Cycling

[fyver]

I just purchased a Fitbit Force and I do a significant amount of cycling during the summer months.  Can you provide some experiences tracking cycling?  Thanks so much!

[Mary]

Bad news- It doesn't track cycling.  You'll need to log it manually if you want it included in your calorie totals.  It's basically a pedometer with some cool tools.  

I *think* you can use a site like Endomondo to track your rides (if you ride with a phone with GPS) and you can link it to here so it automatically transfers the info over without you manually logging.  Hopefully someone who does it can confirm.  

[Cosmogirl0115]

I don't know how to link training info from another app to Fitbit, but I'd love to learn, if anyone else has done it! To cycle, I use the Cyclemeter app for my outdoor exercise to track GPS, mph average, etc. I've used it for a couple of years. It also tracks hiking/walking and other forms of exercise.

[Doug]

The other app needs to have added support for integrating with Fitbit.  I don't see Cyclemeter listed as one of the apps here so it may not have support yet.  For one of the apps listed on that page, use its Learn More link to get additional information including the URL to its respective link page.

[Makuahinenani]

I take it off my wrist and attach it to my cycling shoes--this seems to work.

[FitKnight]

I record all my rides with a Garmin Forerunner 910XT and then use FitDataSync.com to pull in that data; gives me accurate distance, calorie burn and active minutes.

[smartrthanu]

Do you remove the fitbit while riding? Last time I rode with my Garmin and Fitbit (datasync) it appeared to be double counting some statistics. For example, it showed I did 55 flights of stairs (because of cycling elevation change) while also counting miles, calories, etc from the Garmin.

[FitKnight]

I usually do, yes; I didn't last night while I was on the trainer for an hour, and it showed a TON of steps that I obviously didn't actually take. I'll be taking it off from here on out, and just letting my Garmin data sync up and do the "talking" for my activities that day. Steps are important, but I think 60 minutes at ~15mph on the trainer counts, too. 😉

[smartrthanu]

60 minutes on the trainer is mental torture! You should get extra points! 😊

[FitKnight]

Ha ha ha, thanks! 🙂 Nothing like watching action/sci-fi movies to make the time go faster!

[BIGEDDY1]

thats what I had in mind. If you don't mind me asking how do you attach it to your shoe securely?

[Leslie25]

clip it through your laces, I actual use the large band and clip it around my ankle.  

[healthychick]

I'm going to try that idea of putting the fit bit on my shoe when I do cardio at the gym, spinning and other exercises and see how it goes because I'm concerned it's double counting.

[dwalk70]

Living in Las Vegas means cycling year round for the most part.  I use Fitdatasync (you can find them in the gallery of apps on the Fitbit home page) to sync the data from my Garmin 500 bike computer to my Fitbit dashboard.  Not a perfect solution since it doesn't track steps, but it does eleiminate logging in each ride.

A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single pedal stroke!

[AtticusPlatypus]

I like to use the digifit app on my iphone with a heart rate monitor to track activites such as biking and indoor spinning. The apps fitbit and digifit can be linked so your caloric and distance shows up in both. The fitbit tracker works great for lower intensity activities such as walking and spares your phones battery for shorter higher intensity activites such as biking generic indoor machines. I find the mio heart rate watch is a really convenient device to use to track heart rate.

[TCG]

I bought an odometer for my bike, it keeps track of the miles I ride, the speed, calories burned, fat calories burned, outdoor temperature and how many minutes I ride. When I'm done I input it into "my fitness pal" and sync it with my Fitbit. I wish they did make something that attaches to the bike and sync's automatically to the Fitbit.

[soddbbuster]

I use an app called Cyclemeter to track my cycling. It is a highly rated cycling app. as it also maps terraine, elevation etc., in detail.  ($5.00 app.) Fitbit is a pedometer.  It is great for walking and running but I think cycling confuses it. I think it also gets confused with the high heart rate when I'm cycling as it doesn't know what I'm doing.  I use the Cyclemeter app to produce the stats and "log" it as an exercise after the fact. Fitbit has a "track" exercise feature, but I don't have a clue as to how long I'm going to be out when I go cycling.  It depends totally on the terraine and how I feel.  Today I opened "track exercise" and entered 1.30 hours before I started.  When I got back I Cyclemeter said I had been out 2.14 hours.  I deleted the "track exercise" and entered the information to the "log exercise" part of Fitbit.  It seemed to work just fine.  It was even able to average the heart rate 120 bpm and know to apply them to the cycle ride.  I wish Fitbit would just allow an "import" of the data or a sync of the data from Cyclemeter.  But this seems to be working and I feel the data in my Fitbit app is now more accurate. 

To everyone out there, if I am doing something that is giving me inaccurate data please let me know.  Thanks