Using GPS mode for cycling also logs steps

[Jd88]

I am using GPS mode for logging cycling for a 1 hour ride and this is also logged to Strava, but I have 6000 steps and 15 floors added to the fitbit app, surely it should recognise that I have logged an excercise and automatically remove the steps?

[YojanaFitbit]

Thanks for stopping by @Jd88! If you're currently using Strava to record an activity to be reported to Fitbit, should be working in this way:

• Activities from Strava are synced over to Fitbit as manually logged activities but will not include GPS or heart rate data from Strava
• NOTE: Manually logged activities in Strava will NOT sync over, it needs to be a recorded activity (i.e. pressing the record button in the app)

So, next time that you do a bike activity don't start the activity from your Surge, but instead record the activity from Strava, in that way once the activity is sync to your Dashboard you will see just the Strava information withouth steps 

Hope this works! 

[Jd88]

That is the wrong way round, I log via the watch using GPS which syncs to
fitbit app, which then syncs to Strava. Surely the fitbit app should
recognise it's own info and remove the steps accordingly?

[YojanaFitbit]

Hope you're doing great @Jd88! Thanks for the clarification, actually you're right the Fitbit App recognizes all the activities recorded by your Surge. That's a lot of steps tracked by biking but on bumpy trails it's possible that your tracker will register steps while biking but these should be negligible in your overall stats. Can you please restart your tracker and try it one more time. 

In regards of floors the atmospheric pressure takes an important role here, Fitbit trackers that count floors have an altimeter sensor that can detect when you're going up or down in elevation. 

Keep me posted, I'll be around.

[dogenzenji]

This is a known issue. Every 30K I do I get about 3K steps. And floors, because I am cycling uphill. I agree it should be easy for Fitbit to realise that you are cycling as you are logging through GPS and then not update the total step count for the duration of the ride.

Steps even say N/A on your activity screen. As a work around I just up my steps target for the day by an average of what I ride.

Restaring your Surge will not help.

[Jd88]

Is there anything that actually works properly on the surge?!!!

[Jd88]

Surely the idea is that the GPS being used for logging cycling should
override any other data, such as floors climbed and steps, otherwise it is
effectively double logging activities, I see other people have this issue
too. So not just me, any idea if it will be fixed, ever?

[MikeF]

This has been debated for years (literally) with a lot of stong feeling on both sides of the arguement.

To my mind, this is only an "issue" if it's behaving in a manner that wasn't intended. As far as I understand it, this is the way that the cycle tracking feature has been designed and as such it won't be "fixed" becauise it isn't "broken".

I know a number of people disagree.

[Jd88]

It's simple to make the users happy, all they need is an option to switch
off logging steps when cycling. However the developers either don't want
to, can't or are so busy that it may happen in the very distant future!
Just like all of the other requests and bug fixes that never materilise.

If I was running fitbit and reading these messages I would be worried.

[MikeF]

---

@Jd88 wrote:
It's simple to make the users happy, all they need is an option to switch
off logging steps when cycling. However the developers either don't want
to, can't or are so busy that it may happen in the very distant future!
Just like all of the other requests and bug fixes that never materilise.

If I was running fitbit and reading these messages I would be worried.

---

If I was running Fitbit I'd know how many trackers I'd sold and understand the statistical significance of the number of people posting here with alternative opinions/problems.

Some people will always want something different but no company has a responsibility to please everyone. Their approach to the market entirely up to them. If they believe that an "ultimately configurable" tracker would be lovely for the techies but unuasable for the majority of the population, for example, then they're going to avoid as many options as they can.

[Jd88]

But why call it a "Superwatch", when it's a fitness tracker with GPS, and
couple of bells and whistles.

[MikeF]

"Why not?" I guess. It does more than a "watch" and less than a so-called "smartwatch" so I guess they wanted to find a middle-ground. I don't really think that questioning marketing decisions adds to this particular conversation though.

[Jd88]

The main point is to provoke a response from fitbit that isn't "post an
idea here or vote for one" and we will consider it.

Then you see the same post and ideas being expressed for more than 2 years
and still no answer, that is not customer service or support. 

Moderator edit: Word Choice

[YojanaFitbit]

Hey @Jd88 and @dogenzenji, it's nice to see you around. @MikeF Thanks for jumping in!

You're right @dogenzenji, it sound like a lot, where do you usually bike? Thanks for trying the restart by the way! 

@Jd88 I completely understand the frustration you're feeling because of this and your opinions are always welcome, but I'd like to ask you to keep it friendly since the Community enviroment was designed to provide a place for customers to seek and receive help from other community members, so please keep your comments constructive and relevant to the topic on the forum or thread.

I assure you that Fitbit is always looking to improve our products and services and we make an effort to meet all customers requests.

I'll be around if you need anything else. 

[Jd88]

Please tell me what was unfriendly in the post, thanks.

[dogenzenji]

Hi Yojanna

I ride mixed surface, so I am willing to believe that most of the steps come from when I hit the trails on my mountain bike and the tracker detects the bike jumping up and down as steps. Not a problem as such as I just up my maximum step target by the average step count gained from cycling. One thousand steps per 10 kilometres cycled seems about the average gain for me. I do ride on some pretty hard trails though

[YojanaFitbit]

Nice to see you again guys! Hope you are doing great and enjoying some healthy activities. @Jd88 I invite you to take a look of our Community Guidelines for more information in regards of your question. 

@dogenzenji I'm not an expert in biking since I bike only for short periods of times but I have noticed the extra steps. I also think that is not a big problem. But if you think that your tracker is not being accurate for other activities we can check that together! 

I'll be around!