worldwide. With it, you can record your rides, analyze your performance, compare yourself with others on segments, and track your progress over months and years.
By Vincent Augustin 5 minutes read time
Published: June 14, 2026
This guide shows you step by step how to set up Strava – from the first login to the fully configured app.
Step 1: Create an account
You can use Strava for free. Registration takes less than two minutes:
- Download the app – Strava is available in the App Store (iOS) and Google Play Store (Android). Alternatively, everything also works in your browser at strava.com.
- Register – You can sign up with your email address, Google account, or Apple ID. The Apple ID option offers the highest level of data protection because your email address can optionally be hidden.
- Name and profile picture – Strava is a community platform. A real name and a photo help you be found by your friends. You can change both at any time.
- In Strava → Profile → Settings → Connect with apps (on desktop under "My Profile → Connected Apps")
- Select your device manufacturer (Garmin Connect, Wahoo, Polar Flow, Suunto, etc.)
- Confirm login to the respective account
- From now on, all activities you record on the device will be automatically synced to Strava.
- In the Bosch eBike Flow app → Settings → Integrations → Strava
- Connect your Strava account and confirm permissions
- All future rides with Bosch drive will be automatically transferred to Strava as "e-bike rides" – including distance traveled, elevation gain and duration.
- Open the app and tap the orange recording icon (bottom center).
- Choose sport – “Cycling” for regular bicycle or racing bike, “E-bike riding” for pedelec or e-MTB.
- Wait for GPS signal – The circle in the upper left will turn green as soon as the signal is stable. This usually takes 5–15 seconds outdoors.
- Start riding – Strava automatically records route, time, speed and elevation gain
- Stop and save – After the ride, tap “Done” and then “Save”.
Step 2: Fully set up the profile
A complete profile significantly improves the quality of data analysis:
Basic data:
- Select sports: Cycling, E-biking, Running – You can activate multiple. E-bike rides are categorized separately and do not appear in general cycling segments.
- Enter weight: Relevant for watt/kg calculation and performance analysis, especially if you are using a power meter.
- Units of measurement: Germany → Metric (km, m, kg)
For road cyclists additionally:
- FTP (Functional Threshold Power): If you ride with a power meter, enter your FTP value here. Strava uses this to calculate training load and fitness scores. If you don't yet have an FTP value, you can determine it directly in Strava using a 20-minute test protocol.
- Heart rate zones: Once a heart rate monitor is connected, you can configure your heart rate zones here – either manually or automatically calculated from past activities.
Step 3: Connect the device
Strava can import activities from various sources. The most common options are:
Smartphone (directly in the app)
The simplest method: Open the Strava app, tap the red record icon, select cycling as the activity type – done. The smartphone's GPS automatically records the route. Accuracy and battery life are sufficient for most rides on modern devices.
Limitation: Smartphone GPS may become less accurate in tunnels, dense forests, or urban canyons. For precise data on long tours or during training, a dedicated device is recommended.
GPS watch or bicycle computer (Garmin, Wahoo, Polar, etc.)
For those who train regularly or want detailed data, a GPS device is the better choice. Connecting to Strava is straightforward with all major manufacturers.
No manual export is necessary – synchronization runs in the background as soon as the device is connected to the smartphone or Wi-Fi.
Bosch E-Bike Flow App
If you ride a Bosch e-bike, you probably use the Bosch e-bike Flow app . This can be directly linked to Strava:
Important: Strava marks e-bike activities separately. They do not appear in regular segment rankings, but are fully counted towards your personal statistics and annual mileage.
Step 4: Set up data protection
Before you start recording your first activities, it's worth taking a quick look at the privacy settings:
Private zones (highly recommended): Strava allows you to define a radius around your home (or another address) that is automatically excluded from all recorded activities. This way, you'll never see your exact location in public activities.
Set up under: Settings → Privacy controls → Private zones → Add
Disable Flyby: By default, Strava shows all users who you've "crossed paths with" during a ride – even if you don't know each other. This can be turned off:
Settings → Privacy controls → Flyby → Nobody
Activity visibility:
New activities are visible to all Strava users by default. You can restrict this to "Followers only" or "Only me"—either globally or for each activity individually.
Step 5: Record the first activity
Everything is ready now. Here's how to start your first recording:
After saving, you will immediately see a summary of your activity with a map, elevation profile, and all performance data.
Strava for road cyclists
Strava is particularly deeply rooted in road cycling. Beyond simply recording data, these features are relevant:
Segments: Strava automatically breaks down routes into known sections – climbs, sprints, corners. You can instantly see how you compare to all other Strava users and whether you've broken your own course record.
Training Load & Fitness: Using a power meter, Strava calculates Suffer Score, training load, and a fitness index over time. This is a valuable addition for structured training on a road bike – especially in combination with training approaches such as lactate-controlled threshold training .
Annual statistics and challenges: Strava motivates with monthly distance challenges and an annual review. A simple yet effective tool to help you stay on track in the long run.
Strava for e-bike riders
There are a few special considerations for e-bike riders:
E-bike category: Record activities as "e-bike riding", not as "cycling" - otherwise your rides will appear in normal segment rankings, which makes little sense for either side.
Combining Apple Health and Strava: If you use an iPhone, you can connect Strava to Apple Health. This way, all your activities will also appear in the Health app and be included in your daily activity rings. We explain exactly how this works in our article "Synchronizing an E-Bike Tour with Apple Health & Strava" .
Bosch integration: If you ride an e-bike with a Bosch drive, the connection between Bosch Flow and Strava is particularly worthwhile – then you don't have to start anything manually and all rides are automatically documented.
Strava Free vs Strava Subscription
The free version is perfectly adequate for most everyday drivers. The paid subscription (approx. €8/month, as of 2026) unlocks the following features:
| feature | Free | Subscription |
|---|---|---|
| Record activities | ✓ | ✓ |
| Show segments | Own only | All including leaderboard |
| Heart rate analysis | Limited | Complete |
| Training load (Fitness & Freshness) | ✗ | ✓ |
| Route planning | ✗ | ✓ |
| Segment best times | Only KOM/QOM | All Top 10 |
| Year-on-year comparison | ✗ | ✓ |
The free version is sufficient for occasional recreational rides. Those who actively use Strava for training and progress tracking will get significantly more analysis options with a subscription.
Conclusion: Set it up once, benefit permanently
Strava is ready to use in ten minutes. The most important steps: create an account, set up a private zone, connect a device – and you're good to go. Whether you use it for your daily commute, weekend rides, or structured training is entirely up to you.
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