How does one track spinning/exercise bike workouts with a bike that doesn't show distance?

[Getting.there]

I try to remember to manually select "workout" at the start of my workout, but if I forget to do that, and I need to go into the app and "log previous," I'm not sure how to enter spin bike workouts.

If I select "Spinning," the app requires that I enter a distance, but my Spinning bike display stopped working several years ago,  so I have no distance to record. And for some reason,  the app doesn't let me enter a general "workout" after the fact.  I can only select "workout" if I remember to manually select it on the fitbit right when I start working out,  but I often forget to do this. 

What excercise type should i select when trying to log previous spin bike workouts, if I cant select "spinning" or "workout"? What exercise would most closely represent spin bike workouts without requiring me to enter a distance?

[FBDon]

I just select Bike and click start, and then when it is done I end it.  I do this several times a week and it works just fine.  It has never asked me for a distance.  I got into this habit since the auto detect exercise kept thinking I was swimming.  Still not sure where that came from.

[LZeeW]

@Getting.there   My strongest possible recommendation to you is to add Spinning to your Exercise Shortcut list (Help article) and use it, not Workout for your spin/indoor bike rides.  Do whatever you need to do to remind yourself to use the Exercise app, so you don't log after the fact.  If you are wearing your Charge 5 and just forget to use the Exercise app, the app overwrites your calorie burn to an average calorie burn per minute based on MET equivalents.

The Bike shortcut is designed for outdoor, not indoor bikes.  Outdoor bike is auto recognized, but indoor bike isn't.

[Getting.there]

@LZeeW and @FBDon 

Okay, so it sounds like there's not a good way to log a previous spinning exercise on the days I forget to click it right away at the start of my workout? 

[LZeeW]

@Getting.there   You're right, there isn't a good way to do it.  You can have your exercise day accomplishment or a better calorie burn estimate, but not both.

You wrote that your bike display broke.  If Fitbit uses the distance to estimate METS, and this is a big if, put your best educated guess in the distance and hope for the best.