The Ionic Does Not Sync With Strava. At All.

[mr_manager]

This thing simply does not sync with Strava. I've enabled strava from the fitbit side, and I've enabled fitbit from the strava side. Several times now. Nothing. Zero. Never. No sync-y. I thought this was a core competency. Open to suggestions.

[SunsetRunner]

In the Strava settings of the Fitbit app does it say "authorised" for your account, showing the same email address as your Strava account?

[Cyldor]

Strava only shows my old tracks (the moment I have setup my Strava...).

If I went biking, fitbit updates the ride to Strava... All is authorized between Fibit and Strava but does not show my new tracks...

But how does the Strava app get his data? Wifi or Bluetooth? With all those sync issues...

[mr_manager]

Yes, the email is the same. I was hoping it wasn't! Dagnabbit.

[bbarrera]

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@Cyldor wrote:

If I went biking, fitbit updates the ride to Strava... All is authorized between Fibit and Strava but does not show my new tracks...

But how does the Strava app get his data? Wifi or Bluetooth? With all those sync issues...

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@Cyldor There are two separate workflows:

- syncing Fitbit activities to Strava

- Ionic's Strava app requesting updated Strava activities (via Fitbit phone app)

This is how activity syncing works:

- One time authorization using strava.fitbit.com to allow Fitbit to send activities to Strava

1. Record bike ride or run using Ionic (or Blaze/Surge/etc)

2. Tracker syncs to phone app, which then syncs activity to Fitbit servers

3. Fitbit servers send activity to Strava

Based on my review of the SDK, the Ionic's Strava app probably works like this:

- One-time authorization via Fitbit phone app to authorize Ionic app to read Strava activities

1. Ionic's Strava app sends request to Fitbit app on phone (over Bluetooth)

2. Fitbit app on phone requests Strava activities (over cellular data or WiFi)

3. Strava servers send to Fitbit app (over cellular data or WiFi)

4. Fitbit app on phone sends activities to Ionic's Strava app (over Bluetooth)

(for steps 2 and 3, its possible that Fitbit's phone app makes the request directly to Strava servers, or thru a web service on Fitbit servers)

Hope that helps.

[mr_manager]

So I revoked access to almost every app from both sides -- fitbit and strava -- and then went to link them together again. This time I noticed the bit that said any activity WITH GPS will be synced. So that explains why treadmill runs haven't been synced. But it doesn't explain why they WOULDN'T be synced. My treadmill runs with the Garmin were synced to Strava...

[Cyldor]

@bbarrera

Thanks for the info!

[SunsetRunner]

@mr_manager A quirk of the way Fitbit does its programming. I can do rides on my Tacx trainer, which uses gps data to simulate the topography of the route (ie I can re-ride routes and simulate the entire geography of the ride) and these get synced to Strava with the gps data. Strava is happy to record them as rides and show the route (as well as HR, power and “suffer score”) but Fitbit won’t accept them in its Strava app and they don’t show in my history therein.

Annoying but I’ve come to the conclusion the Strava app is little more than a placeholder for Fitbit to say “we’ve Strava on board”. It may get better, we’ll have to wait and see.

[bbarrera]

@SunsetRunner Before Strava integration was available, I had setup GarminConnect-to-Endomondo-to-Fitbit syncing of my bike rides into Fitbit. That works reliably for both outside and indoor rides, at least those recorded using my Edge 520 bike computer.

"quirk" is a rather polite way of putting it. When Strava integration was announced, I read that only Strava recorded rides were supported. Does Fitbit sync (create manual workout in dashboard) outdoor rides recorded with a bike computer? If not that is a lame attempt by Fitbit to shepherd folks to tracking on wrist.

The Endomondo-to-Fitbit sync method is working well. A month ago I purchased a Wahoo Kickr for my disc brake, thru-axle Trek Domane. Managed to get two Zwift rides done before realizing the thru-axle adapter wasn't compatible (post for disc brake prevented adapter from sitting flush in dropout). On the second ride I configured Zwift to push rides to Garmin/Strava/TrainingPeaks. On that ride I can confirm that Zwift pushed to Garmin Connect, which pushed to Endomondo, which pushed the ride to Fitbit. Fitbit doesn't allow syncing GPS/HR/cadence/power/etc, so that means all the interesting stuff is stripped out leaving duration, miles, and calories. My Edge 520 / GarminConnect rides always sync within seconds - after a ride my watch thumps my wrist with TrainingPeaks and Strava notifications, even before the Garmin Connect app displays it has completed syncing with 520!

