How to use a Fitbit on an Exercise Bike? [Solved]

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Using cycling as a way of keeping fit is the latest craze. Cycling for fitness has many health benefits. Perhaps you have been thinking about investing in a Peloton bike or joining the spin classes at your local gym. 

If you have checked out spin classes in the gym, you probably wonder why many class participants wear their Fitbits on their ankles when they take part in the class. 

Fitbit exercise bike training works differently from walking or running. When you cycle, your arms, and hands often rest on the handlebars. Of course, this means getting the most of your Fitbit. So you need to set it up differently. 

However, using your Fitbit when you take part in a spinning class or use your at-home spin bike is a slightly different concept compared to using your Fitbit for walking or running. 

How To Add Spin To Fitbit

Yes, Fitbit can track your cycling exercise efforts. But, Fitbit devotees say that it is not easy to understand the results. 

Most importantly, you need to know that you will not get any results unless you place your Fitbit on your ankle. The same thing goes for other exercise trackers such as Garmin. It would help if you placed them on your ankle to track your efforts. 

Although this is not recommended, most Fitbit devotees do place the Fitbit on their ankle. 

How Do I Get The Best Results When I Wear My Fitbit For Cycling Or Spinning? 

As you may know, Fitbit makes calculations by acceleration. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve results unless you wear your Fitbit correctly. 

When you want to wear your Fitbit for cycling or spinning, you need to place your Fitbit on your ankle. The trick is to get it as close to the foot as possible. This is where your Fitbit can measure acceleration more accurately.

Be careful how you place your Fitbit. For example, you don’t want to place it so that it catches during your cycling or spinning session. 

When it comes to placing your Fitbit on your ankle, there are two schools of thought when it comes to socks. Some say that when you place your Fitbit on the inside of your sock or bare skin, you get more accurate results. Also, placing it on the inside of your sock does protect the Fitbit. 

As everyone’s effort varies during a spin class or cycling session, it is not easy to say what gives the best results. But, as Fitbit is designed to contact your skin, it is best to place it on bare skin. 

ankle fitbit 2

Setting Your Fitbit Up For A Spinning or Exercise Session

The first thing you may have to do is to set up spinning or cycling in your ISO or Android app. It is not too difficult, but you may have to be a little patient. 

How To Add Spin on a Fitbit 

Tap on your profile image in the top left-hand corner of the screen 

Tap on Account. Your device is listed under the account. Select your device by clicking on it. 

Scroll to the Exercise shortcut icon. In Quickview, it is shown under Exercise shortcuts

As you may notice, you are limited to seven activities. They commonly include yoga, pilates, biking, walking, running, and hike. It is tempting to tap on ” bike,” but you don’t want to do that. 

Instead, tap on the plus sign (+) and select spinning. 

Spinning is now added to your range of activities. 

When you are in class, you need to select spinning. Swipe until you get to spinning and press for about 5 seconds on the shortcut. Tap the screen, and then everything should work. 

Worn on bare skin, your Fitbit should now track everything, including your heart rate, among other factors. Then, at the end of the spin class, your Fitbit device should tell you how long the exercise when on for. 

This work seems to vary depending on what Fitbit you are using. 

What Happens When I Spin? 

It would help if you appreciated that Fitbit can’t physically see what you are doing. However, your Fitbit will still think of your spinning as steps. In other words, your Fitbit counts every turn of the flywheel as a step. 

When you finish your class, you will find that depending on how hard you worked. You may have clocked up as much as 50,000 steps. 

The amount of steps you rack up depends on the intensity of the class. For example, you will clock up more steps when you stand up a lot or hover over the seat. 

Does Fitbit Take Into Consideration the Tension? 

No, your Fitbit exercise bike session will not include the tension. As all regular “spinners” know, you increase the tension during a spin or Peloton class and may take it off a few minutes later. 

When you add a lot of tension, your Fitbit records fewer steps. So when you finish your class, you may not think that you have been working hard when you have worked hard.

Can I Track My Spinning Exercise History on Fitbit? 

Yes, you can. All you have to do is to go into Track Your Exercise option to see your history.

In the top right-hand corner, you will see the image of a stopwatch. Click on the stopwatch and check out the log screen. Then, please tap on the Log it button to save your activity. 

What Is Fitbit Best For Exercise Bike Or Spinning? 

When you are a keen spinner, the best Fitbit you can invest in is Fitbit Charge 4. 

One of the best things about the Fitbit Charge 4. It seems to work better for cycling exercises. But, of course, other Fitbits work well as well. 

Just make sure that you follow the instructions and protect your Fitbit when you wear it on your ankle when using your exercise bike or spinning bike. Of course, it is always best to wear it underneath your sock if you can. 

In Conclusion

Spinning and cycling are both popular forms of exercise. So it is nice to be able to track your exercise. Remember that by wearing your Fitbit on your ankle, you will get a much more accurate idea of your amount of steps and exercise level.