In recent years, technology has become an essential tool in the life of all human beings. It has acquired tremendous importance in all areas of our lives. Technological advances have greatly influenced all the activities and professions that people practice.
Doctors, engineers, dentists, designers, and architects are just a few of the professionals who have benefited from this powerful tool. However, technology is expanding much more to other areas such as leisure, art, and sports.
Sport is undoubtedly one of the activities where technological advances stand out the most. That is because, over time, specialists have tried to develop tools that allow perfecting a particular sport, the way to practice it, and reduce errors so that it is fairer.
This situation can be seen today in sports such as soccer, tennis, basketball, baseball, cycling, etc., regardless of whether it is at a professional or amateur level. Advances in wearable smart technology have benefited cycling professionals in many ways.
What is Fitbit?
Fitbit is a company that is in charge of creating technological devices or tools that people can wear. The products produced by this company are intended for people’s health and physical activity.
Fitbit products were created to monitor the various activities that a person performs daily in addition to other aspects of their day to day. The objective of this brand has been to provide the tools and motivation necessary to help people have an active and healthy life.
These portable smart devices are essential to maintain balance in the activities carried out by each person daily. Because of that, Fitbit brand products have become almost indispensable tools for active people, especially for cycling professionals.
Is the Fitbit Ideal for Cyclists?
As we have previously said, the products of this brand are designed to monitor people’s physical activities at any time and place. Fitbit’s range of smartwatches allows you to track your distance traveled, calories, laps, heart rate, and even hours of sleep.
This watch will help you configure the data according to your requirements when cycling. You will be able to observe your health statistics and control your hours of exercise through the portable smart device’s interactive interface. In addition, you can determine your location through a built-in GPS or connected with a smartphone.
Therefore, wearing a Fitbit while cycling is a fun and efficient way to exercise and have a healthier life.
How to Effectively Track Your Ride?
The Fitbit brand has a wide variety of types of smartwatches, and each of them has different nuances that characterize them. However, although most can be used to track your cycling activity, only some of them have more significant benefits for this sport.
Unlike other brands’ smartwatches, Fitbit products not only allow you to track your journey on foot but also by bicycle. They do this through a technology called SmartTrack, which is the function that automatically recognizes and records various statistics and physical exercises of the person. In other words, it will help you obtain detailed data by efficiently tracking your cycling progress.
The smartwatches of this brand are known and used, especially for their functionality of tracking all the daily activities that a person carries out. However, in the world of cycling, its greatest potential lies in the functionality of its GPS. It should be noted that this system may be integrated into some Fitbit products, while others must be synchronized.
The GPS functionality will allow all cyclists to track their routes, distance, and pace. It should be noted that Fitbit watches that do not have an integrated GPS will need a Smartphone to be used.
In the same way, these products will not only track your cycling activity but also record the data that has been generated during your cycling practice.
As we mentioned in the previous point, the cycling data that your smartwatch can record and track include the following:
- Distance traveled.
- Average speed.
- Duration.
- Heart rate.
- Calories burned.
- Activity per hour.
One of the most interesting benefits that Fitbit smartwatches offer is that they can also be worn to track your exercises on a stationary bike. In this way, you will be able to keep your exercise routines constant and efficiently compare those data with outdoor bicycle workouts.
Now, we can further detail how a Fitbit tracks your cycling and helps you use the data appropriately obtained.
We already know the data that this device takes into account when tracking your activity. This information can be provided through the mobile application or the desktop dashboard, which can be downloaded through the Windows Microsoft Store.
Fitbit helps you with the following:
- Duration: Fitbit watches allow you to obtain data about the period you have maintained in each cycling session. In this way, you will not only be able to follow that time during each practice, but you will also be able to improve your numbers during the races or simply during each lap.
- Distance: Fitbit products track the rider’s route in real-time, helping them get data on their distance.
- Heart rate: These data are essential to maintain regular control of the rider’s heart rate because the intensity of some workouts can be demanding. Some Fitbit smartwatches not only monitor heart rate during activity but also when the rider is at rest.
- Calories: This aspect is very important for any athlete. A Fitbit calculates the calories burned during your cycling activities, taking into account specific data, among which we can highlight the BMR
- Route Tracking: Fitbit brand products not only allow you to track your bicycle routes but also records them. That is possible thanks to the GPS function, which will enable you to view the route both from the smartwatch and a Smartphone.
Fitbit Devices Suitable for Cycling
As we already know, the Fitbit brand offers a wide variety of products, among which portable smart technology stands out. Each of them has certain particular characteristics for a specific situation and need of the cyclist. If we talk specifically about the smartwatches of this brand, we must mention the following:
- Fitbit Alta
- Fitbit Blaze
- Fitbit Charge 2
- Fitbit Charge 3
- Fitbit Charge 4
- Fitbit Flex 2
- Fitbit Inspire
- Fitbit Inspire HR
- Fitbit Ionic
- Fitbit Versa
- Fitbit Versa 2
- Fitbit Versa Lite Edition
These smart devices allow you to track activity per hour, heart rate, distance, steps, calories, etc. However, it is essential to clarify that not all of them are suitable for tracking your cycling exercises.
The Fitbit brand offers some models of smartwatches that have special functions to track your cycling activities.
