How to track my bike ride with my Charge 2?

[lwgordon]

I haven't biked for awhile because of a knee injury.  Now, starting again, I can't remember how to turn on the timer for my bike ride.

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[dogchinookdog]

Agreed, I've been asking about this since I got my first Fit bit 4 years ago (in particular , mountain biking).  Now I have a Versa, and the issue is still not resolved.  I was using map my run for tracking mountain biking and , now Strava.  (Although Strava doesn't distinguish between mountain biking and road biking (two very different forms of activity)

[IowaBoy]

Thanks for the reply.

On my Charge 2 wrist tracker, I cannot figure out how to locate any of the different forms of exercise so I can designate when I am bike riding. I think I am doing something wrong. Any advice?

Thanks,

IowaBoy

[Rich_Laue]

You could read your user manual or the online help docs. @IowaBoy 

[IowaBoy]

I have plowed through those links, but nothing shows how to get the exercise icons to show on my tracker.

IowaBoy

[dogchinookdog]

 Even though it says there are 7 activities available for tracking, only the same three sow up: Run, Walk and Hike 

[Rich_Laue]

@dogchinookdog are you in your Fitbit app, add exercise, start now? 

If so the Yes your coorrect, this thread is about the, up to 7 exercises, that can be started on your wrist.. Please see the best answer on the previous page. It explains how to edit the list of exercises on the tracker. There is a choice of 20 exercises of which 7 may be added. 

[IowaBoy]

I have only the options of “run, walk, hike,” and these don’t show up on my tracker.

I wonder whether some Charge 2’s lack this feature. It shouldn’t be so hard to engage the exercise feature.

IowaBoy

[KelliCanada]

Will this allocate any steps ?

[Rich_Laue]

@IowaBoy see question 2 found through the online help link I  Posted above. Your describing the Fitbit app, there as are about 20 different exercises that can be added to the Charge 2. 

@KelliCanada their may be some steps from the bouncing of the bike across rocks, bump, and holes in the path. 

[Eumarhot]

How could I combine two biking sessions? I longer pressed the bottom in the middle of my routine and now I have two separate maps and stats. Can somebody help me with this?

[IowaBoy]

Thanks for your help. I finally found a site in my dashboard under ‘menu items’ that enabled me to add exercise icons to my tracker. I wish I could reorder the icons on my tracker, but the instructions to press ‘edit,’ hold the icon and drag it to its proper position does not work. Dan

[dogchinookdog]

Well the Versa tracker has a bike option.  but not mountain bike.  My original questions had to do with the IOS app.  you have three choices, hike walk run. nothing else

[Babs_40]

I’d like to Know how to convert my biking into steps as we’re doing a step challenge at work and this would count towards my steps but it does not seem to actually directly reflect the steps when I sync my tracker.  It seems like the steps are not nearly enough according  to the research I’ve done. 

[Eumarhot]

A general rule of thumb is a moderate intensity biking for 60 mins is equivalent to 10,000 steps. Therefore, check how much time you spent in your bike ride, then calculate. Let's say you spent 30 mins, that would be equivalent to approximately 5,000 steps. Of course that depends on the intensity and many other factors, but it's a good initial approximation. I would say 2.78 pedals(steps) per second or 167 pedals(steps) per minute.

According to the Compendium of Physical Activities: Bicycling is equal to 220 steps per minute; 13,200 steps per hour. It would take 46 minutes of cycling to equal 10,000 steps.

However, Riding an e-bike (electronic pedal assist) is equal to about 136 steps per minute; 8,160 steps per hour. It would take about 1 hour 14 minutes of riding an e-bike to get 10,000 steps.

In conclusion, 60 mins equivalent to 10,000 steps is a middle between those two. Up to you to determine how intense was your ride and make your conversion accordingly.

[Rich_Laue]

@Babs_40 any steps recorded by your tracker are from movements of the handlebars, usually from the bumps, dips, holes, that the front wheel rode over. 

[Dave_Lemen]

If I might ask a very late follow up question...  In doing this approach, how do I get my phone to give me the audio queues?  I'd like to get stats every 0.5 or 1 mile.  If I do it the way described, I get all my data at the end, but I don't have the real-time info.

Perhaps in advance of your reply, I have tried going the other way and starting the app, and starting the exercise there. I do end up with a map and HR stats,  However the watch stays in "normal" mode, and then I lose the ability to have just my heart rate on my watch, which is probably more critical to me than stats.

-Dave

[Rich_Laue]

Simply turn it on @Dave_Lemen 

 

[Dave_Lemen]

Rich,

Thanks for taking the time to reply.  I suspect that I was not clear on my issue.  If I use the phone app, I can turn on alerts, as you illustrated.  However, the watch stays on the default clock and does not go into "exercise mode".  When doing these workouts, it's important for me to closely track my heart rate.  when on the default clock, I do not have an easy view of my heartrate.  At best I can do the "everything" which has it in small type.

On the other hand, if I start my exercise from my watch as a run, it'll hook into my phone app and log gps from there.  In this scenario, I can set my watch to have my heart rate always up on the watch, and it'll give me the total time of the workout in small type.  However, starting my exercise this way does not prompt the app to give me audio queues.

So it seems like I must choose... 

1. start exercise from phone and get queues, but not get HR screen on watch

2. start exercise from watch and get HR screen but do not get audio queues.

Does this help explain my situation?  I'm looking for the best of both.

Thanks!

-Dave

[Rich_Laue]

@Dave_Lemen the Fitbit app currently does not have the option to record a bike ride, so no audio cues will be heard. 

However if one manually starts the bike mode from the tracker, the user can get cues in the screen of the Charge 2. The Charge 2 vibrates to let the user know to look at the screen. The user will also have the option to view the heart rate on the tracker. You are correct, in that the Charge 2 does not have a speaker, and the only noise that it can make is through a motor and rotating disk. 

As for heart rate being recorded, with most trackers, if one starts the exercise through the fitbit app, their heart rate will not be added to the exercise. 

Basically it is your call on how to record the exercise. 

You may want to vote for the option to record a bike ride through the fitbit app. 

[Hellyshoes]

Your reply does not address the problem that bike is not an option My options are run walk and hike How do I make bike and option