Recumbent bike vs. Fitbit

[LewWagner]

I'll admit it....I'm a fair weather walker/runner. With the cold snap here in Birmingham, this week, I've decided to use our trusty recumbent bike in our house. It records the usual metrics, but because Fitbit doesn't track such effort automatically, I have to manually enter the input.

End result is that while I'm burning many more calories at 13.5-15.5 mph for 30 minutes (around 7-7.7 miles) than I would in equivalent walking for the same time, it, doesn't reflect as high step count or mileage count (on foot).

So, I'm going to try to figure how to fine tune this type of exercise out this month.

[Heybales · Accepted solution]

Would the knee show more change of direction to register steps better?

Still only 1/2 count, but that's all you'd usually get out of a ankle location anyway.

Still no good on calorie count, always need that manually entered, buts till for steps.

[LewWagner · Accepted solution]

HB,

Thanks for the input.  I've read in other forum posts that putting the fitbit device on ankles does not work. 

The auto collected data is pretty much useless.  My TomTom "Map My Fitness" (now UnderArmor-owned) auto-calculates the calories burned based upon age, weight, mileage, type of bike ride, and distance.  I take that data and manually enter into FitBit cycling activity.

No way to enter step count in the Fitbit manual mode as it doesn't ask for it.