The six most suitable Fitbit devices for cyclists are:
Fitbit Blaze
It is the cheapest Fitbit for cycling on the market. This device is an affordable option for cyclists who want to track their routines.
It has excellent special features for tracking bike routes through SmartTrack, which is an integrated function. In addition, the Fitbit Blaze has other features, including notifications, music control, customizable mode, etc.
This smartwatch has an orthogonal front design surrounded by an aluminum frame. It should be noted that this model can be customized by using different frames and bands.
The Fitbit Blaze also has an accelerometer, light sensor, altimeter, optical pulse sensor, etc. We must clarify that this model does not have an integrated GPS, but you can use it by synchronizing it with your Smartphone.
An interesting fact is that this smartwatch is resistant to rainy days and sweat, although swimming with it is not recommended. Besides, it should be noted that its battery lasts approximately five days.
Fitbit Charge 3
This Fitbit model is characterized by having one of the best performance in terms of battery life. The Fitbit Charge 3 battery lasts seven days in continuous use, so you do not have to worry about the device running out of power during a cycling session.
It has a full touch screen in which you can receive notifications of messages and predefined applications. In addition, you can make configurations directly in the app as in other models, but the novelties in this one are:
- Timers (stopwatch setting).
- Relax (rest time).
- Alarms
It should be noted that the Fitbit Charge 3 is waterproof. Therefore, it can be submerged up to 50 meters. It not only tracks and records cycling metrics but also does it for swimming, running, or outdoor activities.
Its connected GPS function works through synchronization with a Smartphone.
Fitbit Ionic
This smartwatch has a wide variety of functions for cyclists. It has an LCD touch screen that is large enough to comfortably use it with your fingers and detail the data in a better way. Also, it has three buttons on the sides.
The Fitbit Ionic presents a built-in GPS and some sensors among which we can highlight:
- Accelerometer
- Gyroscope
- Optical heart rate monitor
- Altimeter
- Light sensor
- Vibration motor
The battery of this smartwatch lasts up to 4 days in constant use. Like the other devices, the Fitbit Ionic is also waterproof.
Fitbit Versa
Although this model is characterized by being less sporty, it can also be a good option for cyclists. Like the other smartwatches, the Fitbit Versa is responsible for tracking the distance traveled, duration, heart rate, calories, etc.
This product has one of the most elegant designs of the brand and an affordable price compared to the functions it offers. It has sensors, among which we find an accelerometer, gyroscope, altimeter, light sensor, heart rate monitor, vibration motor, and WiFi antenna.
Its LCD touch screen is adequately sized for easy handling. This model does not have a built-in GPS. Therefore, it needs to be paired with a Smartphone to use a GPS function. It is waterproof, just like other devices.
Its battery life is similar to that of the Fitbit Ionic (4 days).
Fitbit Versa 2
This model presents some improvements over the Fitbit Versa. It has a square shape with rounded corners and is made of anodized aluminum. Unlike the traditional Fitbit Versa, this one features an AMOLED display providing more intense colors.
The Fitbit Versa 2 has sensors such as the accelerometer, optical heart rate monitor, ambient light sensor, altimeter, built-in microphone, etc. Besides, it does not have a built-in GPS, so the cyclist must carry his Smartphone with him. Also, this device is waterproof.
Its battery can last up to 6 days in continuous use. An exciting feature is that it allows WiFi connectivity.
Fitbit Surge
This one is considered the best Fitbit for cycling since it allows you to track each of your bike sessions efficiently. It has a long-lasting battery that can remain in use for approximately seven days.
This model has a built-in GPS, which will allow the cyclist not to depend on his Smartphone all the time. Besides, it is waterproof like all the other models mentioned above but can only be submerged up to 10 meters.
The Fitbit Surge features a wide but comfortable design with a rectangular LCD screen. It has several sensors:
- Accelerometer
- Altimeter
- Gyroscope
- Sleep monitor
- Compass
- Heart rate monitor
- Pedometer
- Light sensor
Using GPS on a Fitbit
As we have mentioned, Fitbit brand products allow the use of the GPS function, taking into account that some of them have this function incorporated while others need a synchronized Smartphone.
The connected GPS uses Smartphone sensors, so you will have to take it with you when you go by bicycle to be able to track the routes and calculate distances. Instead, the built-in GPS simplifies all of that within the Fitbit device so you will not need to carry your phone during your cycling routines.
GPS is a vital function for people who practice cycling, so these smartwatch models are suitable for it.
Is it Necessary to Use a Fitbit for a Cyclist?
Many people wonder if it is indispensable and beneficial to use a Fitbit smartwatch. The answer is yes.
These devices were created to track each person’s personalized training, in this case, a cyclist.
It should be noted that a Fitbit is beneficial for both professional and amateur cyclists. Anyone who loves cycling can create a customizable routine that they can track consistently with a smartwatch.
Best of all, as we discussed earlier, these devices aren’t just for sports. Therefore, they can track additional information such as heart rate, calorie gain or loss, sleep cycles, etc.
Conclusion
Sport and health is something that all human beings must take seriously. For this reason, we must take advantage of all the benefits provided by technological advances.
Fitbit brand smartwatches are a great option for many athletes, especially cyclists. These devices are excellent activity trackers in which you can see daily the progress you have made not only in terms of your cycling results but also additional information about your health.
Using a Fitbit model with cycling features correctly will allow you to improve and control your daily physical activity and performance.