Does Fitbit Work With Exercise Bike?

Fitbit fitness trackers are the top priority of most fitness enthusiasts due to their exceptional features with accurate readings. New Fitbit users are often unaware of its hidden features and are seen with questions such as “does Fitbit work with exercise bike?”

Besides tracking numerous movements such as running, swimming, walking, etc., Fitbit can also track stationary bike workouts. However, it does not work automatically as in the case of walking. You first need to set up your Fitbit device to make it compatible with the bike. 

Cycling is a great sport to keep your fitness level at par with other athletes. However, you can not always go outside for a bicycle ride. That’s where Fitbit comes along with the stationary bikes. Read this article to learn about how to use Fitbit with stationary bikes.

Does Fitbit Work With Exercise Bike – Compatibility

The compatibility of your Fitbit with an exercise bike depends on two major factors; The model of your Fitbit and the type of exercise bike. Moreover, in most cases, you have to set up your Fitbit or download additional apps to make your Fitbit compatible with a bike.

While using Fitbit with exercise bikes, keep in mind that all Fitbit trackers are not compatible with every exercise bike. Also, sometimes your Fitbit might not offer you a full range of its features while connected to an exercise bike. It is due to connectivity problems.

Ways To Connect Fitbit With Exercise Bike

To maintain smooth connectivity between your Fitbit tracker and the exercise bike, first, ensure that both are compatible. Once confirmed, there are several ways to connect your Fitbit to the stationary exercise bike, depending on the connectivity options.

Bluetooth Connectivity

Bluetooth connectivity is common in many GYM machines, including treadmills, leg-press machines, cable machines, exercise bikes, etc. However, not all exercise bikes offer Bluetooth connectivity. After checking the Bluetooth connectivity of the exercise bike, follow these steps.

• Activate the Bluetooth on your Fitbit device and the exercise bike.
• Open the Fitbit app and go to the “Account” section.
• Search for the bike name in the “available devices” list.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the pairing process.

Mobile App Integration

Several exercise bikes offer mobile apps that are compatible with fitness trackers such as Fitbit, Garmin, etc. You can download the app from the play store or the bike company’s official website. Follow these steps to sync your mobile app with Fitbit.

• Download the app and create an account.
• Go to the “settings” section and tap on connect.
• Search for your Fitbit tracker’s name and tap on it.
• Follow the on-screen instruction to finish the connectivity setup.
• You may also have to log in to your Fitbit account.

Manual Tracking

Well, most Fitbit trackers come with screen shortcuts for different activities and exercises, such as running, swimming, walking, yoga, biking, etc. However, exercise bikes need a “spinning” shortcut which is only available on specific models of Fitbit.

What to do if your Fitbit does not have a “spinning” option on its “shortcuts” list? Well, you can track your exercise bike activities manually. Though it is a bit irritating, you can do it by noticing the time and the distance covered. Follow these steps for manual tracking.

• Note the time you spend on the exercise bike.
• Now go to the official website of Fitbit and log in to your account.
• Go to the “activities” section.
• Enter all the required details, such as time spent and distance covered.
• It will calculate the calories burned.
• No click “Log” to add this to your activity history.

How Fitbit Tracks Workouts On Exercise Bikes?

Most people wonder “how Fitbit tracks workouts on exercise bikes as they are stationary.” We all know that Fitbit uses a set of algorithms and sensors to track our activities. Accelerometer is the primary sensor that plays a major role in tracking our activities.

Fitbit uses an accelerometer along with a heart rate monitor to track workouts on exercise bikes. The accelerometer detects the motion of your feet while you are pedaling and analyzes it through certain algorithms. The HR monitor tracks the intensity of the workout.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Conclusion

Indoor cycling or stationary bikes are a great way to keep your body in shape. You can now track all your activities inside the gym with the latest model Fitbit fitness tracker on your wrist. Besides running, you can now track other exercises such as stationary bikes. 

This was all about tracking workouts with Fitbit on an exercise bike. I hope you have got the answer to the question, “does Fitbit work with exercise bike.” Get your Fitbit tracker synced now and start training. Best of luck!