Bikeforumuser0011

I am not sure if this the correct forum to post this in, but since this is the one that I spend the most time in, I will just put it here. My Mom, and sister recently purchased the Fitbit Flex and keep raving about how great they are. Well, my sister (who has moved home, too, temporarily, -hopefully- until February) hates to do laundry and offered to buy me a Fitbit Flex if I did her laundry for her until she leaves in February/March. So, for about three months-ish of doing laundry I would get this neath, little device that everyone keeps glowing about for free. I was looking on the website, and I knew that there was one above the Flex, and it is the Fitbit Force. For me, I think that the Fitbit Force would be better, because it actually gives you all the stats on the wristband itself, along with the Mac/PC & Smartphone App programs. With the Fitbit, I guess, it uses little dots to tell you that you are nearing your goal, then you have to check your phone more often, and with the Force I wouldn't have to. The price is no big deal, because I will just use my $25 Target gift card (I will be purchasing it as Target), as well as my Debit RedCard to get an additional 5% off, so it would be about $100 when all is said and done, which is the cost of the Flex originally, so a nice deal for the Force.

Anyway, I think it would be a nice, little device to have for working out, tracking sleep, tracking calories, distance on rides etc., and since it is free, hey, that's a nice perk, too! Does anybody use anything of this nature on rides (commute, touring, racing, training etc.)?

Thanks!

nkfrench 

I'm not sure if this is relevant to OP's post, it is more of my own rant.

My employer gives us $$$ incentives to be active and use either the GoZone or FitBit pedometer to record, upload and document our activity. Nice.
I did a trial run wearing the GoZone ($25) and the older FitBit Zip ($55?) concurrently. Both were clipped onto the lower edge of my bike shorts or were stuffed in the same pocket of my work attire.
The FitBit only recorded 2/3 of the steps that the GoZone logged.
The FitBit zips are elegant devices and I like that they are water resistant and sweat resistant, have a nice clip, and are not obtrusive.
The GoZone is ... well, I'm on my 5th device after sweating/splashing out/crudding up the USB ports on the earlier ones.
YMMV, but my FitBit is benched and will just be a backup for when I trash this GoZone. I can't stand that it misses so many steps.
I don't even bother with the calorie counts. Pedometers don't understand important things like hills and intense exercise.
I'd prefer NOT wearing a pedometer and just use my Garmin/HRM to track my cycling progress. But the $$$ in employer incentives is too good to ignore.

thelazywon

My job gave me one as well. The Force. It's OK, not great. Nothing special. Doesn't work for diddly on the bike. It's a pedometer and that's really about all.

no1mad 

I don't hold much faith in anything that is marketed as being able to tell me how many calories I consume, nor do I trust anyone who says my wife and I would burn the same amount doing the same activity.

I'd take the cash equivalent of that gadget and put it towards future bike schwag

acidfast7

We just get a tax break that amounts to between a 33 and 40% discount on bicycles and accessories up to £1000 every year.

No GoZone or FitBit.

J.C. Koto

IMO, it's a gimmick device which gathers a bunch of meaningless (and probably arbitrarily inaccurate) data but has the initial veneer of usefulness, and will almost certainly wind up in the junk drawer once the novelty wears off. But hey, it's not my 100 bones to waste.

Me? I'd rather get something else.

gregf83 

I got one for tracking sleep. I've worn it during the day but I don't have any goals for walking and don't walk much at work. It seems to record lots of activity during my commutes to and from work but I doubt the data means anything. It's likely just from vibration while riding.

For me, the only feature with any value is the sleep monitor.

Giant Doofus

I use a fitbit one. I don't count on any pedometer being super accurate, but I do like that it gives me a sense of how active I am on any given day. I try to get in 10k steps per day. I don't find ny of the other statistics it provides helpful.

gregjones

Tell your sister to do her own laundry.


I got one of these three years ago for thirty bucks. It works well and I like it......for thirty bucks. It's more than twice that now and I wouldn't pay that for it or anything like it.

Eat less, ride more and look for hills.

cvskates

I researched this because I like the concept, and thought it would be good for the wife and I. It doesn't have the ability to track your cycling activity, you have to add cycling activity manually. For that reason I wouldn't get it for me, but I may get it for my wife.

If you're looking for calorie counting ability I use myfitnesspal; it's awesome. Strava does a good job tracking your cycling, and between my HRM, myfitnesspal, and Strava, strava gives you lowest calorie count, so I use that (but I am trying to trim down a bit).

ChuckD6421 

Same here. Got a Flex for Christmas from my wife and since I only push pedals for exercise (normally on the road, spinning in the winter) it doesn't do anything for me but monitor sleep. Returning it today probably.

soze

I have a Fitbit Flex. It works for me; I need a rough calorie estimation to make sure I eat enough, I need to know if I'm sleeping enough, and I want to know how much of a ****** I've been over the day. I use SyncMetrics to get my Strava data into Fitbit automagically so my commutes get added into the calorie estimation.

Use the food tracker and the fancy predictive calorie estimator in the Fitbit website/app, it actually works well.

cvskates

Can you tell us more / post a link to the info for SyncMetrics? I would be much more inclined to use Fitbit exclusively if my cycling activity got added automatically.

fietsbob

when Probation is over does the Judge let you take it off?

Bikeforumuser0011

Bikeforumuser0011

Update: Ended up getting the Fitbit Force today. I am actually really liking it, but we will have to see how it goes. If it had something for cyclilng this thing really would be perfect (for me, anyway). Perhaps, on an app update, or another update to the band itself.

J.C. Koto

So do you still gotta do three months worth of your sister's laundry?

downwinded

How does it track that?!

thelazywon

I put mine on my shoe when cycling. It racks up a ton of steps.

Bikeforumuser0011

Nope! She said that she doesn't want me to do her laundry anymore (not sure why, I do great laundry ... ). I ended up purchasing it as a post-Yule gift to myself. All in all, a nice purchase, but I am hoping that I will figure it out for cycling.

Bikeforumuser0011

Do you find that it works well when attached to the shoe?

I just think that an app update to add the cycling option would be kickass!

thelazywon

No, it sucks. I just do it because my work makes me meet 50,000 steps per week for 2 months to get it free. I'll try to sync something after the "fitbit challenge" period is over.

It looks like people have been begging for a cycling update since it came out. Nothing yet that I know of.

EricSteven5

I'm baffled at how popular these things have become! Agree with others who have said it's just a gimmick. I personally wouldn't put much faith into anything that doesn't at least utilize a HRM.

As for a cycling application - Why not just take an avg cadence measurement (including zeros) and call it good? Essentially a pedometer for the bike.

acidfast7

I've never seen them ... must be an American thing.

Also, all of my colleagues are quite fit (cyclists/runner/fellrunners) ... maybe that's why I don't see them?

thelazywon

I think they are fairly new, and seem to be marketed toward a more sedentary lifestyle. It's a motivational tool to walk more, take the stairs more, and be more conscious of diet. If they would beef up the applications, it would be an excellent tool. It is bluetooth, and if it could more accurately monitor running/cycling/swimming, it would be much more useful.