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Old 01-04-22, 09:40 AM
  #17  
PeteHski
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Originally Posted by DenBoy
I’m an 82 yo roadie, wearing a Fitbit Charge 4 to monitor my heart rate (while riding) and sleep behavior. I had previously worn a Fitbit Charge 3 for 3 years and would have it still, except that I lost it after taking it off at a rest stop. I replaced it with my (current) Charge 4. I ride 3 or 4 times a week, usually 15 – 30 mile routes that I repeat over and over, recording bike computer and FB data for each ride.



I’m especially interested in my heart rate, and study the graphical plots Fitbit shows on my phone. I’m able to associate the various peaks and valleys in the plots with the hills, traffic light stops, etc. on each leg of my rides (out and back). The FB immediately recognizes whether I’m running or on my bike, and also recognizes when I make a rest stop – therefore stops recording heart rate until I resume my ride. The result is 2 separate plots displaying data only for my actual riding, omitting the time spent at my rest stop/turnaround.



The data I’ve collected is very consistent, heart rate matches my perceived level of effort. Sometimes I ride one of my routes harder than usual, or the wind is really high, or I do a slow and easy recovery ride. The resulting FB heart rate plots look exactly as I expect. I haven’t worn a separate heart rate monitor, so I have no other heart data to allow specific comparison. I’d enjoy hearing how someone who has worn both wrist and chest heart monitors found their level of agreement.
I find that my fitbit Charge 3 tends to read low at higher intensity, sometimes quite a lot lower than a chest strap. It's very sensitive to how tight you wear the strap and vibration through handlebars. For everyday use it's generally okay, but for high intensity exercise the data is pretty poor. As I don't like wearing a chest strap, I now use a Polar armband HRM, which I find as consistent as a chest strap. I still use my Charge 3 for sleep tracking and resting HR. It seems pretty consistent for those.
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