Blaze cycling convert to steps for 7-day total and challenges?

[Slayer33]

Hi everyone, first post here. I have my new blaze on its way, but I am worried that what I intended to purchase it for is actually not going to work. The issue here is Cycling and Step conversion..

It doesn't exist?

I asked customer support on 3 separate occasions, with 3 different answers.

The 1st was to upgrade my charge to a blaze since I commute to work on my bike, 50 kilometers round trip. I asked if my bike ride will count towards my daily step total and i was told that yes, the blaze will track cycling.

2nd attempt - after searching the forums and web for cycling/step conversions for the fitbit surge i was unsuccessful so I contacted customer support again. This time the conversation was more thorough and the customer support person confirmed with me that yes, the blaze will include the cycling that i do and it will indeed count towards my challenges and 7-day totals. After this chat, I pre-ordered the blaze.

3rd attempt - This morning... (March 4th, 2016) - After seeing the Blaze out in the real world and waiting to receive mine in the mail, i couldn't find anything about the tracking of bike rides and the steps being counted.. so I contacted customer support once more.. this time, i was told that no, cycling activities will not go towards my 7-day totals or my challenges.

I'm heart broken and disappointed... I compete daily with my family and friends, i have worked so hard in the past 6 weeks trying to get steps in at work to the tune of an average of 18k steps per day and 19lbs lost to date (i started at 205lbs). I was looking forward to commuting to work on my bike now that spring is around the corner.. and was gearing up to tackle my friends and family and show them how much hard work i'm putting in... but all that is gone.. I feel like if Fitbit is to be an activity tracker it should be one, one that integrates the activities it supports within its application. Not just a pedometer.. which it is turning out to only be.

It doesn't seem that difficult to integrate bike rides and convert them into steps.. you have a heart rate sensor, you have an altimeter and with the blaze and surge gps tracking (blaze using phone gps). I'm sure there is a calculation that can be done to convert distance cycled into steps and count it towards your daily and weekly totals.

I'm at a tipping point... i have been using a garmin bike computer for years to track my cycling.. but i got the blaze cause i want to be included in my weekly totals and challenges. Since its not going to work like i assumed it would.. i may very well cancel and return my blaze when it arrives... reluctantly..

[Jason212]

In my opinion cycling should not count as steps, it is not a step based activity, when I bike sometimes I coast but spin the pedals backwards.  This would count steps, but there is zero resistance in that scenario so it shouldn't be a step, but that is just my opinion.

[Jim_NJ]

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@kerrycrow wrote:

If you put your Blaze in your sock while biking you will get steps to count.

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I tried this out yesterday, but actually put it near the bottom of one of the legs in my biking shorts.  I looked at it after manually counting 100 rotations on the pedals, and it counted accurately.  Then I stuck it three finger-widths from the bottom of the short leg and rode 12 miles.  At the end, it was still exaclty three finger-widths from the bottom, i.e. it hadn't moved at all.  It also captured my heart rate.  I think calories are determined by heart rate, so I'm glad it captures heart rate.

It counted a little over 3,000 steps for the ride.  On a previous ride with the Blaze on my wrist it counted about 1,000 steps for 13 miles, so I think I'll be putting the Blaze against my leg on future rides to be more accurate.

[Jim_NJ]

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@Jason212 wrote:

...when I bike sometimes I coast but spin the pedals backwards.  This would count steps, but there is zero resistance in that scenario so it shouldn't be a step, but that is just my opinion.

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I don't do spin my pedals backwards when I ride, but maybe I'll start to do it to pump up my step count!       

[Rich_Laue]

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@Jason212 wrote:

In my opinion cycling should not count as steps, it is not a step based activity, when I bike sometimes I coast but spin the pedals backwards.  This would count steps, but there is zero resistance in that scenario so it shouldn't be a step, but that is just my opinion.

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It also can cause premature wear on your chain and gears, and if the gears are not aligned correctly the chain can get jammed. 

Now if I pedal backwards, I go backwards, you can't choose on a unicycle but I still go 7 feet with one pedal.

[Damonji]

Slayer33 I hear you. Do all of the Fitbits have the same accelorameter?

Right now I have a Fitbit 1 and the Cycling to Step conversion or miles is way off. It's a replacement for a 1 that was lost and the equivalent miles for cycled miles is worse than ever. 

The other day I did a 45 mile bike ride averaging 16.5 mph 2hr45....for me a pretty good effort. Fitbit gave me 4.9 miles for that ride, gave me 1 mile walked for every 9.2 miles cycled! Outrageous!

I can walk 5 miles in half that time without near as much effort. Ridiculous!

Checking the web, most accurate conversions are 3-4 miles cycled at 16 mph+ is equal to 1 mile running.

I can't see why Fitbit with all of their models can't even come close! I would be happy with 4-1 (cycling miles-walking miles). I don't think Fitbit has addressed this issue yet. I too, compete with my friends and want something that is commensurate for cycling. I've called Fitbit and they tell Surge is best for cycling but they will not tell me conversion cycling to walking/running (the same accelorameter?) If I get 9 to 1 with Surge thatll be a waste of $$$!

[Baltoscott]

@Damonji -- the Blaze or Surge both have bike modes which means you can use GPS (your phone for the Blaze; gps on device for Surge) to record ride distance. Any 'steps' you get will depend on how bumpy the road assuming you wear those models as designed -- on your wrist.  Bumpy = more steps.

For the One you have now, assuming you wear it deep in a front pocket or in your sock, your step count will have more to do with your cadence than your distance. A higher spin rate will generate more steps.

My advice, take whatever steps your device records while on bike rides as bonus steps in challenges. You can always do more steps in the same amount of time by walking fast, but biking is more fun and your feet won't hurt as much as if you get all your steps walking/running.

[Rich_Laue]

For every Fitbit user that wants steps while biking there is a Fitbit user that wants the rogue steps removed.l, it is simply impossible to please everyone.

If wearing a fitbit in the pocket or leg the up/down motion will count as steps. Is Fitbit able to determine how far you went? Not if you haven't told Fitbit how far you travel per pedal, but then a simple coast are nd a corner or down a hill will throw the distances off, and never change gears please.

Keeping the Fitbit on the arm has the lightly affect our counting the bumps in the road, not the pedaling of the feet.

As @BaltoscottBaltoscott has started the only way to get correct distance while cycling is to use GPS, I guess the stride could be calibrated for the wheel diameter and the Fitbit mounted to the spokes. This is the basis of how a bicycle speedometer works.

[bbarrera]

Fitness isn't about how far you travel, either by foot or bike. Trying to measure fitness contribution by mile is a fools game. That's why CDC and World Health Organization recommend minimum of 2x weekly strength training and min 150 minutes weekly of moderate to vigorous cardio.

[Dragonbait]

I think the problem is that there are two different groups of people here arguing.

One group are the serious fitnes people where accurate stats matter, where the type of exercise and heart rate matter etc.

And another group (like myself) who are just generally interested in improving their fitness and competing with friends in challenges is a fun way to get up off the couch a little bit more and the exactness of it is really not that important!

For me I want cycling to count towards steps because its time spent not in front of the TV and I only do that to compete with friends who are doing the same thing.  If you don't want to know the steps ignore them, or have Fitbit make it an option, but it seems unfair to not have some kind of conversion just because you don't think its a useful metric for you.

[Rich_Laue]

Have you thou by about voteing for this feature, if your interested in letting Fitbit know I'd go to the feature request. https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Feature-Requests/convert-biked-distance-to-steps/idi-p/1306169