How do I get my flex to track cycling time or steps?

[GEO65]

I'm new to the Fitbit Flex and this morning I was disappointed to see that 30 minutes on a stationary bike produced no active minutes or no steps.  I ended up logging the time in manually, but how can I get the Flex to record it real time.  Is there an exertion or intensity threshold for active minutes.  I noticed that when I'm on an elliptical, every step counts but unless I'm going fast the Flex doesn't register any active minutes.

[WendyB]

Your bike is stationary and you produce no impact on the floor. It would therefore make sense your Fitbit doesn't register steps. You may try to put it around your ankle or inside your sock (depending on the model). However, you may want to manually enter your biking as an activity.

[GEO65]

Thx for the response, Wendy. I tried lacing the flex to my shoe for the bike today, but didn't pick up any extra steps or active minutes. I'll just log manually. Good to know what it records and what it ignores. Best, Geo

[slysam]

About the elliptical since it is tracking your steps. The activity intensities (light, moderate and very active) have to do with how much and how fast you move each minute for fitbit tracked activity. I get very active minutes on the elliptical if I go very fast--if I use it with no resistance and go as fast as I can I even get a slightly inflated calorie burn (compared to my heart rate monitor--one of the few activities I have seen this for). But whatever your resistance if you move quickly enough you may see VAM. Walking I need to walk at least 4mph to see Very Active minutes. Note a lot of moderate cardio (the kind where you can talk but not sing) should be considered moderately active minutes rather than very active. If you use high resistance settings the Fitbit will likely underestimate compared to your actual intensity so in that case you may want to log it (like you do with your cycling). For logged activity, the intensity level is based on calorie burn per minute. I have a Fitbit One, not a Flex, so my experience with fitbit tracking the elliptical will be a little different from yours.