Steps showing on activity log after using MobileRun for tracking bike rides

[phatbitzr]

I've usually bike for 5-8 miles each way on my commute and I use both the Blaze's Activity recording and MobileRun (in run mode) to record the activity.  I use both because MobileRun tracks my route, and it auto-exports to Strava, where I can convert it to a bicycle ride.

There are no discrepancy on the calories between the two (which is both based on HR), not does it double up.  Although it does add one to two thousand steps from each activity to my total steps.  You can see in the attached image, Activity 1, 2 and 3, each bike/run pair outlined in red.  Time, duration and calorie count are roughly the same.  I am not sure where that number come from, maybe it measured my total number of pedal strokes as steps?  Although on activity 1, the step count per mile is much lower than activity 2 or 3.  I wish I can null out those steps w/deleting the activity, but I don't see an option.  

But today, I forgot my tracker, so I just used the MobileRun app in run mode in the morning (activity 4 outlined in blue).  The steps and calorie count are off the chart.  On the way back I decided to use the walk mode (activity 5 outlined in blue), thinking it would lower the calorie burn rate.  The calorie burn rate is roughly the same, but the step count/mile is much higher in the walk mode.

I am wondering how they derived at those step count when both tracker and MobileRun as used concurrently, or when only MobileRun is used.

Moderator edit: Clarified subject

[FerdinandFitbit]

Hi there @phatbitzr. Good to see you in the Fitbit Community Forums! 🙂

I would like to help you with this.

If you're tracking bike rides, you shouldn't be using MobileRun to get a map of your bike ride because for MobileRun the only available options are Walk, Run and Hike. Using MobileRun, will "force" your phone to believe that you're actually recording a run or a walk and will generate false steps for that activity trying to decipher the steps taken according to the motion perceived by the accelerometer.

Now, I'd recommend tracking the bike ride from your exercise shortcuts which is the third screen on your Blaze. That way, once you choose Biking, it will connect to your phone's GPS and will give you a map in the end that can be exported to Strava and be used for the same purposes.

Hope this helps and if you need anything else, let me know!

[Rich_Laue · Accepted solution]

While using your tracker, steps are simple a count of the bumps that the bike ride over. 

When not using the tracker with mobile run. The software takes the distance traveled and decides this by the stride setting to come up with an estimated step count. 

Neither is a true count of the steps. Also on a bike steps are not taken and this is why many want the step count to be zero at this time. 

[phatbitzr]

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@FerdinandFitbitwrote:

Hi there @phatbitzr. Good to see you in the Fitbit Community Forums! 🙂

I would like to help you with this.

If you're tracking bike rides, you shouldn't be using MobileRun to get a map of your bike ride because for MobileRun the only available options are Walk, Run and Hike. Using MobileRun, will "force" your phone to believe that you're actually recording a run or a walk and will generate false steps for that activity trying to decipher the steps taken according to the motion perceived by the accelerometer.

Now, I'd recommend tracking the bike ride from your exercise shortcuts which is the third screen on your Blaze. That way, once you choose Biking, it will connect to your phone's GPS and will give you a map in the end that can be exported to Strava and be used for the same purposes.

Hope this helps and if you need anything else, let me know!

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I don't have connected GPS available on my phone, so I use MobileRun where it combines with the reported heart rate during that period into one activity that is exported to Strava.  I also select the bike ride in exercise shortcut so I have a ride logged.