Average steps overall

[weadpatch]

Yesterday, I did a bike ride of 44 miles and my Fitbit band showed less than 10,000 steps.  How is that possible?  I can understand it be less actual walking steps but this much less, how can that be?

[WendyB]

Its not a step based activity.

Also people will put it else where to get more steps. Pocket,  Ankle

Don't know which model you have.

[WavyDavey]

Why would you expect step credit for biking? Your arm doesn't swing (how the tracker determines steps), and you're feet aren't touching the ground. You'll still be burning the calories and gaining active minutes, which is the important part.

[MarciM]

@weadpatch I have a lot of friends that at cyclist. They attached their Fitbit to their shoelaces. You'll get a step for per circular pedal motion, However if you are interested in your heartrate, you obviously lose that functionality. Would suggest you use a Flex 2 for attaching to you shoe, small tracker is easy to attached to laces, less obtrusive, and water proof.

[BruceBu · Accepted solution]

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@WavyDavey wrote:

Why would you expect step credit for biking? Your arm doesn't swing (how the tracker determines steps), and you're feet aren't touching the ground. You'll still be burning the calories and gaining active minutes, which is the important part.

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Not really - the Fitbit trackers count a step when they experience a sufficiently large acceleration that will trigger the counter. It is intended that the acceleration comes from the shock wave of a foot strike that travels through the body (very short but intense in terms of g-force). Triggering the counter by arm swings is an artifact that would preferably not be measured. My Charge 2 (and One) work just fine in my shirt or pants pocket, or clipped to my waist - no wrist or arm swing there. Excessive arm swing is probably one of the major contributors (absent outright cheating) to step counts higher than steps taken, particularly for dancers where the arm motions may be faster and out of sync with what the legs are doing. Also, in general activity tracking mode you will not get credit for exercise calories (BMR calories - yes) or active minutes unless you are registering steps.

In general activity mode (not a tracked exercise) steps are steps - if you get reliable signals from other activities, good for you, but they still aren't steps and you shouldn't expect them to register as such.

That said, some folks wear their wrist devices on their ankles (with some sort of strap extension, if needed) and HR seems to work for models with the capability, as well as giving reliable pedal rotation counts (if not too slow)..

[GershonSurge]

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@weadpatch wrote:

Yesterday, I did a bike ride of 44 miles and my Fitbit band showed less than 10,000 steps.  How is that possible?  I can understand it be less actual walking steps but this much less, how can that be?

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Here is how it's possible. Let's say you rode at 15 mph and covered the distance in 2.9 hours or 176 minutes. That would be a cadence of about 57 rotations per minute. Most recreational riders cadence is about 60 per minute. Experienced riders would average a 90 cadence except when going downhill or coasting. I'd say your count was perfect.