Strava definitions and terms

Not sure where to post this but I have a simple query.

I have been a Strava subscriber/member for a year or so. Strava is a hugely popular app with massive user following, and is both intuitive and highly complex.

But I cannot find a section on basic terms and definitions.

For example, in recording my walks, my main form of exercise, I have found myself confused between "Activities" and "My Routes".

In accessing Activities, and when hovering the cursor over that Activity on desktop, the option to "Save Route" is provided.

If I want to retain the details of my Activity, it appears that I should not press "Save Route", as this seems to then save the activity to some other previously used route, with stats such as elevation gain, time taken, heart rate, etc saved in accordance with a previously saved route or activity? And the stats for this activity are then lost. Is this correct?

This is an essential aspect of Strava and yet I cannot find any help or assistance on this question, nor a simple glossary for terms and definitions. This would appear to be elementary and basic information for all Strava users - but perhaps I have missed it? Please advise.

David Hassell

Routes and Activities are separate things.  Creating a route from an activity will not delete that activity.  
An activity is exactly what it sound like, the record of a specific activity you did on a certain day at a certain time.  A route is essentially the path you took to get from one point to another.  A route can be taken any day, over and over, or shared with others so they can see a good way to get from one point to another.  A lot of people create routes so they can repeat a certain path that they liked for whatever reason.  You can make routes from scratch, where you click on a map all along the path to build it, or you can do it by using the path you took from an activity, which is what you are seeing the option for.  When you complete an activity, one of the options presented will be to save the route.  This will not delete your activity, it will just create a route (path) based on what you followed in this activity.  Say one day you biked to work, but rather than following the normal way that has some dangerous intersections, you chose to take a right on Main street and a left on Jefferson Street.  You realized this is a much better way to get to work since it stays off the dangerous roads and avoids a big hill.  To remember this and so you, or others you might want to share it with, can follow that path in the future, you can save the route you took directly from your activity file.  It is just a way to save a lot of work instead of having to manually create the route in the program.  A route is just a path, it does not include how fast you went or any other data like that since it is just a path to be followed, so it won't include the data you recorded when you did your activity.  

Personally, I have routes that I have saved from activities when I have done fun rides in other states.  I want to be able to remember them the next time I come back in a couple years without having to look back through all of my activities to find it.  Once I save it, I can just go directly to my routes list.  I also save routes that I want to use as a race course for future events.  

Here is a link to a number of search results in the Strava Support section for information about routes.  Search results – Strava Support

Thank you for your detailed detailed and helpful response. I have a follow up query.

You mentioned that a route is just a path and "won't include the data you recorded when you did your activity". This comment does not seem correct, as when I complete an activity and then save it as you have stated, my saved route DOES include distance, elevation gain and time taken, plus the new saved route also shows an excellent map and interactive elevation graph, which is ideal for my purposes. Or is my understanding incorrect about this?

My other query was in relation to whether Strava provides "a simple glossary of terms and definitions in order to distinguish between Activities and Routes, as this would appear to be elementary and basic information for all Strava users". I have viewed the search results you have provided, thank you, but could not see it. Information similar to that which you have provided above would be of great benefit to all.

@dchass - When you go for a ride and save the file, you are saving an activity.  The activity has all of the data such as speed, time, etc...  You may be following a route while you are doing your activity, but they are still two separate things.  When you look at a route, you will see distance, elevation, and the time it took you when you did the activity that you created the route from, but that should be about all you see as far as data.  You will also see the map, elevation profile, and a list of other segments that you will cover while riding the route.  It won't include your other data such as heart rate, cadence, speeds at specific points along the way, etc...  

As far as definitions, you are correct that there isn't a specific list of terms and definitions, but it is still easy to figure most things out.  Just click on the "support" link on any page.  Once there, you can enter the term your are interested in into the search bar and find all kinds of information about it and how it works.

Thankyou again for responding, which I appreciate.

However, I am having still difficulty on the details when using Activities compared to Routes.

To explain my situation, I take many walks along a coastline involving some rock climbing, beach walking and bush walking, and have a focus on achieving elevation gain, which varies between 120 and 150 metre gain depending upon variations to the route. The activity takes about 45 mins and I often follow a slightly different route each time, constantly attempting to maximise elevation gain. I like to view the activity on desktop afterwards, and also click save route to view it on My Routes.

As an example of my issue described on a previous post to you, my last activity showed 112m gain, time was approx 47mins and distance was approx 3km.

When I click Save Route, I am taken to the excellent map and interactive elevation profile, but I can see that the data has changed significantly, ie elevation gain is considerably higher, time is 4 min less and distance is about 0.7Km less than the original Activity before saving.

This appears to be because the Route shown is taken from the heat map of all previous routes, (very many of them undertaken by me, all clearly identifiable), and on studying them I can see exactly where the actual Route shown after saving is quite different - in identifiable places - to the actual Activity undertaken, with the differences clearly noticeable within the Heat Map. 

Hence the issue I have been attempting to describe, where the activity metrics on My Routes are quite different to the original Activity. I guess if I could drag and drop the route shown on the heat map onto the path of the actual Activity, I may achieve correlation between the Route and Activity metrics? I think I noticed videos or instructions somewhere on how to do this.... maybe it was on your website, or YouTube?

Does all this make sense, and are you please able to help me further? Tracking and recording elevation gain on desktop is a pursuit/hobby I am quite interested in.

Many thanks.

I guess I am confused why you are trying to make a new route every time you complete an activity.  All of the data, including the elevation profile, is in the activity, so the route page is just duplicating it.  The activity has much more information than the route you create will have.  The activity has the interactive elevation profile.  You can even enlarge the map to a full-screen mode and follow along that way.  Just scroll the mouse cursor over the elevation profile below the map and it will follow with a marker along the map.  What do you feel you are getting from the route that you don't already get from the activity itself?

I am not associated with Strava, just another user like you.  

Thankyou again for responding. This is a Community Hub but I had not realised that you were not associated with Strava.

The simple reason for being attracted to My Routes is the very much superior elevation profile it provides. The Activity elevation graph is almost a flat line in comparison. 

PS.... further to my last post, do you happen to know why it is that My Routes does not save to the latest relevant Activity saved?

Ah, that's clear and concise - thank you.

That then means that viewing the Activity is the only means of me perusing my completed walk, which in turn means I do not have the opportunity to view Strava's elegant interactive Elevation Graph as used in My Routes. As I understand it, all that can then be viewed on desktop is a very "flat line" graph (especially for walkers), and without the graphic representation of surface types, steep hills, etc. Others have also written about this.

Thank you again for responding.