Getting started with Strava
After creating an account, Strava's real onboarding hinges on connecting either a GPS device (Garmin, Wahoo, Apple Watch) or just using the phone app directly, since most day-to-day activity data arrives via automatic device sync rather than manual entry.
Practical Details
New users often miss that Strava's core social features -- segments, kudos, leaderboards -- only become meaningful once you've recorded a few real activities, since segment leaderboards populate based on actual GPS tracks crossing a defined route. Privacy Zones (hiding the start/end of routes near a home address) are worth setting up immediately, before your first real activity uploads with an exact home location visible.
Actionable Considerations
- Set a Privacy Zone around your home address before your first activity upload, not after.
- Connect your actual GPS device or watch for automatic sync rather than relying on manual activity entry.
- Set per-activity audience visibility (Everyone/Followers/Only You) deliberately, since the default may be broader than you expect.