What app are you using to control your Tacx trainer? The Kickr came with 30/60 day trials of Kinomap and Rouvy/VirtualTraining which support riding virtual courses with video (also included trials of  Sufferfest, TrainerRoad, Zwift, Strava Premium). I normally do structured workouts on dumb trainers, and now that I have a smart trainer am interested in (virtually) riding some classic European climbing routes if it includes a video of the route. Seeing a hill in Zwift and feeling it on my pedals was awesome! I'm expecting Wahoo to send me the reworked adapter next week, so I'll be back on the smart trainer soon.

[bbarrera]

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@mr_manager wrote:

This time I noticed the bit that said any activity WITH GPS will be synced. So that explains why treadmill runs haven't been synced. But it doesn't explain why they WOULDN'T be synced. My treadmill runs with the Garmin were synced to Strava...

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@mr_manager Because Fitbit controls Fitbit-Strava integration, and decided to ignore non-GPS and (if I read it correctly) non-Strava recorded workouts. Ironically, Fitbit doesn't allow importing of GPS and HR.

So let me get this straight, it needs to be a Strava recorded GPS activity, and then when Fitbit syncs it the GPS and HR info gets stripped out? Go figure.

On a similar note, Fitbit only allows *exporting* activities if they were recorded with GPS (either MobileRun, Connected GPS, or Surge/Ionic GPS).

Lame.

[SunsetRunner]

@bbarrera I’m using a Tacx Neo with Tacx TTS4 when indoors, coupled with a Wahoo chest strap, plus a couple of fans! TTS4 uses Google Maps and on my big monitor I can ride street view, which is really awesome and takes indoor riding to a whole new level. I love the fact that I can pull any previously ridden route and ride it again, “feeling” the hills as the trainer increases the resistance as it gets the info from the gps track, while watching where I am on the screen. (It’s also very useful for pre-riding courses.) And obviously, everything syncs up to Strava and TrainingPeaks. Fitbit is very much an “also ran”.

I’ve tried Zwift but got bored of its sameness and cartoon like nature. Plus, with my setup I can ride anywhere in the world, as long as I generate a tcx file.

Out on the road I use a Wahoo elemnt bolt h/u, which when I’ve finished, syncs to Strava full route and HR details before I’ve got through the door of my house. Like you, my watch pings to let me know everything is saved and ready to view as soon as I walk in. Fitbit really needs to get on the ball.

[bbarrera]

@SunsetRunner Really nice trainer! I was considering the Neo, however our bike club has an annual bike discount agreement with a couple of local bike shops and I picked up the Kickr at 25% off (it was that, or the CycleOps Hammer).

Our bike club has organized group rides on Zwift, and we use Discord for audio - its fun as there is a lot of, umm, "chatter" when someone gets dropped. Lately I'm focused on raising power duration curve at 1min, 3min, and 5min points, corresponding to big pushes on our Wed night rides. For that reason I prefer Zwift as a simple way to be entertained while following a structured workout (Xert, Zwift, CTS/Strava) on a relatively flat Zwift course which again corresponds to our Wed night course (only 'hills' are roads passing over highways and train tracks). 

[SunsetRunner]

@bbarrera I did look at the Kickr (and with 25% off I’d probably have looked closer ) but I got a good price on the Neo and I liked its real road simulation and the fact that it is very quiet. Also, it doesn’t need power, generating its own. 

I like re-doing club rides on the computer, especially as I’m trying to improve my hill climbing, so TTS has proved valuable in that, coupled with the Neo. Also, it works well with workouts generated in TrainingPeaks, so I can create my own sets and in TP and ping them across to the Bolt and have the Neo generate resistance as required. Ant+ was such a step forward over Bluetooth!