Counting steps for Cycling!

[Smellie32]

So I have had my Fitbit for 6+ months. As I have researched issues, I have noticed that many people have struggles with not being able to count steps while cycling, I to get frustrated with this. Being a triathlete and competitive, want all my steps to count. What I don't understand is how after a few years of Fitbit knowing this is an issue, why have they not come up with a solution? It is more motivating when all your activities count as steps so when you are competing against friends on the Fitbit app that you feel you have a chance. I think Fitbit needs to expand their horizon to not only motivating customers to walk and run but all sports. Swimming and biking are my 2 favorites. 

[RalphEm]

So what I do now is aim for a calorie count that reflects 5 mi of steps each day.  I also get most of 250 step hours a day and 5 exercises per week with some focus on interval workouts.  My Fitbit has been great.

[Rich_Laue]

First thing I would like to remind all, posting in this board is designed for Fitbit users to help fitbit users. 

Currently we have several suggestions to vote on about steps and cycling 

Option to remove steps earned when cycling

 Disable step count during cycling

Cycling Stats

Activities - Add Bike ride & do not count steps...

 The final tally

4 votes for steps while biking. 

282 votes for steps to be removed

[Hercules0070]

 I understand your pain being a person who loves biking. I understand people's plenty of you also that it wouldit would be unfair for people who actually took the steps instead of cycling. I think that they would benefit from showing the steps and distance that you have cycled in a circle showing the percentage of steps and the percentage of distance that you've traveled on a bike. If they are having trouble calculating the distance they could make an attachment for your bicycle or your ankle to communicate with the Fitbit or phone. They could use all of that to calculate with your GPS location. Then your friends can see how far you walked and how far you cycle. 

[Rich_Laue]

The question still hasn't been answered. 

Should the equivalent, made up steps, be based on the equivalent calories that would have been burnt by walking or should it be based on the calories burnt during a run. Basing the calories on the amount of revolutions the foot makes is unfair since this is dependent on the gear the bike is in. Some people simply want to say I rode my bike 3 miles therefore Fitbit should give me the equivalent steps I would have taken in the same 3 miles. Even though walking might have taken an hour and riding a bicycle only with take minutes. 

What does Fitbit do about the many who are complaining that steps are being recorded durring a bike ride when they are not actually stepping? 

[Mhm240]

Thank you
Valid points
It is interesting but as you say we do not know the answers
Mhm 240


Sent from my iPhone

[Nick4554]

After googling this topic because I’m having the same issue, it has led me to this page. I am with you 100%, and I can see that the people responding with statements such as “cycling isn’t walking” don’t quite understand the issue. The Fitbit is a fitness activity tracker - it’s not marketed or designed as something you only walk with, because if it was, then walking would be the only activity you could choose from the wristband itself. It comes with default activities already placed onto the wrist band such as walking, weights, yoga, bike riding, kick boxing and more. All of these activities make a mark on your overall day, whereas for bike riding, the Fitbit is no more useful than a wristwatch. What is the use of these extra activities if it’s only for walking like the people think they understand so well? Anyways, clearly they must not bike ride because if they did they would see the issue. The Fitbit should track everything and the data should count as steps regardless of the activity, because being active is being active and everything you do should count (except swimming since they still haven’t made it waterproof, unlike Garmin).  I ALWAYS wear my Fitbit and quite honestly I think it’s super disappointing that my biking stats are worth 0 credibility in the app and people I compete against in the Fitbit community. Garmin devices track everything and it all counts and is worth something progress wise, regardless of the activity. So the people that think that because an activity doesn’t use steps and therefore shouldn’t count towards your overall fitness productivity can shush. Honestly I took my charge 2 with me on a bike ride a couple days ago and all it basically did was serve as a timer. If I wanted speed information I had to bring my phone as a tether! How old school. I already have a 25 dollar speedometer attached to my bike which gives real time speed and distance and more stats, like calories, fat calories, outdoor temperature, and it cost 25 bucks from Walmart, unlike this 200 dollar Fitbit which claims to track everything but I’d basically as useful as a paperweight for cycling, once again, cycling is one of the activities it’s supposed to track for all you trolls with your trigger fingers ready to debate me lol. A real shame at its lack of tracking capabilities when biking though! I guess at least I can use it to tell the time while bike riding. Oh wait, my bike speedometer already does that...

[Rich_Laue]

I can understand some of your points, but see that you have simply restated what has already been posted rather than adding a possible solution or an additiinal thought to this highly debatable and contested subject. 

What type of conversion factor for steps in respect to biking do you feel would be acceptable to all Fitbit users. 

Fitbit gives credit for all activity through the common factor of recording the extra calories burnt. 

Calories, not steps, are the common factor that is used. 

Recorded steps are used as a measuremwntmto compete with others in step based competitions. 

Fitbit is serious about this and will only add tracker recorded steps to challenges. No manually added steps or steps added by third party apps will show up in challenges. I understand tgattpeopkepwould like their bike riding to be added to a challenge but it not being a step based activity Fitbit will not go for this, because of the contention. 

I however can see that for a personal user that having all activities properly converted to steps would be great in seeing the daily day to day changes in activity levels .

Personally I feel the conversion should be done by awarding steps based on calories burnt. 

The problem with this is the math used to calculate calories is not perfect. 

Please be aware that this thread is between your fellow Fitbit users with no guarantee that any Fitbit developers are reading it

[Mhm240]

Thanks
Interesting
Pragmatic

Sent from my iPhone

[Smellie32]

So true! Thank you! People who say biking isn’t walking must never bike, because cycling is a lot more work than walking.

Sent from my iPhone

[JayCR]

My Surge counts steps while cycling.  It gives me about the equivalent steps of walking 3 mph for the entire time I am cycling. So if I ride for an hour it gives me credit for about walking three miles.

[Rich_Laue]

If you want more steps, simply find a course with more bumps and potholes. 

[JayCR]

That’s true.  Even riding in a car on a bumpy road registers steps.  

I would support some calorie based conversion.  The guy who wants a step for every resolution is crazy. 

[Rich_Laue]

The calories are calculated using the heart rate. not the steps. 

[Dave369]

I recently moved and ride my bike daily. In my old neighborhood I would get about 2,000 to 3,000 steps a day from biking about 10 miles and about 90% of the activity minutes. In my new neighborhood, I get zero steps and minutes for any distance. The only difference is the surface -- more road and little to no sidewalk (and cracks/bumps). At first disappointed, I just accept that I am biking for my fitness and dont worry about it.  A friend wears his Fitbit on his ankle but that is more than I want to take it.  

[Kaiyah19]

You could make the challenges based on calories burned instead of steps taken , or have the option to challenge people either to steps or to calories burned...

[MarkEngleman]

My problem too. 
I go for a 45 minutes hard bike ride and the fit bit does not record much activity. Likely 1/4 or 1/5 relative for walking. Seems the heat rate and GPS mechanism could model the effort. 

[Rich_Laue]

Does your bike ride show under your list of activities @MarkEngleman?

Do your u see. Calories and acting very minutes. In the summary of the Bike event?

I'm not sure what is ment by not recording much activity, was not the whole bike ride recorded?

Did you manually start the ride recording or let Fitbit decide that you where riding?

[PATNORAS]

I do not want cycle I want to steps. They were steps and now today is a place for cyclist.

[Rich_Laue]

Sorry @PATNORAS I'm not sure if your starting something or asking a question. 

Your post reminds me of a Dr Suess book.

[PATNORAS]

NO We are in the snow and bikes away. I was wanting to walk.
Can you please a 74 lady to put the fit bit WALKING.

Thank you.