FitBit Blaze Connected GPS Cycling Distance

[SunsetRunner]

Hello!

I took my first morning commute with my Blaze today, and the overall distance is off by -1/3.

Fitbit Blaze, GPS Connected to Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ - total distance 9.9km

Polar RC3 GPS - total distance 14.62km

GMaps directions - total distance 14.16km

The map is correct in both Fitbit dashboard, and on Strava, but the total distance is off by over 4km.

Here's today's ride: https://www.strava.com/activities/600194294

Add here's the last one on the Polar: https://www.strava.com/activities/581870544

I'm going to record tomorrow's ride just in Strava and see if it records the correct distance (confirmed by GMaps directions).

Does anyone have any experience or guidance on how this can be resolved.  I hope it's not the Blaze and something else, otherwise it'll have to go back.

Thanks 🙂

Update: I should have added, I initiated the cycle exercise from the blaze, not the app. (not sure if this matters, but worth mentioning)

[Whitedials]

I've got the same issue. On my cycle yesterday my blaze gps connected to my iPhone 6 reported I'd done 19 miles. My Garmin edge GPS on my bike reported 25 miles (a distance I know is correct). When i exanimed the map on my Fitbit app the route looked roughly OK - but had a number of inaccuracies seen as spikes on my map.

Interestingly I've got my Fitbit app set up to automatically set up to automatically export to Strava and Strava reported I'd cycled 30 miles - which given the additional spikes was about right.

Can anyone else shine an light on this issue?

[bbarrera · Accepted solution]

My Garmin Edge bike computer GPS has been more accurate than phone gps, although there is very little difference (say 0.1 miles) between the bike computer and recording my ride using Strava app (which uses phone gps).

It sure seems like Fitbit is using the raw GPS data from the phone, and thats why you are seeing spikes or jumps in your map.

The Strava app appears to be filtering the raw GPS, and throwing out obvious bad data. Which is why my bike computer and Strava/phoneGPS are so close.

Hope that helps.

[SunsetRunner]

Thank you for this.  I switched to my Nexus 5 and it recorded 11.4km from my pocket, and you can see on the map that the route is more defined.

Essentially, the Blaze is not to blame here.  I will tinker with putting my phone in my bag, or on the outside in my running armstrap, to see if this improves things further.

[bbarrera]

There are folks like myself that have simultaneously recorded a ride with Garmin bike computer, an app on phone, and Blaze connected GPS. The Blaze map has spikes/errors/etc sometimes, and other times it's good and looks same as app/bike computer. For me it's not 100% repeatable but it happens enough that it's a problem.