Tracking rides with third-party vs first-party

[MatthewJones]

I have a fitbit charge 2 and have also linked my fitbit account with strava. I've noticed that you can track exercise, namely bike rides in a number of ways including, starting from the fitbit itself, starting it from the fitbit app, or letting it auto detect the exercise. I've done some experimenting and seem to get slightly different statistics depending on how I track it. Now mix this with also being able to track with strava. What is the best way to track exercise? Should I track with fitbit or strava since they sync with each other? Unrelated: Why is it possible to track the same exercise with multiple of the aforementioned methods at the same time?

[LZeeW]

Hello @MatthewJones and welcome to the Help forums.  Statistics will be slightly different from different methods, because of different algorithms used to make calculations.  This is especially true for comparing any Fitbit method vs Strava.  These algorithms are proprietary.

If you compare Fitbit auto-recognition to tracking from the tracker, I suspect, but am not positive, there is a difference because of having the GPS distance.  Auto-recognition does not give you a distance.

Tracking from the Fitbit app is a feature better suited to older style trackers that don't have auto-recognition or the ability to track from the tracker.  Of note, the Charge 2 calls this the multi-sport mode.  Newer trackers call it the Exercise app.  If you are using the Track function from the app, the choices are Run/walk/hike.  You cannot track a bike ride from the app, but you can Log it.  Don't use the Fitbit app for your bile rides -- your Charge 2 is more advanced than that.

You really can't use them all at the same time.  If you start your ride from the tracker, you won't start it again in the app.  If you start your ride from the tracker, the auto-recognition won't turn on.  But if you start/stop something in the app, you might double count the ride.  It might get double count from being auto-recognized.  The app tracking and the tracker tracking don't "talk" to each other on a software level.

Again, all algorithms are proprietary.  Between auto-recognition and tracking from the Charge 2, which is closer to Strava?  Is Strava considered the "gold standard" of bike tracking?

Again, don't track from the app.  Sometimes the better choice of how to track depends on what you are doing.  If you are a bike commuter and do the same route over and over, then use auto-recognition.  If you do new and different rides, then use your Charge 2.

In the final analysis, these are all estimates.