How to track bike with my Charge 2

[Mimiruth]

how does one keep track of biking exercise?

Moderator edit: subject updated for clarity

[WavyDavey]

First, go into the settings in the app and under exercise modes, make sure Bike is checked. Then before biking, select the bike mode and hit the button to start. At the end of the workout, just hit the button to stop the workout.

The Charge 2 also has auto-track, so it may be able to detect your ride regardless. Even if you forget to do anything first, you can go into the fitbit.com dashboard afterwards and manually add the activity.

[USAF-Larry]

@Mimiruth, one easy way is to use the Bike Exercise Shortcut on the Charge 2 to manually start and stop the exercise.  If you have your phone with you while riding, the tracker will use Connected GPS to map your route and measure the distance.

[Rich_Laue]

@Mimiruth Looks like there are three ways you may track a bike ride.

-*Hop on the Bike and let Fitbit decide that your riding. 

- Manual start it using the Multitract function without the phone

- Manually start with the phone and the connected GPS. 

It's your decision. 

[CiaoKT]

For best cycling tracking results, is it better to manually start the cycling function rather than relying on charge 2 to automatically detect that you are cycling?  I would prefer to use the auto detect function (if all things are equall) since it is simpler and I do not have to worry about forgetting to manually start and stop, so PLEASE clarify ! Thank you !!

[LZeeW]

@CiaoKT  I think it depends on whether you want a map and distance or not.  The GPS ways give you a map.  Auto-recognizing does not.

[CiaoKT]

Thanks Liz for the info !

Sent from my iPhone

[Mimiruth]

I just tie my fitbit to my shoelaces when I ride my bike.

Sent from my iPhone

[Rich_Laue]

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@Mimiruth wrote:
I just tie my fitbit to my shoelaces when I ride my bike.

Sent from my iPhone

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For what reason? Does it read your heart rate?

[Qtip]

I can not seem to manually start my bike ride? I picked 7 shortcuts but only 3 show up, run, walk and hike. I'm usually pretty good at figuring things out but with this app I am confused. Any suggestions?

[USAF-Larry]

@Qtip, did you sync your tracker after making the changes to the Exercise Shortcuts in the app?  The sync process is what forces the changes down to the tracker.

[Qtip]

I am having issues with the sync and it looks like I need an update.... 

[alwaystired]

I have a deskcycle that I use underneath my desk and I find if I have my hand on my leg while I use it, it will count as steps. Not sure if this is the best way to doing things but at least I can get it to count for something. 

[LZeeW · Accepted solution]

@Qtip  There are two ways to use GPS during exercise: from within the app and the multi-sport (or exercise) mode.  If you see only run, walk, and hike, it sounds like you are using the method from within the app.  The multi-sport is started and stopped from within the tracker.

You want to be in the multi-sport (exercise) mode to track your bike with GPS.  To start, push the button on your tracker until you get to the exercise icon.  I can't tell you how many times you will have to push the button or what icon you will see, because both of these features can be customized.  For me, I push the button twice and I see the walk icon.  Now tap your tracker until you see bike.  Press and hold the button to start.  Press lightly to pause/restart.  Press and hold to stop.  Tap your tracker to scroll through your stats.

When you press and hold to start, you should see a screen with a distance measure, a timer and, most important, a little smart phone.  Initially, you will see two little moving dashes next to the phone icon.  If the dashes go away, you are connected.  Bike on!  If the phone gets a slash through it, it isn't connected to your phone and some setting is off. 

The setting could be off from within your phone settings or Fitbit app settings.  If you get the phone with the slash through it, review this Help article:  How do I use multisport or exercise mode on my tracker?  There are differences between iOS and android setups.

I hope this helps.

[Istoriel]

Thanks for the link to the Help article, but it only lists instructions for Android & iOS.  Is this feature compatible with Windows?  I can initiate a walk/run/hike from the phone app, but if I start it with the Charge 2 (which for some reason is the only option for tracking biking distances), I get a message saying "See Fitbit app", and if I dismiss that, I see the phone icon with a strike through it.

[USAF-Larry]

@Istoriel, Connected GPS is not currently supported with the Windows 10 phone. It has been reported in other posts that Fitbit is working with Microsoft to resolve this issue.  That is why you are seeing the message to "See Fitbit app", because it cannot connect to the GPS via the app - the phone icon with the red line through it indicates it could not connect to the GPS.

[kimopo]

ok, question

You taught me to use the walk exercise from the charge2 by hitting and holding the button but, do I than also need to start the exercise from within the app ??

I tried last Sunday having the charge 2 to recognize the exercise and it actually did, but it didn't record a map.

Later I started the exercise in the app and than the app collapsed with an error but I ended up having a map tho...

I didn't know about starting my walk exercise from the charge2 itself as I just learned that here in the above accepted solution (even tho it was bike there, I understood that goes for walk too)

I am a walker an training for the 4 Days Marches (here in the Netherlands) and want to see how I'm doing so wondered, using the Charge2 now in stead of the One, do I use both exercise options or just one of them ?

I think the Charge2 doesn't record a map and only the app does, right ?

Thanx

[LZeeW]

@kimopo  Track your walk by one or the other, but not both.  I never did it by accident, or tried it as a test, but I'm sure it would double count or do something else horribly evil to your stats.

You said you got no map by starting from the tracker.  Do you use an iPhone or an android phone?  The "no map bug" might be a problem with one platform and not the other.  I have an iPhone and have no recent problems.  You should try a search in the appropriate app forum to see if others are having the same problem.  Sometimes you have to do the right combination of re-starting your tracker, quitting the app and re-opening it, and/or deleting the app and re-installing it.  I don't have a specific answer for you on that.

I don't know why the app crashed while you were using that method.  I don't use the app for tracking because the exercise shortcuts from the Charge 2 give me many more choices.  Sometimes the fix for that is to delete the app and re-install it.

There are four GPS connected activities in the Charge 2:  walk, run, hike, and bike.  All should give you a map.

From a historical perspective, tracking from the app was introduced a couple years ago.  It was an early step in GPS tracking.  It is still the only option for people who use a One or a Zip or a Flex.  The Charge 2 multi-sport tracking, auto-recognized activities, and GPS connected activities are a big leap forward.  There is one feature of the app that isn't in the tracker exercise mode -- voice cues for distance, pace, etc.  The app will also let you play music from within the app.  But I don't store music on my phone, I stream it via a different app.

[Rich_Laue]

@Istoriel fotbit has been running a beta test (now closed), for a few months. Rumor have it that the trsting is coming to the end and soon to be released to all. Your maps should be soon.

@kimopo what phone do you have?

On the Charge 2 durring a walk/run there will be a phone icon displaying the gps status. That is if the connected GPS has been enabled, it is by default.

[HeatherSaldana]

In this mode will it track my steps. This is bothering me I went for a 1 1/2 bike ride using my Fitbit exercise mode and it only track 300 steps. My iphone with me the whole ride.